EXCERPTS FROM HEARINGS. 2901
have particularly in mind the South American dealer, so that we could give
him a reasonable line of credit.
I submitted a plan to one of the financial houses here looking to some such
organization. They were afraid to take hold of it, owing to the attitude of the
Government at that time, It seems to me, however, that if such a plan could be
approved or countenanced by the Government, whereby the American manufacturers
 could unite in an organization to reach, particularly, the South
American trade, and perhaps the European trade, supplying them, for instance,
with their hotel equipment and supplying homes in South America with Ameri-»an-made
 products on a basis where the South American dealer could handle it,
there is a great field for the American furniture, where to-day there is pracically
 none. There is practically no American furniture going abroad, except
In some specialty lines. I believe there are some desks being sold in London,
put, generally speaking, the furniture industry is very poorly represented in
foreign fields.
John S. Kent, president of the New England Shoe &amp; Leather
Association. Boston. Mass. said: '

I believe, to begin with, that combinations of manufacturers making shoes,
sut making different lines of shoes, would be an effective way to get into
lhat market. It is a rather difficult and expensive proposition for an ordinarysized
 manufacturer to make the attempt alone; and so I hope that if such
a combination is within the scope of the Sherman law, and is objectionable
yn that account, some way can be found to get over that. A very large manufacturer
 might perhaps take it upon himself to enter an entirely new market
and establish himself there, but the medium-sized manufacturer would find it
an very risky proposition to take up. 9
W. T. Beatty, of the Austin Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Ill,
which manufactures contractors’ machinery, railroad machinery,
ate... sald:

I can see no reason why manufacturers of kindred lines should not cooperate
 in foreign business, but not manufacturers in similar lines. We could
zo to manufacturers that make concrete mixers and a line of contractors’
machinery, contractors’ locomotives, and a large line of machinery of that
sort that would fit into and supplement our line, and which is sold to the same
lass of customers by the same salesmen and the same sales methods and the
same advertising methods. You could get a half a dozen concerns like that
together who would build up a complete line in that way. They might very
aasily Help one another in that way.
G. L. Walters, of the Adams &amp; Westlake Co., Chicago, Ill, also
manufacturers of railroad supplies, said:

It would be better, it seems to me, taking Argentina and Brazil and those
countries, in place of depending largely on the big exporter in New York, if
there should be established a branch whereby there might be several allied
industries represented; I do not necessarily mean the same line of goods, but
those that are sold to the same trade, and I am speaking now of the railroad
business, that is what we are interested in. For instance, a manufacturer of
signal lamps and another of switch stands and electric block-signal eijuipment,
all those that sell to the same people, could work in harmony, and in that way
reach the trade much better than if one man handling signal lamps and another
handling electric apparatus or something entirely distinet from the business
you are interested in, were to make such visits.
E. T. Harris, president of the Payson Manufacturing Co., hardware
 dealers, Chicago, Ill, thought that some method might be
developed by which—

# * * g number of collateral manufacturers, or dealers in certain districts
 could establish some sort of a central agency, whereby and through
which their products could be represented and given an opportunity to obtain
a footing,