394 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.
A manufacturer of machinery writes:

Our only export business thus far has been to Canada. Have tried at odd
times to enter other foreign fields, but have found it impossible to do so without
 any representatives in the field or some suitable method of getting actively
In touch with the foreign trade. A firm of our size can not afford to employ a
foreign representative for its exclusive representation.
A manufacturer of steel castings writes:
Can not afford to develop the market alone.
ComBiNaTION NEEDED.—There is a desire among many manufacturers
 for cooperation among themselves for the purpose of securing
foreign trade. This is shown by the many replies to this effect.
A manufacturer of fancy cotton and silk goods, after telling of the
different methods he had tried in order to gain the Argentina trade
and of his poor results, says:
Went to considerable expense to develop trade with Argentina, both by send-Ing
 out samples, by letter, by conversation in New York, and with what slight
nssistance the National Association of Manufacturers could give, and it proved
that the only way that our trade could be developed would be by being a member
 in a combination of industries large enough to have their own personal
representative go to Argentina. Would have to be a member of an organization
 with strong financial backing.

A manufacturer of belts states the point as follows:
As we understand the law, it prohibits a combination of small manufacturers
which to our mind might solve the problem.
A large manufacturer of supplies for the shoe manufacturing
business states:

We do engage somewhat in foreign trade, and would undoubtedly extend our
Interests in that direction if the percentage of cost of reaching the trade could
pe brought within reasonable limits, and cooperation would be very helpful
lo us.

A manufacturer of cottonseed products says:

It is hard for a small mill to take on foreign contracts of any size, and the
only way to handle &amp;he business now is to sell from 100 to 500 tons of cake or a
few hundred bales of linters to some exporter who assembles the shipments,
engages his freight Yoom, and sells direct to the consumer on the other side. A
proper cooperation would eliminate the middle man and enable the small mill to
get the same prices for his product as the large mill. The policy of the mills
now is to sell for export when they can get approximately the same price for
their goods as they can for domestic use, but there are some large concerns who
sell a certain proportion of their product every year for export, usually for fall
shipment, which is the time when there is least domestic demand for cake and
meal.

A manufacturer of vulcanized fiber says:

We have some foreign trade, but everything we sell in Europe is sold either at
cost or below, simply to keep our mill going. Our foreign trade is simply a
dumping ground for our surplus product, and there is no profit in it. If we
were permitted to consolidate with a number of our small competitors we could
then produce our goods cheaply enough to sell in the foreign market at present
prices with a profit.

A manufacturer and producer of pig iron, coal, and coke states:

The volume of our business is quite large, but it is not large enough for us to
enter the foreign field. We must either become one of the units in a combination
 or sell at low prices to agents for foreign buvers.