XXVI

PACKING  AND  SHIPPING
The  method  of  packing  goods  intended  for
the  export  markets  of  Latin  America  is  worthy ­
  of  the  greatest  study  and  the  most  serious
consideration.  Poor  and  improper  packing,
so  characteristic  of  American  made  goods,  has
caused  us  the  loss  of  much  business,  and  wherever ­
  I  have  been  in  these  countries  it  has
formed  the  subject  of  much  unfavorable  comment ­
  and  highly  warranted  criticism.  Of
late  there  has  been  a  slight  tendency  toward
improvement  in  this  really  important  branch
of  the  foreign  trade,  but  there  is  still  much
opportunity  for  bettering  conditions  in  this
regard.
In  the  United  States  with  every  forwarding
facility,  the  largest,  best  and  most  complete
transportation  systems  on  earth,  we  are  prone
to  think  of  the  rest  of  the  world  as  being  simi-311