Oct. 15.
Interviewed in London before he sailed on the Macetonia—now steadily approaching Singapore—Sir Ernest to the Far East, expressed the hope that he and his colleagues would be able to "furzizh British industry with information of real value as to the potentialities and requirements" of the Far Eastern markets and "to make recommendations with a view overcoming some of the difficulties" which are hindering' British trade out here at the present time. It is not surprising that this statement has been criticised in some quarters as providing but a slender justification for the despatch of the Mission. Information of the kind to which Sir Ernest referred has been. consistently sent home to England for many months, not only by the official representatives of the Bri Government in China and Japan, but also by the various offices and agencies representing British firms in those countries. Indeed the cry to be met with more frequently than eny other in Shanghai and, presumably, other commercial centres as well, is to the effect that the British producer seems to be impervious to the suggestions made by his recognized intelligence service for the greater satisfaction and therefore the more extensive custom of the Far Eastern consumer. Puttiny aside for the moment the has: difficulty of the depressed exchange, there has been a constant emphasis laid on the need to consider the price factor and the peculiar foibles of the consumers in different localities, Political and other non-economic considerations have little weight in the face of the all-important question of the cost of a commodity. If the consumer can be convinced that he is buying what he wants and at the cheapest possible price all other arguments go for nothing. It does not meed the despatch of an Economic Mission te discover this fact; it has been the burden of speeches by trade commi sioners, agents and other commercial men when addressing home audiences on the subject; it must have been u frequent text of the reports carried home from agents here.
Sir Ernest, in the interview already mentioned, went on to say "We shall have to make a very careful study of China' requirements, we shall also have to study the marketing methods of our competitors, and see in what respects we can improve on our present method and if possible go one better than our competitors." It would be astonishing if information of that kind had not been supplied in abundant measure by the men on the spot. Again, it would seem that the Mission need not make the arduous journey from Europe to fortify itself with local colour for the ttactice that excellent commercial maxim. For these reasons -the enthusiasm of the British mercantile community over the Mission has not been electrical. Nevertheless it is to be hoped that the Mission will be able to awake more than formal courtesy from British circles in this country. However superfluous its immediate ambitions may appear, its presence Fore under judicious direction, can be turned to definite advantage. There is always more value in the personal equation than is sometimes realized. The Mission comprises men pursessed of much expert knowledge of various British industries with trade relations in this country. Their contact with the actual conditions of Chinese commerce, reinforcing the lessons which they might more thoroughly have learnt in past years, cannot be entirely of negative importance.
In fact the Mission could be usefully made the focus of a real attempt to demonstrate the vigour of British commercial effort. It is easy to imagine what might be done by those countries which appreciate the weight of the advertisement factor in business. development, if they were shepherding a similar body of commercial magnates. There would be no little energy expended on preparing for the Mission a welcome which would convince its members of the magnitude of the field extended for their critical examination, There would be whole-hestted operation in the advertisement of the vast interests which they represented. There would be no stone left unturned to ensure that, while hospitality and ceremonial would have their due recognition in the entertainment of the visitors, those features of their reception would be severely essed to the practi quirements of all the industries seeking a market in China. This may sound like an incentive to window dressing, to propaganda, to intensive adverticing. The charge should be met with frank acquiescence. It merely implies wise employment of the recognized weapons of the seeker-after trade. The relustance indeed of some British interests to give full attention to the importance of advertising themselves is as noteworthy as the other signs of rigid con-servetism to which Sir Ernest Thompson drew attention in the observations quoted above, If the Mission succeeds in impressing the business community which it represents with the value of a live policy in the matter of making contacts, whether by personal sepresentation or by fearless advertisement, it will thoroughly justify its adventure. Moreover it should bring to the important British interests out here a message of encouragement which, given in due course an improvement in the exchange situation, should react with much benefit to them and to Chinese commerce generally.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.