posts, such as handling commercial matters for the embassies or legations, aiding visitors, and answering specific inquiries received from the United States.

Commercial Attaché Edward F. Feely. I emery at Mexi » City. took charge at Buenos Aires in Ostrva, 1922 ; de las tres assisted by Trade Commissioner George S. Bruty. Ess office te vafis about the purchase of American motor TRUCKS, LIL IN Du pespective Argentine buyers in touch with Aneriui pronerzve mad ifacturers. Periodic trips have been made Amernet. Mz. Faiy

has been assisting the Argez Minister of Forem of.rs n cianning a commercial-attaché ses dir de lenu-İr. I was wied several American Governmez prematve: Langentei vich the American Chamber of Commers at the anan Immeds Agents Association, and has Svartet numeros para ni ide Bureau.

The Rio de Janeiro office was a asuster Ine missioner R. M. Connell from Jane u Novesves

E. Embry from November, 192, Fr. a. ie that a z date, of Commercial Attaché W. L. »

Trade Commissioners Bernard H. Yoil ma V LLL

a trying period every possible and has been give a like a He terests in Brazil During the tarif tenates

gress in 1920 the office was active in uding

preparation of petitions in cases where the mailles was threatened by proposed changes n mort etenues number of valuable economic reports has been renues. E the investigations in progress are those on foreign vmben, a Brazilian railways, the iron resources and metalurgical ni -rm if Brazil, the finances of the Brazilian States. he narser for notor vehicles, the trade between Brazil and Argentina, ut de 3rmal...ll rubber industry.

The office at Santiago, Chile, has been directed

Attaché Charles A. McQueen. In July, 1920, Mr. M.tgzeen American exporters of impending difficulties and the destru filling pending orders as rapidy as possible. The subsequent tion of nitrate sales, bringing with it a fall of Chilean etobar 28 caused many cancellations and faires, with the result that during the autumn the attachés efforts were prompally devoted to adjusting claim- and facilitating the collection of casted accounts. During the year about 400 American exeermes and slemen called at his office. Chilean merchants have often a pen the attaché for help in connection with purchases fron 11 4 ountry. During May and June. 1921. Mr. Melgueet underious & try of sestigation through the north of Chile.

From June to October, 1920, the Mexico office was directed by Trade Commissioner Charles H. Cunningham, aided by Trade Commissioner Bernard H. Noll. Mr. Cunningham adjusted a shipping dispute and obtained cars to move a large shipment of tallow belonging to an American concern. Upon his transfer to Madrid he was succeeded by Commercial Attaché Carlton Jackson; the latter, who had been trade commissioner at Lima, Peru, made a trip through the United States and arrived at Mexico City in December. Mr. Jackson has visited Vera Cruz and Guadalajara for the study of commercial and industrial conditions. The Mexico office now has in process of preparation a directory of local firms representing American manufacturers, exporters, and importers. On an average. 130 callers per month have been received, and about 75 reports, in all, have been forwarded to the Bureau. Many reports have also been prepared for private firms.

Acting Commercial Attaché Daniel Waters has been in charge at Lima, Peru. Investigations have been made covering markets for tractors, the foreign machinery sales, the use of automobiles, cotton statistics, advertising, wool pieces, and live stock, while studies have been made for questionnaires. Much time has been given to study of the port congestion at Callao, and conferences have been held with interested shipping agents. Mr. Waters has been active in promoting American participation in the Peruvian centenary exhibition of foreign products. Representatives of American pipe manufacturers have been placed in line to compete successfully for a large Peruvian construction contract. Twenty-nine trade disputes have been adjudicated by the office.

ACTIVITY AT PERMANENT POSTS IN FAR EAST.

The Peking office is directed by Commercial Attaché Julean Arnold, who has been assisted by Trade Commissioners Frank Rhea and Lynn W. Meekins, while Special Trade Commissioner J. Morgan Clements has been studying the mineral resources of China. Mr. Rhea has devoted most of his time to industrial and transportation problems with relation to investment opportunities, while Mr. Meekins, in addition to service in Peking, has made an extensive report on Manchuria and, during the latter part of the fiscal year, has directed the branch office at Shanghai. The Peking office contributed material favoring the China Trade Act that has been before Congress, and actively promoted the securing of Chinese radio-communication contracts by American interests. Opportunities have been secured for American manufacturers of railway equipment to supply materials for Chinese railways. This office maintains a motion-picture service, showing all over China several hundred American industrial and educational films. A branch office was

opened in Shanghai in January, 1921. A special investigation of import commodities and Chinese methods of handling import business is now under way. The American representative in China for the international consortium has had the assistance of the attaché and of Mr. Rhea. Personal service has been rendered to several thousand callers at the Chinese offices of the Bureau.

Commercial Attaché James F. Abbott was in charge of the Tokyo office during 1920-21. Trade Commissioner H. A. Butts arrived in September. The Tokyo office affords valuable aid to local American representatives by furnishing data on local conditions, introductions to Japanese customers, and assistance in adjustment of difficulties with Japanese official agencies. It has been active in adjusting trade disputes. Protests were entered regarding discrimination against American ships at Kobe and the causes for complaint were removed. During the past year special reports have been prepared on the silk situation, unemployment, the oil situation, coal resources, labor and wages, brushes, menthol, sugar of milk, the Japanese-German economic agreement, and the codfish industry. Mr. Abbott, in pursuing a special study of Japanese fuel problems, has made extensive trips to the Manchurian and Kyushu coal fields. On April 22, he left Tokyo on a special mission in Siberia. Mr. Butts has given special attention to the silk situation, with a view not only to keeping American business well informed of current developments, but of gathering material for a general study of the subject. He has thus made several trips to the Shinsu and other silk districts.

The office at Melbourne, Australia, has continued in charge of Trade Commissioner A. W. Ferrin, whose main work has consisted in making representations to the customs authorities, by which a number of changes in duties and regulations have been effected; in assisting in the adjudication of numerous disputes arising out of repudiation of drafts; in helping local importers of American goods to obtain means of remitting funds outside the banks; in obtaining permission for American firms to register for business under the war-precautions act; in facilitating transactions between American firms and government departments; in promoting American tenders on supplies for the new Morwell power scheme (several of which have been successful) and tenders on supplies for the Victorian Railways equipment branch; and in the preparation of numerous special reports on financial, mercantile, and industrial subjects. An especially important matter was the registration for business of two American insurance companies. Mr. Ferrin visited Queensland and Tasmania.

GENERAL ECONOMIC SURVEYS BY TRAVELING COMMISSIONERS. Trade Commissioner H. Lawrence Groves was at Zurich, Switzerland, until January, 1921, when he was assigned to the Baltic States

of Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland, with headquarters in Riga. During the last six months of 1920 he submitted 56 special reports, prepared a commercial handbook of Switzerland, answered trade inquiries, adjusted claims, aroused interest in American goods, and took up the matter of direct representation of American firms. In the Baltic States he has traveled extensively and submitted regular reports, besides aiding American business men who have visited Riga and placing several of them in touch with purchasers.

Trade Commissioner Eliot G. Mears has been continuing work on an economic handbook of Greece, which will soon be completed. Trade Commissioner P. L. Bell made a complete survey of the resources, industries, transportation, and commerce of Venezuela, as well as a report on the Dutch West Indies. Special attention was given to transportation, mining, agriculture, and cattle raising. Petroleum was made the subject of a special report. A careful analysis was made of the financial condition of the Venezuelan Government. Mr. Bell made a conference tour of 19 cities in the United States, making addresses and conferring with business men and organizations.

The Bureau has published the economic handbook of Paraguay by former Trade Commissioner (now Commercial Attaché) W. L. Schurz, and his handbook of Bolivia is now in print.

Trade Commissioner Frank R. Rutter, who made an investigation of industrial conditions in Japan during the past fiscal year, has been preparing an exhaustive handbook of the Empire, which will be completed within the next few months.

Trade Commissioner John A. Fowler, who has been in the East Indies more than two years, completed his survey of the Dutch East Indies in November, 1920, proceeding then to British Malaya. He has submitted hundreds of reports, on practically every aspect of economic conditions. He has gathered important data on the Singapore shipping situation, including material on the various shipping organizations. Much attention was given to the mineral-oil situation. In British Malaya, Mr. Fowler has systematically investigated tin production, especially at Salangor and Perak, as well as rubber and other important items. His principal achievement, aside from the steady development of his extensive survey, has lain in outlining the position of British and Dutch competition in shipping and in the mineral-oil situation and in defining the status of the various organizations at Batavia, Soerabaya, and Singapore.

After remaining at the attaché's office in Peking during July, 1920, Trade Commissioner C. C. Batchelder made investigations of conditions in Tientsin, Mukden, Harbin, and Vladivostok, and upon being ordered to India, while awaiting transportation in Japan during September, he studied the effect of the industrial depression upon

Japanese competition with American goods in India, besides reporting on the commercial museums in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Singapore. After arrival at Calcutta in November, 1920, Mr. Batchelder reported extensively on local business conditions and methods, transportation facilities, and markets for American specialties. During January he visited the principal cities of Northern India (among them Benares, Allahabad, Gawnpore, Delhi, Amritsar, and Karachi) to determine their importance as distributing centers; he studied the local products available for export to the United States and, more especially, the articles of foreign origin sold in the bazaars. Material was gathered for a proposed handbook of India and a monograph on Indian markets for American goods. During February and March the same line of work was pursued at Jaipur, Ahmenabad, Baroda, Bombay, Madras, and Bengalore. In April Mr. Batchelder returned to Calcutta, and he spent May at Darjeeling in the preparation of reports.

COMMODITY INVESTIGATIONS.

During the two years that Trade Commissioner R. A. Lundquist spent in British South and Portuguese East Africa he prepared a technical monograph on electrical goods, secured data for a report on hardware, reported on the cooperative movement, and carried out general trade-promotive activities. He gave much time to the adjustment of postarmistice claims. Electric mining installations and problems connected with the proposed electrification of portions of the South African railways received his close attention. Mr. Lundquist subsequently proceeded to India to prepare a report on electrical goods. He returned to the United States in March, 1921, visited various cities for conferences with business men, and aided manufacturers and commercial houses interested in his former territory.

Trade Commissioner Walter H. Rastall completed his survey of the Asiatic markets for industrial machinery. He returned to the United States in June, 1921, for the purpose of preparing a complete report on the subject and establishing contact with interested persons. He devoted particular attention to the markets of the Dutch East Indies and British India, which are relatively little known.

Trade Commissioner Philip S. Smith has continued his investigation of markets for industrial supplies in South America. He has completed surveys of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. It is expected that this investigation will be completed within the next fiscal year. Trade Commissioner Henry F. Grady completed his investigation of financial conditions in the United Kingdom and was later assigned