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For several weeks the division published a press review, which gave pertinent extracts from approximately 300 journals in the European field; a scarcity of funds made it impossible to continue this.

Elaborate trade, production, and financial statistics were prepared by the division for publication in the Survey of Current Business. Extensive reports have been prepared for other Government departments. For the State Department much financial material was assembled at the time of the Washington conference. For Congress special studies were made of competitive conditions abroad.

A western European advisory committee has been established under the chairmanship of a prominent New York banker and consisting of two well-known bankers, three important manufacturers, and a leading economist, with membership located in New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, and Middletown, Ohio.

WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY REPRESENTATIVES

SIBERIA.

IN EASTERN EUROPE AND

The bureau's Warsaw office has been in charge of Trade Commissioner (subsequently Acting Commercial Attaché) H. B. Smith. IIis reports have been extensive and have covered a wide variety of subjects. Among them may be mentioned a general survey of economic conditions in Poland and reports on the textile industry, the iron and steel industry, the industries of that part of upper Silesia acquired by Poland during 1921, and several reports on the agricultural situation. There has been close cooperation with other representatives of the American Government in Poland. Mr. Smith has taken an important part in the negotiations for the sale of surplus railway cars by the United States War Department to the Polish Government. Much valuable service has been rendered to American business men. American concerns were aided in the adjustment of various disputes and claims and in the negotiation of important Government contracts; one of the claims amounted to $900,000. Advice was given to Americans regarding investments and concessions. The office was instrumental in protecting American interests with respect to emigrant remittances to Poland.

The Bucharest office was opened in November, 1921, under Trade Commissioner Louis E. Van Norman. In considerable part the work has necessarily been of a preliminary character. Numerous valuable reports have been made. Certain chapters for the bureau's forthcoming handbook of Rumania have been prepared. Mr. Van Norman helped to adjust various claims, one of these involving more than $3,000,000.

Trade Commissioner H. Lawrence Groves, with headquarters at Riga, Latvia, has continued to represent the bureau with respect to

Latvia, Esthonia, Lithuania, and Finland. He has kept the bureau informed concerning the broad economic and commercial situation. Mr. Groves has aided a number of representatives of American firms in establishing sales connections in the Baltic States, looking not only to local trade but to ultimate trade with Russia.

Trade Commissioners Felix Cole, Leighton W. Rogers, Carl J. Mayer, and H. B. Barton have been added to the bureau's staff during the year to conduct investigations regarding Russia and its relations to other countries. Trade Commissioners Cole and Rogers have visited European capitals and other cities and have sent in important information regarding internal conditions in Russia and the economic and trade relations of that country with other European States. Trade Commissioner Mayer has been located at Vladivostok, keeping the bureau advised of the economic and commercial situation. He has compiled data concerning the agricultural, forest, mineral, and fishery resources of the Pri-Amur region and of Siberia in general. He was able to assist in an important way in protecting American interests with respect to goods (shipped to Russia during and immediately after the war) which, unable to reach their destination, have remained in storage at Vladivostok. Trade Commissioner Barton, during the last six months of the fiscal year, maintained his headquarters at Tiflis, Georgia. He has sent in valuable information regarding the resources and the industrial and commercial conditions of the Caucasian territory. He has aided American business men by interviews and correspondence.

EASTERN EUROPEAN DIVISION AT WASHINGTON.

The eastern European division was established in August, 1921, with E. Dana Durand as chief, and its organization was completed in November. It took over the former Russian division and was also given jurisdiction over Yugoslavia, Rumania, and Bulgaria. Arrangements have been made for a consolidation, beginning July 1, 1922, of the Near Eastern division with the eastern European division, under the name of the eastern European and Levantine division. The changes in recent years and the existing abnormal conditions have made information concerning this region vitally essential and at the same time rather difficult to secure in as definite and dependable form as is desirable.

A handbook of Rumania was completed, in manuscript, during the year, and considerable progress has been made on handbooks for Siberia and Poland. Among the extended articles compiled and issued by the division there may be mentioned Polish Economic Recovery, an article on Upper Silesia, and the Trade Information Bulletins on Public Finance of Poland and Finance and Banking

in Finland. A Trade Information Bulletin written by Acting Commercial Attaché Smith was entitled Forest Resources of Poland. Material regarding Russia, compiled by the division from the reports of bureau representatives or by means of translations and abstracts from Russian periodicals, is in part published in Commerce Reports and in bulletins and circulars. The rest is available to business men, upon request, and to American officials concerned with the determination of policy with respect to Soviet Russia. In the case of Russia, the peculiar character of the sources of information has made it especially necessary for the eastern European division to aid the commodity divisions in compiling and interpreting information as to the various Russian industries falling within their respective fields. Several articles published under the various commodity heads in Commerce Reports represent directly the work of the eastern European division. An extended bulletin on the Russian sugar industry was prepared during June.

The division has been consulted by a number of financial groups which were considering loans and investments in eastern European countries, and has furnished them a mass of information.

The division has called the attention of the American investing public to the need of exercising special care in the purchase of securities expressed in terms of depreciated currency.

FIELD REPRESENTATIVES IN THE NEAR EAST.

Commercial Attaché Paul L. Edwards reached Constantinople January 30, 1922. Subsequently he proceeded to Athens, Greece, where he had been assigned temporarily, arriving there February 27. In June he was transferred to Habana. During his short stay in Constantinople Mr. Edwards displayed great activity in studying local and international economic problems. He was appointed by the American High Commissioner as a representative on the Allied Advisory Trade Commission, an economic body reporting to and advising the Allied High Commissioners. In Athens he intervened effectively in many cases involving complaints either against or by American firms, furnished commercial, financial, and general economic information to numerous inquirers from the United States, and submitted informative reports to the bureau. Most of his time after the enactment of the Greek internal forced loan law of April 7, 1922, was given to matters arising therefrom, as they affected business concerns of the United States.

Julian E. Gillespie, assistant trade commissioner, was in charge of the Constantinople office during most of the year and acted also, by special designation of the United States High Commission at Con

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stantinople, as the commercial attaché of the commission. He was designated technical adviser to the Advisory Trade Commission; among the matters coming before this body were the Res Miri tax on alcohol, the 11 per cent ad valorem tariff, the manipulation of oil and inflammables in Constantinople, the veterinary taxes, tax on cinemas and theaters, municipal taxes, lighthouse taxes, and numerous matters concerning food and trade control. Mr. Gillespie's other activities included direct aid to American business men in Constantinople, letters to American concerns; attention to local foreign business men; preparation of reports suitable for publication; and general and specific trade-promotion work. During the period December 14, 1921, to February 18, 1922, Mr. Gillespie was absent from Constantinople, visiting Angora, Anatolia, and making an economic survey of that region. During his absence the Constantinople office was in charge of William B. Collins. The work of the office increased materially over the preceding year. Upon various occasions, by his prompt and vigorous intervention, Mr. Gillespie saved considerable amounts to importers of American products; by his constant watchfulness over American commercial interests he obtained other substantial results.

NEAR EASTERN DIVISION AT WASHINGTON.

During the fiscal year the Near Eastern division (of which James A. Robertson continued as chief) cooperated in the attaining of two objects of far-reaching importance, namely: (1) The carrying in American vessels of Egyptian cotton shipped to the United States, thus breaking the monopoly of the British liners; (2) the drafting of new regulations by the United States consulate at Patras, Greece, with respect to the sanitary handling of currants destined for export to the United States.

Information was given to business men with respect to the operation of the Greek internal forced loan law, enacted April 7, 1922, and regulations made in consequence thereof. This law and its regulations caused a good deal of confusion in the minds of Americans engaged in business with Greece. Business men were constantly aided in financial and trade matters connected with the Near East. Numerous confidential and special circulars were issued. Information that could not be published in Commerce Reports was made available through trade bodies, the press, and other media. There was general supervision of the Handbook of Greece, which is now in course of editing. The volume of work accomplished was greater than during the preceding year.

TECHNICAL DIVISIONS.

DIVISION OF FOREIGN TARIFFS.

The services of the division of foreign tariffs during the past fiscal year may be briefly summarized under four types:

1. Supplying up-to-date and reliable information as to the current duties and regulations of all foreign countries, for guidance in cur

rent transactions.

2. Forewarning of impending changes and assisting informally in efforts to moderate proposals in foreign countries for sharp advances in duties or unduly severe regulations on the admission of American goods.

3. Assisting in the solution of customs difficulties in which American goods have found themselves in foreign ports, either because of misunderstanding of the proper regulations and procedure, or arising from a general decline in trade which left American goods to accumulate unclaimed.

4. Aiding in the protection of the good will established by the sale of American branded products abroad, through warning of attempts at unauthorized registrations of distinctive American trademarks and advising as to the basis for contesting them.

Services of all the above-mentioned kinds have been rendered to American business men in a very great number of instances, hundreds of specific problems being satisfactorily solved.

The division has also aided numerous governmental and other organizations. In connection with the current revision of the American tariff, the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means have repeatedly called upon the tariff division for specific information regarding the tariff situation and developments in particular foreign countries. Especially noteworthy were the surveys prepared for the Senate committee, reviewing the measures of control of import trade adopted by France and Germany during and since the war. The attention of the tariffmaking committees has been called to special acts passed by foreign countries and also to the attitude and intentions of foreign Governments, organizations, and merchants with regard to the American tariff.

The United States Tariff Commission has frequently called upon the bureau's tariff division for information as to the tariffs and trade policies of foreign countries, for their comparative value in connection with the proposed American measures. Members of its staff were given full access to the bureau's files.

An analysis of the comparative import duties and consumption taxes being collected on sugar by practically all important foreign countries was made for the use of General Crowder, as adviser to the

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