and clothing. And as to other immediate needs, one can only guess at the real lack of horses and cattle, copper, machinery, oils and innumerable other things. We feel very badly our lack of detailed information of the present economic and industrial conditions in the old lands; and if it is impracticable to send experienced Bohemian business men over here, then some of our own financial and business leading men must go to Prague.
Going back to the American consular reports from before the war, we get some idea of the ordinary exports from the United States to Bohemia. Exact figures are lacking, since the American consul had no official duty to perform in connection with American goods imported into or consumed in his district. But we get sufficient information to show us in general what Bohemia bought of the United States before war.
The greatest single item of commerce bought of America by Bohemia was raw cotton. While much was also bought from India and Egypt, United States was after all the main supply of the flourishing Bohemian textile industry. People in this country do not understand that nearly all the cotton mills of Austria were located in Bohemia, that in these Bohemian mills there were over 4,000,000 spindles and that Bohemian cotton goods almost monopolized the Balkan markets and large parts of Asia. There is no doubt that these markets will increase and that Bohemia will be a still greater consumer of American cotton.
Machinery is perhaps second in importance. While Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia have important machine shops, and while steel mills in Bohemian and Silesian coal centers produced rails, structural steel, etc. for export, much American machinery was bought by Bohemia before the war, such as agricultural machinery and especially gas oline motors and tractors, sewing machines, typewriters, adding machines, cash registers, shoemaking machinery, printing machines, hardware, steam radiators. Tools of American manufacture enjoy the highest reputation and have been generally on sale in Prague. American machinery was used in many manufacturing establishments, and the Czechoslovak republic is a promising field for the American machinery exporter. A sales depot should be organized in Prague where the machinery may be inspected, seen in operation and repaired. There is sure to be also a great market in Bohemia for American automobiles, especially the cheaper makes. There has always been a great demand for various American novelties, such as safety razors, fountain pens and photographic aparatus, stationery, carbon paper, office furniture, etc. American canned fruits and vegetables were known in Prague very favorably and large market may be gained for them.
Formerly most of these goods were sold in Bohemia through commission houses in Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin. Today the American exporter should realize that Prague will be the principal city in Central Europe and should be the sales depot of his wares, both for the Czechoslovak Republic and the new countries to the south and east of it. He should also remember that labels on his goods should not be in German, but in English and Czech.
Taking our departure from the pre-war figures, we may say that the territory included in the new Czechoslovak Republic bought before the war about $10,000 ,000 worth of American goods. As the prices of these goods have more than doubled, we would have an export trade of some $20,000,000, but both the present needs of the Czechoslovak lands and their increased consuming capacity in the future make of them a still more promising field for the American manufacturer and exporter. If Belgium could take more than $60,000,000 worth of American products in a year, why should not Czechoslovakia, which has twice the population of Belgium, with good will on both sides and the desire for close business relations, increase its national consumption of the products of the United States, until American exports reach the great sum of one hundred million dollars?
AMERICAN CZECHOSLOVAK BOARD.
The executive committee of the American Czechoslovak Board met in Chicago on January 18. Secretary Vojta Beneš announced that the Bohemian National Alliance had sent one million francs to Paris to be employed for the relief of war suffering in Bohemia. From reports of other delegates it appeared that more funds were on hand which could be used for the same purpose.
Among the actions taken at this meeting was the decision to send a delegation of six Czechs and six Slovaks to Czechoslovakia as early as possible. One of the matters to be taken up by this commission is the exchange of students between America and Bohemia. A full meeting of the Board with representatives of women’s relief organizations was called to meet at Cleveland on March 1 and 2.
