REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF MANUFACTURES. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR, BUREAU OF MANUFACTURES, Washington, September 3, 1912. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the work of the Bureau of Manufactures for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1912. During the fiscal year just closed there has been a continued advance in the range of service accomplished by the Bureau of Manufactures and a noticeable growth in the appreciation by commercial interests of the value of the information distributed by the office. The mailing list of the Daily Consular and Trade Reports has reached the limit of 20,000 copies fixed by law, and the many requests for this journal which reach the office daily can no longer be granted. Increased service has also been imposed on all the branches of the Bureau, and the publicity which it is so large a part of the work of this office to secure has been materially extended and made more effective. The confidential circulars, which are distributed through the use of the classified mailing lists of the office to those firms and individuals especially concerned in the subjects treated, have been found very practical, and the number mailed in 1912 increased to over 100,000 copies. The filing and indexing systems introduced in the office in 1910 and 1911 have proved entirely satisfactory, and are of great service in coping with the growth of the volume of service required by the increase in the number of the correspondents of the Bureau. In the Bureau of Manufactures the record of letters received and mailed is probably a better measure of growth than is the case in most Government offices, as with few exceptions each letter contains a request for definite information or for special publications. Also the number and the interest of those who make use of the facilities of the Bureau are fairly well indicated. During the fiscal year 1912, letters received numbered 65,881 and those dispatched numbered 59,198, which is an increase of more than 45 per cent over the preceding year. PUBLICATIONS. FACTORS IN FOREIGN TRADE. A very practical and useful bulletin, entitled "Factors in Foreign Trade," was issued during the year. This pamphlet contains information concerning the languages, postal rates, weights and meas ures, systems of money, etc., in use in all foreign countries, with other facts constantly required by exporters. The demand for this document shows that it has been fully appreciated by the commercial public. A similar pamphlet on transportation, or freight rates to foreign countries, is in course of preparation. WORLD TRADE DIRECTORY. Practically the entire edition of the World Trade Directory, printed in February, 1911, has been sold by the Superintendent of Documents. A small supplement, containing names suggested by consular officers for elimination from the lists of names of possible buyers of American products has been issued during the year. With the other demands on the Bureau it now seems unlikely that a new edition of this directory can be prepared during the coming fiscal year, although it is hoped that portions of the book revised to date, relative to single countries or districts, may be published. DIRECTORY OF TRADE ORGANIZATIONS. An annual directory of the trade organizations of the United States has been proposed, and a bill has been introduced in Congress authorizing such a publication. If this bill becomes a law, the Bureau will issue such a directory at as early a date as practicable, as much of the necessary material has already been collected. It is planned to make an authoritative annual record of existing comInercial organizations, with details regarding the membership functions, territory, and interests served, calculated to make it of practical value to business interests. PUBLICATIONS ISSUED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. In addition to the Daily Consular and Trade Reports, the following publications were issued during the fiscal year 1912: Special Consular Reports: 46. Optical-Goods Trade in Foreign Countries. 47. Australia: Its Resources, Industries, and Trade. with Suggestions as to its Development as a Market for American Merchandise. 48. Railway Situation in China. 49. The Gothenburg System. 50. Cocoa Production and Trade. 51. Foreign Trade in Denatured Alcohol. 52. Foreign Salt Market and Industry. Special Agents Series: 46. Cotton Goods in Spain and Portugal. 47. English Cotton-Goods Trade. 48. Cotton Goods in Italy. 49. Shoe and Leather Trade in the United Kingdom. 50. Shoe and Leather Trade in Germany. 51. Cotton Goods in Russia. 52. Utilization of Atmospheric Nitrogen. 53. Cotton Goods in the Balkan States. 54. Cotton Goods in Turkey, Part I. 55. Electrical Instruments in England. Miscellaneous Series: 5. Packing for Export. (Reprint.) 6. Promotion of Commerce. 6a. Promotion of Commerce. (Reprint.) 7. Factors in Foreign Trade. |