BILLS OF LADING Bills of lading for foreign shipments must conform to rules that differ materially from those applying to domestic rail shipments. There is no uniform bill of lading for foreign shipment. Various forms are in use by the different lines flying flags of various nations. A different form may be required in the case of a sailing vessel than in the case of a steam vessel. The provisions of a bill of lading covering a shipment to Australia by way of the Cape of Good Hope may vary widely from one covering a shipment to the same point by way of Panama. Moreover, many more copies are required than in the case of domestic transportation. It is customary to issue foreign bills of lading in sets of six or more, with two or more negotiable copies; these negotiable copies are indorsed to the effect that when one or the other has been filed, the other is null and void. The additional copies are required by the carrier, the consular representatives of certain nations and the shipper or his representative. Not infrequently, especially in times of warfare, bills of lading covering the same shipment are sent by a vessel other than the one on which the cargo is carried, especially where a slow boat has been employed as the carrier. This gives the consignee's representative advance notification of the shipment. Several vessels are sometimes employed, so that if one is lost, the document may be received via another steamer. After it is ascertained how many copies are required, the bill of lading should be prepared from the dock receipts, particuar attention being given to indicating the style of package, the number of pieces, the weight and measurement, and the marks of identification. When the bill of lading has been made up, the dock receipt, the customs house clearance, and the consular invoice should be taken to the navigation company for signature and indorsement. At this time the total weight or measurement is inserted on the face of the bill of lading, the charges are computed, and payment is made, according to the prevailing practice of ocean carriers of demanding prepayment of all freight. MARINE INSURANCE All export shipments should be covered by marine insurance, without exception, with a good company or particularly a firm that has a good broker. War risk should be covered. Ordinary marine insurance does not cover war risk. It has been found advisable, according to some shippers, at least to have one broker to handle both the marine and the war risk and if possible one insurance company to handle both. For example, in a case of a heavy loss suffered by a shipper, the marine company told him it was a war-risk loss, and the war-risk underwriter stated that it was a marine risk. There was considerable going back and forth before settlement was accomplished. Therefore, it is advisable, if possible, to have one company cover both. LIBRARY A competent export manager must not only keep up with shipping news and read the principal trade papers and periodicals of the chief cities of the world, but he should have a good office reference library on his specialty. The following twenty publications should be on his desk for daily reference. This list can be supplemented from time to time by the addition of authoritative works, foreign dictionaries, maps, shipping guides, and other publications as they are issued. Exporter's Encyclopedia Exporter's Encyclopedia Company, New York. Practical Exporting B. Olney Hough, American Exporter, New York. J. R. Smith, Henry Holt & Company, New York. Export Trade Directory American Exporter, New York. Ocean Traffic and Trade B. Olney Hough, LaSalle Extension University, Chicago. Statesman's Year Book MacMillan Company, London. World Directory The World, New York. Kelley's Directory of Manufacturers of the World Kelly & Company, London. Lippincott's New Gazetter J. B. Lippincott Company, New York. Modern Foreign Exchange V. Gonzalez, Hammond & Company, New York. South American Year Book Cassier Company, London. Export Trade Suggestions, No. 35 U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Foreign Credits U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Consular Regulations of Foreign Countries, No. 24 U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Catalog of Bureau of Publications U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Diplomatic and Consular List of the U. S. U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Trade Directory of Central America U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Commerce and Navigation U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington. Metric Equivalents, No. 47 U. S. Bureau of Standards, Washington.` CHAPTER XVI GENERAL SUGGESTIONS Advertising Department-Sales Department-Accounting Department-Purchasing Department-Production Depart The more important functions of the industrial traffic department have now been discussed in detail, but it remains to suggest the possibilities of this department's rendering service to other departments in the same industry. ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT The traffic manager is in a position to assist the advertising manager, or to pass upon advertisements in which the question of price to the consumer is raised. Not infrequently, advertisements offer "freight free east of the Rocky Mountains," or a specified price will be mentioned as applying to that territory, and a different price to points west. "East of the Rockies," however, is a rather general designation; as a matter of fact, there are points west of the Rocky Mountains to which the rate from eastern producing points is less than the rate to points east. While undoubtedly purchasers in these western districts would, in the majority of cases, call the matter to the attention of the sales department, the effect of the state |