THE AMERICAN IN BUSINESS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19675, 19 July 1929, Page 3

THE AMERICAN IN BUSINESS.

ABSENCE OF "BLUFF." MR F. J. NEEDHAM TELLS OF IMPRESSIONS. The ordinary New Zealander, before visiting America, form§ certain impressions as to the magnitude of business and the class of business man in America. His impressions are very often based on the American representatives who visit New Zealand. After meeting in. all parts of California American business men, Mr F. J. Needham, commercial manager of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Christchurch, has come to the conclusion that the impression which is formed by the average New Zealander is entirely incorrect. "The proper business man of America," he told a Pivess reporter yesterday—"J mean the principals of large establishments —are in no sense of the word similar to the representatives that visit New Zealand. The real American business men are men one feels a great deal of pleasure in meeting. They don't utilise that twang that marks the average American who comes to New Zealand, and in chatting to them you would almost feel you were chatting to New Zealanders. They take the proper viewpoints on the real issues, and there is no indication of, or tendency to, the bluff that is often to be seen in the American travelling in this country. I had many discussions with members of the San Francisco and Los Angeles Chambers of Commerce, and they fully agreed that the great mistake they had made in the past was in the careless selection of men to go abroad, and they have come to a definite conclusion that only the highest qualified men are the men who should be selected to represent American interests. They realise that the integrity and honour of their nation lie in the hands of these representatives." Mr Needham said that one could not help feeling that Americans seemed to have one idea in meeting foreigners, and that was to impress him with the magnitude of American business. We in New Zealand often formed definite opinions as to the size of many of the establishments with which we did business, only to find on visiting the firm in America that such firm might consist of three persons—manager, clerk, and stenographer, occupying possibly two rooms. "After fully considering matters relative to my experience in America," Mr Needham continued. "I would strongly advise any firms in New Zealand who desire to do business with America to utilise their New Zealand banks to obtain for them reports as to the standing of the American firms with which they intend to do business. This will save them a great deal in buying experience, and possibly a great deal of loss. Some people hold the opinion that the American banks are influenced in their reports on American establishments, but sneh is not the case. The banks hold that their reports are true, and are valuable, conditional on the reports going through New Zealand bank?.""