It was a big job that Farrell had handed to him when he was put in charge of the exploitation of foreign markets for the Steel Corporation. For not only did the varying conditions affecting sales in the different parts of the world have to be studied and plans laid to adopt manufacturing methods to meet these conditions, but there were other obstacles to contend with, handicaps, by the way, which it would hardly have been possible to overcome without the backing of the power and prestige of the greatest of corporations. One was the question of prices. The high wages paid to American labor as compared with labor compensation in Great Britain, Germany, or Belgium, combined with the fact that these countries lent every assistance to their manufacturers in increasing their world business--particularly Germany, which encouraged the artificial keeping up of home prices and the reduction of export prices, with the object of extending the nation’s foreign commerce--rendered it impossible for American manufacturers to obtain as profitable a price in competition with Europe as they did in the domestic field. Further, as the Corporation entered many markets to find foreign competitors already firmly established therein, it was necessary to offer buyers material price concessions to get business at all in the first place. Such price cuts were nearly always essential to give the Steel Products Company its first foothold in the desired markets, to force the entering wedge. The fact that the Corporation has at times sold abroad cheaper than at home has been used as a weapon against it by its critics. Apart from the fact that its doing so afforded labor to many American workers and thus reduced unemployment, it seems plain that a seller must make his price to suit the market in which he is operating, that had such price concessions not been made the Steel Corporation’s export business would never have shown the remarkable growth it has. Europe would have undersold it in all markets. However, the Corporation refused to follow anything like the old dumping policy, often refusing otherwise very desirable business on the single issue of price. [Illustration: James A. Farrell] Besides the preference, natural on the part of the buyers, for well-known and long-established goods and the close connection of foreign manufacturers antagonistic to a new competitor in the field, the Corporation had other difficulties to overcome. These included banking facilities in the various countries opposed to business with America; cheaper freights and better steamship accommodations in foreign ports than were available from the United States; preferential duties, and so on. [Illustration: Transporting 222 Tons of Bridge Material in China]