New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-03-20
TRADE IN HONG KONG.
ALMOST MoNopoLIzED BY CHINESE.
xur FOREIGN COLONY DRIVEN TO THE WALL BY
NATIVE COMPETITION.

and
estimate relations with other parts OF the world ana
syen these in great measure at Tue merry, ,
the compra iore system OF horde OF mereehaSy |ho
smuloyes The compradore is Chnaihah ""o an
nom the foreign firm the responsibility oi an u ,,
,,h hi copntrvmen He hires all the Chinese CLERKS
a servants he makes all the purchases that nave 70
he negotiated through Chinese sources he aoes s"'
n stipulated sum, taking all the responsOi9 80
salary is nc mnaly small, but It Is raised W
.,inend nv handsome percentage OF every suoorn"'o
So "a every purchase or contract The firm may
No ,mnovershed. but the compradore mVariaoy ero"s
rich The merchant may fail, bat the compraa're III
svitably retires with fortune NO Individual OF COM
many can do business without the compradore shoulo
spv one DESTROYS throwing of this incubus oil wh'e
slavery attempt to carry his trade through european
assistants entirely or with white servants hired WIN
out these Chinese middlemon, or attempt 10 PURCHASE
directy from Chinese dealers, he wonld Dc thwaeu d"
every s.ep and IL he not indeed ruined WON" nu
HE too srievous be borGe Either he cond nre NO
Chinese servants at ALL or he would have 10 pay ne
aouble salaries II no attempted to purchase IN the
omen market he would have 70 pay extort0naie prices
for the poorest articles -,
The Queens road the principal retail thoroughiare
An Hong Kong At the Chinese importing shops oh
this road the housekeeper get his fine groceries, MS
wines LIQUORS and everything needed to maintain
xurious taDe at prices at when foreign dealer can
afford to sell them He get his furniture maze oy
eabinet-makers who keep by them and are constantly
usng the sample pattern-book OF the best furniture
40 strong or richly and thoroughly upholstered as 'o
originals from which Chinaman copies, but they
prove fairly satisfactory and they are cheap Inc wne
carpenters and cabinet-makers are unknown IN hong
Kong An English colony affords no employment a'
these trades for English workmen. gentleman VINO
wishes to be we'll clad need go to foreigner lot
any article of dress The Chinese tailor absolutely
swarms In Hong Kong. have counted Twelve hea'
shops in walking quarter of mile ON the queens r'u'
all of them having English signs and suossng entirely
.l., nlv q ma
of the aggregate. There probably IN TINS coiohy
several hundred Chinese merchant" and iourneymeh
taiors subsisting in the same manner The suits they
make cost from So $40 and are all OF European stus
The cut may equal that of fashionable 'New-1ork
tailor but the garments usually good and becoming
J Is not easy to estimate the numbers OF persons ih
Hong Kong who wear so-called European apparel IN
eludng resident Europeans, haf-breeds Portuguese Oh
tiDts officers and sailors Parsees and mon OF ncdss
fed coors and unexpIanable social Affiliations tnefe
may be- $4,000 In Europe or America a community OF
that size would give employment to twenty or more
tailoring establishments and small army of journey
men, There is, in fact but one foreign merchant ahor
following distinctive trade and he leads precarous
existence Thore are, besides, two foreign firms doing
a general mercantile business that have tailoring de
partments. The Chinese talOrs supply the remaining
aeand and 1t may said Of the Hong Kong male COM
munty that IL decently and comfortably not eK-
quistely, apparelied
ASH general thing at every taior's shop there can
be found good assortment OF furnishing goods-shirs
undercothing hosiery neckwoar Of all kinds, handKer-
chefs-all the various articles needed to complete
gepemans wardrobe. These OF the best quality
often duplicates of similar articles for which from 80 to
90 per cent more win have be paid In the European
shop in the block In most of the Chinese shops 10
the neghborhood requented by foreigners to be
found showcase containing toilet articles, snch as
combs brushes hand-mrrors, fine soaps, perfumeries
tooth powders manufactured in London, Paris or New-
York and often sold less than the jObbng rate near
the place Of manufacture. have found ut several
places in Hong Kong and in shops within tine walls of
the Old city of Canton, well known toilet water OF
New-York make which is sold all Over America in fash
ionahle drug stores 70 bottle. and In drug
shops of less preteBsons at so CENTS selling here Without
question at 30 bottle. II % ceuts was offered 1t
was refused the plea that the less price allowed no
proatleav wing be inferred that something eond be
made By selling IL at the greater, Though that was Deow
IA manufaetiress rate Ia Amerca ava tfs a Kn
ami Canton, only respect to special toilet articles
from America The Chinese shOemase is quite as apt of
hand as the Chinese tailor, and engrOsses the business
that lie has not single foreign co"Pe'i'"' Ia i"e
there are in Hong lines o: bu ,ine.s which the
Chinese have not yet invaded. have already men
toned Of them There are no Chinese apolleeAty
shops In Hong Kong whore foreign drugs and medicines
are Sold though Ia Annoy. in the midst OF the Chpese
city, have one such having TAR 0ssortleht All
an odset to this deficiency there is young Cnanan
WHO having worked seven years with an Aineilcsh
dentist has displayed Els sningie and Is practising den
tstry in ali its branches with toleraoe success nave
s1e
worse In America There Us no laok " Innose
PHOTOGRAPHERS either In Hong Kong or Canton he work
scenes Which are well executed and with ready
sale TO tourists in landscape painting the Chinese |
perI ana some Of their coiorug photoraphsis
exGGrite OF their embro derry their carving ID WOOD
and ivory skill in making OF pottery ana the
weaving OF silk though these arts may eventually Dc
carried foreign countries and have thelr influence IN
competitive way IL necessary 10 speak The |
Chinese build tbs housesi in which The foreigners i've far
n.h and decorate them ard then eoth feed ana serve Tue
occupants themselves The pleasure OF beng walled on by
renue OF Chinese servants the doce "a n'ene OF NE
IN summer land, the scrvile homage "nered Dy an ap
pareuly subject race, create an OF
tacon Kind OF glaInor which renders invisible the
tyranny Of real Ules AID the industrial sdbjeclion
OF the white which is Inevitable and not distant
connarfeitng European American labels aud 'rade
The knowledge OF certain small articles OF ior-
effort TO Initiate them. SO we find at inc small shops
Chnese-ade clocks and watches ana at tue sahs OF
pocket cutlery and razors which are vastly inferior 10
il moor no one can reasonably complain. The knives
aud razos often bear very distinctly the brands OF
Wherever the English Language is spoken These knives
brand and ALL eau DO bought for 10 cents me ia3t I'M
pleculs roughly made And TO the thin skinned man
ated they show 10 what extent Chinese manufactures
can be carried and what rates. deying competition,
To hasten their discontinue, the English coloniss
are educating the Chinese IN their public schools ana
ana other places that require n,egenee ana certain
T =" s snd easi,y sconirins the pacessarY
amonnt OF commercial knowledge they will I'LL se
eouDug -rOOms OF Hong Kong, their untauglit
epunryInen have filled the workshops city trades and
reta avenues OF city business the ype1setng IN the
FOREIGN lob printing aud newspaper offices lu Hong
Kong we'll elsewhere in China, Is all done by native
e0mp0sltors with the exception OF the hybrid engians
from MIcac by courtesy called Portuguese, "a Few OF
whom act for and perhaps do share OF the work
The type-2etter necessarily the ordinary artisan
In intelligence. The business OF book binding, closely
related that OF printing is all done by Chinese work
men when, Is sometimes tine case establish
ment ia the property Of foreigners. But of the
bo0kbnderies where all kinds OF blank books
and not few Of the printing Offices asoare owned and