The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-03-09
NOTES ASCUf CHINA.
The Hangers ON About the Consulate-Life
In Shanghai.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25.-lho foreigner
in Shanghai, China, will notice that among
the conspicuous features of the foreign
population are the consuls and their hangers
ON and the naval squadron maintained by the
treaty powers in Asiatic waters. These con
sular representatives and naval officers have
little TO do except play billiards aud give din
ners 10 each other, uudappear ON dress parade
now and then. They are good sources Of "de-
mand" in II mercantile point Of view, and &c
far toward making up the trade of Shanghai.
One thing which cannot fail To strike the
traveller forcibly is the vast army Of servants.
There Is no country i'll the world where such
efficient servants can be had for AS little
money as in China. Basing an estimate upon
the basis of there being 5000 homes of for.
eigners al Shanghai there are $4,000 SER
wants. Each of this number represents an
average of five people depending for sub
sistence upon the wages paid for domestic
labor by the 5000 or 10000 foreign residents
This list of servants refers only 10 the lower
classes of labor in the homes and offices. In
Guiding the office clerks matveS) and 'com
pradores" in banks and stores, and mechanics
and small shop keepers, all of whom depend
upon foreigners for employment, il is safe &c
say that 10000 people are employed by the
10000, or no less than 100000 natives subsist
upon what the few Europeans pay for various
classy of subordinate labor
1t is not strange, therefore, that this class
of natives AT Shanghai welcome all foreign
ers. The only classes in treaty ports OF
whom this may not be said are the literary
and official classes These, not having the
same ready access to the foreign purse, dc
not extend such welcome
In country where labor is SO ridiculously
cheap, and as efficient rs cheap, it is not a
wonder that Europeans become lazy and de-
pendent. Generally, every home has four
domestics-that is, the home of a bachelor OF
small family. The first servant one meets
on visiting foreigner at his Chinese home is
the gate keeper This 'otticer" is rendered
necessary by the fact that rural citizens when
they come to town have great curiosity to
see how foreign devilsn live. They come
upon the stoop and peer into the windows,
and if the outer door is jar will walk in and
look around the rooms. | have frequently
walked into nati' homes and spread my
lunch unlimited Next to the gate keeper
comes the boy" This functionary answers
the door bell. and when you enter takes
charge of yota hat stick and top coat on
other wraps. When you sit at the table this
same boy appears in white apron to wait
upon the table Foreigners visiting each
other usually take their private servant
along and these assist in serving the meal ii
is a common occurrence to see half dozen
gentlemen sit down to dinner with meek
looking servant at the back of each.
Then there is the cook in the kitchen, who
presides over the pots and pans. The fourth
man is employed to run errands and do the
marketing. All servants are men, women
being engaged only as nurses to children and
as scavengers to remove the garbage and
sewerage from the houses
When fresh arrival comes he is waited
upon 10y applicants for all sorts of positions
in domestic service, and the ruling prices are
from s. to ST per month, the average wages
being Si The servants all board themselves
out of their wages.
A native in service TO a foreigner feels the
importance of his position. He is better clad
and better kept than his class usually are
Then the chances for speculation are great
The man who buys your supplies and hires
the other help and engages chair bearers for
sedan journeys gets IA scale from the shop
keepers of whom he buys and the men he EN-
ploys Foreigners pay more for the same
class of labor aud for native products than H
native does, the advance being divided be
tween the dealers and your confidential
man or buyer. This source of income, added
to the wages, makes lucrative income to a
native. Is. y. ION.