Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-31
WASHINGTON VIKINGS.
Consular and Ministerial
Reports
CHINESE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.
Their Numbers Decreasing-Minis-
ter DENLY Talks About the
Tea Tra1e.
CHINESE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, August 80. In COM
menting on the status of Chinese in
British Columbia, Consul Stevens, oi
Victoria, in report to the Department
of State, says The number of this
race, formerly 80 great in the Province,
at one time estimated at $4,000 or 10000,
has largely decreased, the present Chi
nese population, as given from official
quarters, being 5000. Nearly one'half
OF item, l think, are in this
city. Their immigration, hitherto
so large, has practically ceased.
During '88 and the two last months OF
1877, 5,37l arrived in Vancouver on Orient
steamers. Probably two-thirds OF them
held United States customs return GER
tificates and entered the United States,
mostly at San Francisco. During the
same period, according to the
customs returns of this city,
$40 arrived here in small numbers
from various points. There have been
no arrivals at any port in the Province
direct from China, save those recorded
above. Although the business of Chi
neee firms has, except in opium,
greatly decreased, there are, accord
ing to the directory for 1888,
still some twenty firms. Of the
laboring class, many find periodi-
cal work in the salmon caDneries,
the lumber mills. at gardening, etc.
Some four or five hundred find employ
ment as domestic servants. Some of
them find their way illegally into the
United States from time to time, but not
in any considerable number.
THE CHINESE TEA TRADE.
United States Minister DENLY, in re-
port to the Department of State, says:
"The curiosities of the tea trade are suf-
ficiently interesting to warrant my call
ing some attention to them. Prophecies
innumerable have been..made that Indian
teas would drive the Chinese teas out of
the market, but we find from summary
of the first weeks tea business in Kan
kow, of which / enclose clipping from
the North China NeaDs of May 21st, that
never, not even when Indian and Ceylon
teas we're unknown, has competition been
SO keen and prices been 80 high. The
reason assigned for thege remarkable
prices is the competition between Rus
sian and English tea buyers. While in
London last years teas are sold at sacri-
fees reaching 80 per cent, the new sea-
sons teas in China are eagerly competed
for at prices from 20 to 80 per cent.
higher than last years. One thing for
China to do to permanently regain her
market is to take of the export duty
IRON AGE DAwNING IN CHINA.
Minister DENLY has also transmitted
to the Department OF State a copy OF an
Imperial decree commencing the late
proposal of the Viceroy of Canton to de.
velop the iron industry in the two Kuang
districts. He has abolished the inland
duties on iron, and generally seems to
favor more extended use of foreign
methods in building railroads and foun
dries.
THE FRENCHMEN's OPPORTUNITY.
Consul Williams, at Rouen, France, in
report to the Department of State, says
"The French exhibit of wooden goods at
the Paris exposition is certainly very i'm
posing and has been prepared with great
care and leaves favorable impression
upon visitors. The marked absence of
similar goods from, or Indifferent speci-
mems represented by other nations,
apart from those sent from Verviers,
Belgium, favors greatly the French
manufacturers, who improve the oppor-
tunity and have already secured many
foreign orders. The sulking of the Eng
lish and Germans, whose manufacturers
could make grand display, has power
fully aided the French manufactures.
No opportunity for invidious comparison
in this line can arise and many foreign
ers leave with the idea that France
stands unrivalled in it's wooden manu-