The morning call., 1892-08-27
NEW CUSTOMERS FOR THIS PORT.

Colonel Boyd. United States Minister TO
Siam, who is staying in this city on his way
to his home. makes suggestions which de-
serve attention by our mercantile COM
munity. 1t appears that ali the wheaton
flour consumed in Siam Is made IN Call
fornia. 1t is shipped from here in the Pa
ci6c Mail or the Oriental and Occidental
steamers to Hong Kong and thence carried
in British steamers TO Bangkok, from which
point IL is distributed for consumption.
Would it not be worth while TO see II direct
flour shipments would not pay?
BEFORE the war there was quite an AmeTi-
can trade with Siam. / was broken up by
the rebel priyateers and has never been re-
yived, Germans, Englishmen aud Chinese
having stepped into our shoes. Siam is a fine
country, with population OF some 100000
and a long list of varied resources. The
people consume cotton and silk goods, hard
ware, -four and number of miscellaneous
manufactured articles which China and
Germany supply. They pay for them in
raw cotton, sugar, saltpeter, teak wood and
vast variety Of products of the chase.
Colonel Boyd says that there are three Eng
lsh mercantile houses in Bangkok which
turn over 81 000,000 worth of goods each per
year. Iron and steel products ara especially
in demand. A common hatchet sells for
81 so There are no impediments in the
way of trade The Government, though
despotic, is enlightened. The King was
brought up by an American lady. Mrs Leon
Owens, who always described him as in
clined to liberal views in public affairs
General Grant believed that we ought to
lose no opportunity of drawing closer our
relations with Siam.
The present time is the more propitious
for developing our intercourse with the land
OF the white elephant, because it is probably
destined to become ut no distant day a
battlefield among nations. 1t is bounded
on the west by the Burmese province Of
Tenasserim, which the English have held
for some years. From Tenasserim all the
way north as far as Mandalay the English
have been massing troops and building
forts, with view TO an occupation of
Northern Siam and movement from that
base upon the Chinese province OF Yunnan.
On the east side of the kingdom the French
are struggling TO make good their hold
upon ToEquin and Anam. They. too.
have their eye upon the Chinese prov
inces of Yunnan and Kwang Ii, whose
people are constantly raiding them to
drive them out of the Asiatic continent
Thirdly, the Chinese themselves seem dis
posed to set a check TO the expansion Of the
| British empire eastward, and not TO wait
until unnan is invaded before taking the
field. A collision between the Chinese and
the advance force of the British from Bur-
nah or the French force moving from
Hanoi may occur at any moment When it
comes a war Will probably be inaugurated
and there will be lively demand for al
kinds of material of war at Bangkok. Food
aud arms viii be in request in large guam
titles; San Francisco stands ready 10 sup.
ply both.
Bangkok is some $500 miles from this
port, about as far as Adelaide in Australia
and 1000 miles further than Sydney, to
which we have steamship line. The
| voyage could be made In less than 80 days
! by steamer and 60 or 50 days by sailing
vessel. Such vessel might be loaded with
! all SORTS OF railroad material for the new
/ railroads which Siam is building, with min
! ing tools and machinery for the mines which
/ are being exploited, with provisions, -four,
| kerosene and large variety Of textiles such
as are used in Siam. On the return voyage
/ II conld take cargo of lumber, teak, IRON
| wood and dyewood. besides ivory aud the
! produce Uf the forests. It is difficult to say
/ without actual experiment what exchanges
could not be effected with comparatively
new country like Siam. 1t would probably
consume a number of articles which we
nave IL excess and pay for them in articles
which we can turn TO account
San Francisco Is naturally destined TO be
an entrepot for the commerce Of the Pa
cife. The day will come that il Will fill The
| place which London does for the commerce
Of Europe. No other port can take its
place. HOngkong has the disadvantage
that the only back country from which it
can draw is inhabited by race which is
| Jealous of its occupation by the English,
and which throws obstacles In the way Of
! the distribution Of merchandise from them
! Valparaiso is not occupied by race which
| possesses the mercantile instinct San
| Francisco has country behind it which can
! supply everything that dwelers on the Pa
clfc can consume, and can consume every
thing which they supply. and it is the home
! of an energetic race of traders.