The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-16
CURRENCY OF INDIA.
Alex. r. Brown, OF Philadelphia, Talks
interestingly of II.

L -
A,ex. p. Brown. of Philadelphia, Talks
interestingly of II.
Alexander p. Brown. OF Philadelphia, .
retired manufacturer OF leather and ieath-
er goods, arrived IN this city yesterday az
ter completing a tour Of the world. Mr.
Brown Is stopping at the Butler. and TO
Post-InteIlSgencer reporter expressed his
satisfaction al his return TO the United
States and his entire confidencs IN the
great failure OF this country
This VIII be the frst Republican ma
,tonai convention that have missed In q
great many years. said Ar. Bro~n. ana
/ assoc you that while I have been In
the States but few days, am very much
interested In the way the platform VIII
handle the money plank. as my observa-
tons In my tour OF more than ten cdonlhS
have convinced me that there is but one
metallic money. and 1t must be matter
OF great satisfaction 10 the leaders OF the
Republican party in this state that its
platform on the money question declared
uneauivocaliy for gold believe that the
national platform viii embrace that por-
ton of yoar state platform. viii IL not7
.sMy tour commenced In Philadelphia.
my home and Ia its earlier stages was I'M
eventful. I saw what every one saw VINO
goes 20 London and Paris. From Paris
went TO Marseilles, where one thing Inn
pressed me as ! took steamer for Alex
sndria. Egypt. That particular thing was
the OWNERSHIP and management OF the
great TRANSPORTATION lines. the principal
ones being the Peninsular and Oriental s.
8 Line, being an English concern, and
the Messagertes Maratime de France.
the latter title showing. of course. where
Ii is owned and controlled These two
great lines are heavily subsidized by their
respective governments Their operations
are only limited by the most distant
oceans and the farthest waterways OF the
globe. II is humiiiating that the trade of
the Pacific is not controlled by the United
States.
The era OF industry now opening" con-
tinued Mr. Brown. ''in Japan. and the
large Developments of its resources should
stimulate our government TO subsidize q
line between the Pacific Coast and foko-
hama that would give US large share OF
the forthcoming trade between the two
coun tries.
"As I said before. I left Marseilles for
Ales andria. and then was impressed with
the wonderful resources of the delta belt
and the cotton growing along the Nile dis
trict- Ii is in the delta belt that the finest
Egyptian cotton is grown, eQualing in
fineness and length of staple our cele-
brated Sea island cotton.
Possibly no country on earth Is as IN
terenting to visit as India. with its archi-
lecture that illustrates the magnificent
temples and tombs now standing there In a
world of history and tradition. The two
finest objects In India are works of nature
and art, the former being the monarch
mountains. Kinchinchanga and Mount Ev-
crest. Of the Himalaya range. These tre-
mendous peaks are nearly the monarch
peaks OF the world. being literally the top
of the earth covered with snow from their
SUBMITS. nearly six miles high, down 1900
feet 10 the termination of the snow line.
THE other is the magnificent tomb built
al Agra. by Shah Jehan. in 1880. 1t is the
most impressive sepulchre In the world.
and the most magnificent piece OF work
ever fashioned by the hand of man. II con-
sumed the labor of % 600 workmen for a
period of seventeen years In its construc-
ton. II IS great parallelogram $50 feet
In length by 40 in breadth. 1t is entered
by a noble portal of red sandstone, through
gates quite 100 feet high. Before you, upon
entering, is a grand garden filled With
shrubs and sweet-scented flowers. while
myriad fountains throw their sparkling
jets high into the air. At the farther end
OF this magnificent garden stands a solid
plinth of marble 3I3 feet square and IS feet
high. and in the center OF this plinth
stands the magnificent mausoleum lss feet
OF Saracenic construction formed of pure
white marble and precious stones The
river joanna flows directly at the foot OF
the garden.
II wish TO speak OF the Industrial condi-
ton OF India. and that will lead up to a
comparison that must present itself to
thinking people. between India and the
United States. The Industries OF India
are in an appalling condition. Labor Is
Df
ton OF the climate. which make the soil
fertile and that. OF course. makes rice. the
chief food staple. very cheap. The prob
lem OF currency is hard 10 solve. and their
medium of exchange is a huge fnconverti-
BILE token coinage. Heretofore India has
had, practically. a gold standard without
a gold coinage or gold reserve, but the
gold value OF rupee and rupee paper has
sunk from what IL used TO be 1.-TWO shil-
lings. or about IS cents) TO shilling, 1
penny, about Is cents. and OF this doubtful
coinage the mlnts have not struck for three
years. So long as the balance of trade was
In favor OF india II was easy enough to
maintain the gold value OF the rupee, but
since india has adopted another policy the
balance OF trade is against her. which IN
creases the difficulty OF maintaining the
gold value OF the rupee coinage. This fall
IN the currency affects the balance OF
trade. which in turn acts on the rupee
The people OF India who feel the pinch I'm
living are the armye nd the English officers
who have their children at home, being
educated. and who must paw at present
double exchange rates for sterling bills on
London.
Conservative thinkers argue that II n
hi-metaliic arrangement were entered into
hy the great nations. gold would entirely
disappear from India. When the natives
get ahold OF piece of gold they Inlrne-
dlately cache II and Il forms the dover OF
rnarriageahle daughters. In the absence OF
daughters ii "a made into jewelry and in
this way the depletion OF the gold In c,rcu-
lation Is assisted
Japan" continued Mr.. Brown. .is now
manufacturing all OF her cotton goods. and
the manufacturers OF India are turning oar
enough OF the manufactured product to
supply the local demands. There are over
million spindies turning in the former
country. and IN Bombay one mill IS weav-
ing niEht and day with $50 90 spindles
Both OF these countries will enter the field
for the Australian market and 7 think
America should make n decided effort in
the same direction. The BOMBAY spinners
have already driven Manchester rnanusae-
turers out OF India
Among the Americans who returned nv
way OF San Francisco. on the same stesn.r
with Mr.. Brown. were me American minis
ter 20 Iavan. Edwin Dun. and I. { T
Hunt. who VIII probably be in Seattle on
his return 20 China from the national Pc
publican convention a. st. Louis and East
ern cities