The age-herald., 1897-12-29
OUR INTEREST M
 THE DIVISION OF CHINA
BY E. ". BARRETT.

Germany. Did Japan have the ships in her. navy that are now being built in England and at Cramps ship yard in Philadelphia, she would probably make the attempt, but with her present navy she dares not
 Japan has within the past ten years grown to be a great manufacturing coun- try. It now manufactures cotton cloths greatly in excess of Japan's needs. These cloths must be exported and Japan looks upon China as her legitimate prey, so to speak, for the sale of her surplus goods. Japan desires to establish colonies through- out central China and open up a great trade for her manufactured goods in that country She desires sufficient control to prevent a discriminating tariff being put on her goods Should Germany or France get possession of this territory, goods made in these countries would be shipped to Ger man and French possessions in China and sold without paying duty, while Japanese goods would be taxed. Thus Japans anx" iety and likewise England's anxiety to ac- quire large slices of China, if this whales like nation is to be divided up.
 This matter of tariff is a matter which will also largely effect American trade. The United States now supplies China with one-fourth of the coarse cotton goods that country consumes. We also export to China enormous quantities of flour and corn meal and hardware. Should it get into the hands of France and Germany. with their duties on American goods, our trade would be seriously effected-not more so, however, than should it get into the hands of Japan.
 Under our old treaty made with Japan some twenty-nine years ago, that country was not permitted to levy an import duty exceeding per cent. upon any goods ship' ped from this country. Under a new treaty which we made with Japan in 1895, and which goes into effect in 1899, Japan is per" mitted to make her own tariff laws and fix any tariff duty that she may see fit. The new laws have already been enacted by Japan, to go into effect in the summer of 1S99 Under the new laws, some of the im- port duties are as much as 40 per cent. ad valorem. If Japan were installed in Chinese territory, the same laws would be effective there. Thus it would be to the interest of the United States for trade pur- poses to have China remain as 1t is. and to have customs and collections as they ex- ist today with no duty higher than 5 per cent.
 However it sees to be the settled policy of nations to divide up China and each one is on the uui vive to grab all the territory it can get Just when England will com mence grabbing, remains to be seen. It is certain that England does not propose to stand idly by and permit grabbing of terri- tory to go on without getting lions share for herself It may be that England will give Japan fair slice in order to have the support of that country which is destined in time to be second only to England as the greatest naval power on earth.
 I would not be surprised to see England take possession of a chunk of central China before Prince Henry of Germany and his toy fleet of naval vessels reach Oriental waters.
 In the meantime unless the United States is properly represented and insists upon there being no change in duties levied on her goods sent to any portion of China Tn the event it falls into the hands of another power. our trade in that country will be se- riously curtailed. When it is known that China is a market with one-fourth the con- sumng power of the human race and that we now export to that country exceeding one hundred million dollars of goods aIl- nually, the importance of action on the part of the United States government is manifest.
 At present we have but four ships on the China station and one of these is worthless. England has no less than thirty, Russia ex- ceeding twenty Germany perhaps sixteen and France a dozen or more.
 The situation is of interest to every American whether he be merchant, mes chanic, or manufacturer.