The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-27
OUR TRADE WITH CHINA.
England Calls Attention to the I'm
portance of It.

Washington, May 27-Mr Hugh O Beirne,
second secretary of the British embassy
here, has made a report to the British
foreign office on the extent of commerce
between the United States and China Mr..
O'Beirne does not deal with the political
phases which have made the Chinese
question a foremost topic in European dis
cussion, but his report tends to bring out
that the United States has such a large
commercial interest in China that she is
no less interested than the European pow
in the advancements upon China.
The report shows that the present vol
ume of United States trade in China rep
resents more than one-SeVenth of the en-
tire trade of the Empire. 1t is so per
cent greater than the trade of Germany
with China and comes next to the trade
Commercial CO. ne9c importan a TRe increase in
American trade has been going on rap
crease has been entirely on the side of
American goods, our exports increasing
R BV far C tbe most RRaiuabe branch of the
trade IS that in cotton goods
Mr. Bsrne ft the InfeG Of
c9tton cloth T. by by od Stains tin that last year
Of ST.. Isl 900, or almost half of ali our cot
ton cloths shipped abroad. He says the
prefer the American drills and sheetings,
they are heavier. The great bulk of
E faGsI mills to New York and then Via
the Suez canal, but there has been quite
recently remarkable increase or snip
ment from the west by way of San Fran
cisco and Puget sound.
Continuing Mr.. O'Beirne says: There is
every reason to think that the effective
opening up of the interior provinces to
foreign commerce will be followed by a
great expansion of the Chinese demand
for foreign cotton, in which the American
exporters will have very large share of
interest. The dense masses of the Chi
nese population. clad almost exclusively
in cotton cloth, offer practically unlimit-
ed market for cotton goods. The export
of kerosene oil to China now ranks second
in Importance to that of cotton goods. Mr..
serious foreign competitor with which the
American product has to reckon. In 1896
oil as against Is, 600 of the Russian oil.
The American kerosene is shipped in cans
almost wholly from New York and Phila-
delphia via the Suez canal, while the Rus
sian is sent largely in bulk, in tank steam
ers.
Mr.. O'Beirne also shows the increasing
and steel and railroad materials. He says
the Chinese show a full recognition of
their own roughly cleaned product. The
increasing Industrial activity of China and
the building of railroads will secure to
American makers large proportion of
the contracts for steel rails, locomotives,
etc. He remarks that the iron and steel
industry is one in which the United Stat
noticed that the Pacific states, though at
are perhaps more nearly concerned in it's
ultimate development than any other sec
ton of the country. These states are
possessed of enormous natural resources
and their manufactures, while still of mi
nor Importance, are computed by Mr.. Hall
to have quadrupled in twenty years.
market to the far east and the Chinese
market must exercise a great influence on
seaports have already begun to feel the
benefits of the China trade