The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-23
Our Trade With
China Is Growing,

~
GPHE SUCCESS of the United States
in the invasion of the markets OF
China IL illustrated by some hg-
ures lust prepared by the Treas
ury Bureau 81 Statistics, showing
that our exports to that market nave Oh
late increased much more rapidly than
those of other parts OF the world, anu
that the heavy falling off in imports or
certain lines of goods into China In the
last year has not been as seriously fet
by the United States as by other nations
with which we come in competition. An
examination of our exports TO emma our
ing the fiscal year Just ended SHOWS
marked increase in large numbers OF ar
ticles. and that the reduction in cotton
goods, which has caused the slight de-
crease in the total, is much less, propor-
tionately, than that of our chief rivals IN
supplying the cotton goods market or
that country.
While our total exports to China dur
ing the year just ended fell off little
less than two million dollars, the fall In
cotton goods alone was two and one
quarter million dollars, thus showing that
the falling OFF in this class of exports was
responsible for the reduction in the grand
total OF our exports to that country.
further examination, however, OF this re-
duction in cotton goods exports TO emma
shows that 1t was incidental to an enor-
| nous reduction of cotton piece goods I'M
| portations by that country, and that the
United States suffered less by that re-
duction, propC rtionately, than did Other
countries with which she Is competing for
| that market. The recent report on the
| trade of Chira, published by the inspec-
| tor general of Chinese Customs, says OF
| the import trade in cotton piece goods
"The year 1897 owing to the fall in ex-
| change, and the heavy stocks carried
| over from 1896, was one of the worst on
record for the piece goods trade That
| the reduction in imports in cotton goods
was partly due to an increase of cotton
| manufactures in China as well as heavy
| stocks carried over from the preceding
year, is shown by a further statement
| contained in the same report, which says
| that the importation of raw cotton IN
| creased more than 90 per cent. in 1887, and
| that of Japanese cotton y9rn more than
| doubled. That the American imports of
| cotton goods suffered less than those of
| other countries is shown by paragraph
| of the report in question, which says
| THE trade in cotton piece goods shows.
| as was expected, falling off from the
| figures of 1896; American goods, however,
| continue to increase in favor, these being
almost the only exception to the general
decline. The favor which the American
to their cheapness"
| Another evidence that American goods
| exported into China have suffered less by
the general reduction than these of our
chief rivals for that trade, is shown by a
comparison of our own exports TO China
| during the past six months, with those
of Great Britain to China during the
same period. The June statement of
| Trade and Navigation of the United
| Kingdom, which covers six months CX-
ports by articles, specifies the amounts of
cotton and woolen goods and manufac-
lures of metal exported to various coun-
tries. This shows that the exports Of
these articles to China and Hong Kong
| III the six months ending with June, fell
| off nearly three million dollars, or over II
per cent, as compared with the corre-
| spending six months of the preceding
year. Our own statement of exports TO
China and Hong Kong includes. besides
manufactures of cotton and metal, pro-
visions, breadstuffs naval stores, manu-
factures of tobacco and manufactures of
| wood, the list containing double the num-
| ber of articles of that named by Great
| Britain in her reports yet the net de-
crease in the list of articles named in our
own reports amounts to less than eight
hundred thousand dollars. against the net
decrease of nearly three million dollars in
a much smaller list of the exports OF
Great Britain I'm the corresponding period
of time. Our own statement of the COM
merce of the year shows an increase in
| exports of -four, bicycles carriages and
cars, fruits and nuts, telegraph instru-
ments, telephones, scientific instruments
canned beef, bacon, hams, butter, cheese
| seeds, tobacco, lumber and other arti-
| cles to China during the year just ended
as compared with the preceding year.
| o
The steady gain which the United
States is making in its effort to obtain
| a share of the market which China af-
fords is shown by the following comparl.
| son of our imports into China and Hong
| Kong, from 1880 to 1898, with those OF
Great Britain during the same period
| The table. IL will be observed, shows ar
increase of over 800 per cent. in exports
, from the United States to China and
Hong Kong during that period and a
decrease of % per cent. in those from the
| United Kingdom to the same market In
the same time. United States figures in.
clude domestic and foreign merchandise
= while those of the United kingdom in.
clude domestic merchandise only.
: EXPORTS FROM UNITED STATES
AND UNITED KINGDOM TO CHIN
AND HONG KONG FROM 1880 TO 1898
| Years United limited
ending States. Kingdom
June 80. Dollars. Pounds
1880 ......................S 3,97S, 775 94S2 50