The times., 1898-08-15
GERMAN TRADE IN CHINA.
Making Rapid Progress. Especially
in the City of Hankau.

]. {. Monaghan. United States consul at
Chenlnitz. Germany has transmitted TO
the State Department report relative 70
the trade Of Germany in the city of Han
kau. Indicating that the Germans are
fast mOnopolizing the commerce in that
portion Of the Celestial Empire.
Mr. Monaghan says: "Hankau's COM
mercial Importance. especially for Ger
man trade. is rapidly increasing. Lying
as it docs at the head Of navigation Cfor
seagoing ships of the Yangtze Kiang. il
is the natural commercial center for mid
die, northwest and west China. 1t is
surrounded by an enormous territory ripe
for development, a territory able to con-
SINE and produce a territory whose land
and wa er ways joint at Hankau. There
is every reason to believe tnat. at date
not very far distant. the inland canals
viii carry the worlds commerce TO the
ve-y center of the Celestial Empire. Rail-
roads win run from Hankau TO Pekin, and
later 10 Canton. There is every prospect
of Hankau having a great future and be-
coming one of the most important har-
bors in the empire
''Hankaus foreign commerce, according
to the only available statistics, amounts
70 about $50 900 600 of which SIG 500 900 are
in foreign and SIS coo 900 in domestic i'm
por,s; and over SIS, ,Oo9OO0 in exports. OF
the imports. besides the machinery inn
ported exclusively from Germany for gov
ernment industries, petroleum is perhaps
the most important item Hitherto this
article has come from Russia and the
United States. through German and Eng
lish firms, the amount averaging Il, 2,00O,000
gallons. Langkat oil (Sumatra). intro
dueed by a German house IS beginning
10 compete. There is no longer any doubt
that petroleum reservoirs, like those al
Shanghai and Kokloon will be established
here. although the government is al pres
ent opposed to them. The other imports
are chiefly in the hands of Chinese. The
tea trade is in the hands of Russians and
English, with a tendency to go over en-
tirely to the former. Germans play very
insignificant role in Ibis trade. Nearly all
other exports are in the hands of Ger
mans
I'm no other port of the Chinese EN-
pire are Germans so powerful and inde-
pendent as in Hankau. The shipping
trade was until recently almost If not
entirely, monopoIzed by the English
Ger-n trade with Hankau is only four
teer years old. With wonderful skill and
foresight the German merchants selected
the soil in which to SOW, if one may use
the metaphor, worked ii, cared for II, and
are now reaping rich haryests. There is
no doubt says a German writer from
whom l have quoted many of the above
statements, that the German merchant
is more Industrious, attentive and ener-
getic than any other merchant in China,
not excepting the natives. A short stay
in Hankau will prove this fact.
He continues: Vast quantities of ar
ticles-hides, horns, gallnuts. hemp, skins,
furs, brushes, tallow, etc.-pass now via
Hankau, because Germans have helped
develop the trade. There is every reason
to rejoice when one contrasts German
activity and enterprise with the ponder
Gus Indifference of the average English
merchant. The latter goes on in the ruts
of other years, satisfied with the very
considerable share that falls to his lot.
He makes no move to increase his trade
The German, on the other hand, has eyes
and ears for everything. Recently the
tariff tables told of 20,000,e00 to 80, coo 600
eggs shipped via Hankau to other Chi
nese ports. Three German firms opened
works for preparing albumen, and are
making money in exporting it, Estimates
put Germany's trade In 1896 at about $10-
900, 900. One fact however is apparent,
and that is that German houses give Eng
lish river ships their largest eonsignments
of freight. Measures may soon be taken
to put German boats on the Yangtze
Kiang.'