The sun., 1898-09-20

gers, and IL will be much cheaper than by
either the Suez Canal route or the sea and
land journey by way Of Canada. At present
| the voyage to Yokohama by sea via Suez
takes thlrty-four days, and twenty-five by
the Canadian route To Shanghai the
shortest duration OF the voyage by the
canal is twenty-eight days, and by way
OF Canada thirty-one; and to Hong Kong
1t is twenty-five and thirty-three days
by the same respective routes. Allowing
for the sea voyages from Port Arthur
and Vladivostock. which will be the
first termini Of the trans-Siberian line, all
the above-named points will be reached in
far less time than by any Of the existing
routes. When the interior lines OF railway
In China are completed and connected with
the Russian road, tho steam routes, except
for heavy goods that will not bear railway
freight charges, will be outside competition.
Some approach to the facilities that will be
afforded by the Russian line will be event.
ually made by the railways projected from
Constantinople through Asia Minor and
southern Persia to India, and thence
through Burmah, but In any case II cannot
be for many years to come, and the distance
of fares and freight rates the Russian line
will always have the advantage in being un-
der one individual control.
AS against the trans-Siberian railway
the existing steamship lines from Europe
will be powerless to compete except for
heavy goods and the mails will certainly
take the shortest and quickest route. 1t
Is calculated that everything included, q
traveller by the Russian railway will be
able to go from western Europe to Japan or
the north Of China for $16O and the south
for $3.50, as compared with $500 by the
present steamship routes Later, when the
volume OF travel will have increased, it is
believed that return tickets may be profit
ably issued for from 1926 to $3.50.
On goods freights the new railway cannot
fail to have considerable influence. For the
cheaper and more bulky class Of articles
the seven thousand miles OF rail would be
too expensive a mode Of carriage, but for
parcels, the more costly products such as
silk, the precious metals and similar things,
and articles OF small bulk generally, the
railway will be the natural means Of transit.
The finer qualities Of tea, also. that are 80
liable to deterioration in the holds OF steam
CTS pdSSlnR JnTOuBn extremely nOG laIl-
tudes, will reach the European market in
ercondition and flavor after short jour
ney in a more cquable temperature by rail.
That the Russian Government means to
retain for itself as much Of the advantage
anticipated from the construction Of the
trans-Siberian railway as possible is evil
dent from the fact that it is intended to con-
meet line Of steamers with it, especially
designed for freight and passenger service,
between Russian Baltic port and British
and western European ports. It is hardly
possible as yet to estimate the full signif-
cance Of these projects or their ultimate in
fiuence on the present course OF trade be-
tween the East and the West, but that they
are destined at first, perhaps to damage
some existing interests there can be no
doubt. The balance however, would be re-
established so soon as the flow Of capital
into China and the development of that
country had added to the general move
ment Of trade, sure to follow its opening up
to more active life than has been possible
under the stagnating rule Of the Mandarins.