Evening star., 1898-05-14

of any Importance in these two countries,
and wherever l found them using Indian.
Chinese or Egyptian cotton the managers
frankly told me that they would buy Amer
lean cotton exclusively If the combined
rail and steamer charges were not often
prohibitive. The American cotton now
shipped to the far east is consumed by
mills which have a special market but
they represent small proportion of the
total In short, We're freight rates favora-
bic and did the southern exporters push
the market American cotton would monop-
Ollie the supply for the mills of transpacitic
lands. What then remains to be done?
Nicaragua Canal the Key.
Eighth. The supreme advantage TO be
gained, which will, with one fell stroke.
accomplish the end desired, is the early
construction and operation of the Nicara-
qua canal. Unless that waterway is dug /
cannot see how the south can ever win per-
manently even fair share of this mighty
Pacific trade, and that is the opinion of
dearly all experts in the far east whom |
nave consulted. A transstkman canal is
the key to the transpacific. The long rail
hau! from the south to the Pacific seaboard
Will always keep the delivered cost of
american cotton just beyond the point of
general and successful competition. Dig
the canal and large fleet of steamers will
carry cotton in bulk from all southern
ports to the far east for the same rate
that is now charged from San Francisco
to Kobe and Shanghai. AS this statement
Is read l can imagine a skeptical look on
many faces and an insinuation that [ am
indulgfng in eXaggeration.
Ninth. Let us see. In the first place, the
rates charged by steamers crossing the Pa
cific are equal to or greater than those
charged by steamers from the Mediterra-
mean gong greater distance, and not
much less than the through rates from
London, Liverpool. Hamburg. Bremen and
Amsterdam, thus showing that there is vet
q bat
can be taken off if necessary
Most Important Statements,
'In the second place, desire to Law be-
fore the planters and exporters of the
south two most important statements made
to me- respectively, by leading stockhold-
ers OF the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Japan's
great navigation company, and the PENN
sula and Oriental Steamship Company,
Engiand's chief foreign line, which two
companies combined control more steamers
than any other three. barring one German
and one French system, in the world. The
representative of the former said to me
that the moment the Nicaragua canal was
opened his company would put on a fleet Of
at least ten large steamers to run from Ja-
pan and China to the leading ports of the
south, the principal object of which would
De 10 carry cotton. In order to have out
ward cargoes they might touch en- route
at San Francisco, and then possibly on the
Atlantic side go on to Baltimore, Philadel-
phia, New York and Boston, but their
chief destination would be the southern
ports like Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile
Tampa, Charleston, Savannah and Nor
folk. He said this plan had been carefully
considered by the company, and, in express
ing surprise that the United States had not
already dug the canal. added, with pride,
III Japan controlled the opportunity or con-
cession the canal would have been complet-
ed and opened to the worlds traffic before
this
''The representative of the Peninsula and
Oriental informed me almost in a conf
Dental way that his company had long
the world that would be accomplished by
the construction of the isthmian canal. and
intended to put on a special line of large
carriers to run practically around the world
via the southern ports Of the United States
and through the canal to ASIA in order to
carry the cotton of the south to Japan and
China From the latter they would take
cargoes via Suez to Europe, from Europe
to America, and so on. Certainly both Of
these are practical schemes, while thew
show the Importance of the soufh's oppor-
tunity in the Pacific. Both authorities told
me that their steamers would carry cotton
from southern ports to Japan and China
at competitive rates with other sources of
supply. and less than those now charged
from San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle
to Yokohama. Kobe una Shanghai
Hawaiian Annexation and Pacfac
Cable.
without Weakening the force Of my
main proposition BY introducing Interior Is