The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-16

Shall KNOW eXactly Wnat is uetuahuou
By these markets. and information on
the subject is given in much detail by
the State department book quoted.
1t seems that the demand in China
for Yankee drillings and sheetings is
rapidly growing. The pig-tailed
celestials want American stoves, food
stuffs, small wares, and netions, clocks
and watches, confsctions, groceries,
butter, locks of every kind, and him
ges and fastenings for doors and win
dows. They like our canned vege-
tables and fruits awfully much, and
our condensed milk in tins is to them
positive dream. Into Shanghai
alone there were imported during the
last twelve months more than 10000
cans Of condensed milk.
There is q market in China for
many millions of bushels of American
wheat and corn annually. The rich
Chinese prefer wheat and wheat -four
from tho United States to all other
brands. Clocks, watches, and lamps
from the United States, and likewise
our axes, are at the top of the
market. Scattered all over the en-
pire, in Chinese employ, are Yankee
engineers, mining experts, and high
grade steel-werkers. Indeed, Ameri-
can influence in all branches of busi-
ness is felt to-day in China as it never
was before. In 1890 China sold to
the United States $6,O00,000 more
worth of products than she bought
from this country: six years later her
imports from America had trebled,
the balance of trade in favor of the
United States being half a million
gold dollars per annum. From this
statement it will appear that we are
already getting a grip on the trade of
China. And, by the way, Philadel-
phia firm has furnished the locomotives
for the Tientsin-P Peking railroad now
in process of completion.
Already we are sending enormous
quantities of -four and kerosene to
China. The Cinnamon have way of
refilling the empty American oil cans
with wretched quality of stuff from
| Russia or Sumatra, and this does the
trade damage. 1t is recommended by
the State Department that the oil pro
| ducers in this country should take
measures to prevent this. They might
establish at profit oil dcpots in China
at points suitable for distribution, and
it would be good idea to give to each
considerable purchaser cheap, non
combustible lamp. Many fires are
caused in Chinese cities by defective
lamps. 1t ought to be mentioned,
incidentally, that experts in this
country do themselves much injury
by sending low-grade wines and whis
key to China. A Chinaman knows
what good whiskey is, and the same
remark applies to wines.
In one respect the United States
holds unique position in the view Of
those Chinese officers and people who
know anything Of the outside world.
Mere CT less in dread Of ell Si.e Euro
pean powers, they fear nothing from
us. We are known to be rich and
peaceful, and nothing we have done
excites suspicion in the Chinese mind.
We are regarded as friends, and, in so
far as that is concerned, what we have
to offer will be welcomed. But, as to
commercial methods, in the Orient,
American merchants have good deal
to learn. For one thing they ought
to send agents with samples, and not
mere illustrated l:.ts of goods and
prices.
All over the immense oceanic area
called Polynesia there are markets for
American goods. 1t is not question
merely OF the Philippines. but of a
hundred other groups Of islands. Sa-
moa is promising field, and SO like
wise is Fiji. The trade of Fiji to-day
is second in the Pacific only to that Of
the Hawaiian Islands. Immense
quantities of kerosene are used in
Polynesia, and all of it comes from
this country. Other articles imported
largely from the United States into
the scattered lands Of Oceanica, are
-four, canned and dried fruits, canned
fish, Holsters and oysters. American
textile fabrics, on the other hand, are
), practically unknown in that part of
the world.
/. There is great American opportu-
nifty in Siam, which is much bigger
country that most folks realize. Larger
ishsH japan, it is the third indepen-
dent kingdom Of Asia, having 3,000,-