The evening times., 1898-07-16
our TRADE WIFE CHINA.
Americas Exports Have lnereased
:BO0 Per Cent In seven Years.

L UUh TRADE Win WILMA.
Americas Exports Have Increased
:sO0 Per Cent In Seven Years.
The increase In the importation Of
American manufactures and productions
into China is shown by the official state
ments of the Reports on the trade Of
China and abstracts Of statistics" for the
reau Of Statistics.
This Official report of the returns Of
trade. published by the order Of the IN
spector general of customs OF China,
gives the value of articles imported into
and exported from China from 1890 to
1897. and the quantities and values Of GER
tain important articles imported during
1886 and 1897
This statement of imports from various
parts of the world shows that America
is making marked gains in her invasion
Of the markets of China. especially In
cotton goods, metals and kerosene oil.
though In the latter article Russia and
Sumatra are proving active. II not dan
gerous. rivals.
The total value of the imports from
America into China have. according to
the figures presented by this report. In
creased more than 800 per cent since 1880.
the total increase in importat.ons during
that time being but little more than so
per cent. In cotton goods the record
which American manufacturers and ex-
porters made in 1897 was especially strik-
ing.
In cotton drills. jeans and sheetings.
importations from America increased
materially. while those from all other
countries fell of. Importations of Eng
lish sheetings, for instance, fell from
Los. .99l pieces in 1886 to 3S9. $50 pieces in
1897. those from India fell from l56. 760
pieces to 300 pieces. while American
sheetings increased from 2.25l. 500 pieces
in 1895 to 2.4lS.9i in 1897.
English cotton drills fell from 1s2.372
pieces in 1886 to u. ZOE pieces in 1897, In
dian cotton drills fell from 8. 775 pieces
TO n.2a3 pieces in 1887: Dutch from 9.33s
pieces in 1886 to %. .s62 pieces in 1897; Jap
anese from 9.136 pieces in 1896 to 1,250
pieces in 1891. while American drills in
creased from l.225.T59 pieces in 1896 to
l. .531 .eE pieces in 1891 In jeans Ameri-
can importations increased from -, $50
in 1896 to 6S.O7S pieces in 1897. The total
importations- Of cotton goods fell in 1897
considerably below those OF 1896. while.
as shown By the above figures. the i'm
portations of cotton goods from A oerica
increased in every case.
Curiously. the chief increase in impor-
tations throughout the entire list La in
articles which America supplies. while
there is reduction in nearly all other
articles.
The chief imports into China from
America are cotton goods. cigars and
cigarettes, -four. ginseng. machinery,
medicines, kerosene oil and simber
In practically all of these articles there
was in 1897 an increase in importations.
while in the large proportion Of the
other articles imported a decrease is
shown OF kerosene oil. for instance,
the importaiions from America in 1897
were S.2l2JeS gallons against So s4s
gallons in 1896 an increase of nearly 80
per cent. 1mportations of timber in
creased from 1.IS2 494 haikwan taels in
value 20 1.3ei.9a4 taels; machinery. from
2.osi III taeis to 2. 116. I31; medicines. from
le6. il tsels to 1859; ginseng. which is
almost exclusively from the United
States. increased from l.61s.5z7 taels in
value TO 21ia1s3: raw cotton. from l.3o7.-
$40 taeis TO 2,26o.19l; window glass from
Sis. l2S iaels TO 4ss0I7. and coal from 5ss.-
s0i taels TO 3s92, Co.,
American producers and exporters
must. however. realize that in at least
one particular their competition is sharp
and increasing. This relates to Kerosene
on, or which our expectations in the year
just ended amounted 10 $55ooa 900, and of
which large proportion goes to China
and other Asiatic countries. The report
In question shows that while the impor-
tatlons OF American kerosene increased
IN isS. nearly 30 per cent, that those of
Sumatra increased nearly 200 per cent.
While in Russian oil there was also a
marked increase. showing that in this
important item of our exports there ia
sharp and growing competition in a large
and important field.
That there has been a steady and
marked growth in the importation into
China of goods from America is appar-
ent from the study of the detailed fig
ures of this report while an examination
of those relating TO the imports from
America have increased much more rap
idly than those from any other country.
The following table shows the imports
into China from the leading countries Of
the world in 1897 compared with the year
1899. 1t will be seen that the imports
from America increased more than 800
per cent. and that the growth was much
more rapid than that of other countries.
II should be borne in mind also that the
direct importations from America into
Chinese ports do not. by any means. in
clude all American goods entering China.
as most of the articles entering Hong
kong pass from that port into China and
the reports of our own Bureau of Statis-
tics show that the exports of America
to Hong Kong have. during the past ten
years. nearly euualed our direct ex-
ports to China
Imports into China from leading coun-
tries in 1907 rod