The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-12
CREAMERY PRODUCTS IN CHINA.
Good Chance for Their sale II Prop
eriy Put Up and Handled.


United States Consul Rounseville Will
man. OF HoEgkong. China. writing under
date OF December IL 1897. Ia answer 10
a communication from New York parties
asking for Information as to the possIoili-
ties for the export Of butter and canned
milk 70 China, says:
THE butter consumed in Hongkong Is
imported from Denmark, Australia and
France. with small quantities from Cali
fosnia. The Danish Is the most popular.
The average price obtained for butter in
this market Is ~ cents Mexican (3s cents
god, per pound. Hcngkong being a free
port. no statistics as 10 the total quantity.
i'm orted are obtalnable. United States
creamery butter. properly prepared. and
genuine butter can find q good market
here.
American exporters have been labor
ing under the delusion that anything is
good enough for the Asiatic coast where
as the demand Is for the highest grades
and the consumers are willing TO pay for
them. As, for exampie. people here pay
81 fs2 cents geld, tin for English cam
ned asparagus. when the same firm here
tLane * Crawford. ere agents for the
finest tinnsd California asparagus for 81
cent? Mexican f2G cents gold, better goods
in every way. and oEe-third as cheap.
When bought the last tin ne had, and in-
quirsd for more. the salesman replied that
! was the only person VINO had ever tried
1T. except himself. that ne could NOT even
give tin away. because 1t was Arneri-
can.
II c. GoodchiId. late manager of the
Hongkong hotel, the largest hotel In the
colony, imported last year from San Fran
cisco over 1900 pounds OF picked and
creamery butter. He placed IL on his ia
bic and the guests had 10 eat IT, The re-
suit was that 1, was liked and residents
Of the city fell into the habit OF sending
10 him for rolls for their private use He
imported II In barrels of 100 rolls, each rof
weighing one and three-quarters pounds.
and 1t was laid down In Hongkong for
from IS 10 81 cents gold per pound
''Of late. fresh Australian butter has
been brought here In refrigerators az -5
cents Mexican t26 cents gold. a pound
There are three small dairy farms on the
Island that are under government inSpec-
uoa. The cattle are stabie-fed and they
only pretend to furnish milk. cream and
butter TO European residents. Altogether.
II Is estimated that these three farms sell
s,eo pounds a year. They charge SLIGO
Mexican cdS cents gold, a pound; so IL is
decidedly a luxury. With butter
as with eyaporated or canned milk, the de-
mand Is rapidly increasing among the ali
nsse. In regard TO the latter article I
am in receipt Of numerous letters from
Condensing Company, of Highland. Ill,
after writing me several times. sent case
of forty-eight cans OF their cream I turn
ed II over 10 the well-known German firm
or Lauts, Wagner & Co. They report
ed 10 me as follows:
We may say that IL is excellent in
every respect. Ii Is. however. not the class
or goods In which a regular trade could
be built up. the consumption being ex-
ceedingly small. What we require for this
market Ia cheap kind Of condensed milk
sweStened and of white color. like the
Dutch manufacture. which should not cost
more than $50 TO 81 Mexican (s5ib 10 Is
cents gold. per dozen cans laid down here,
and which is selling in important quanti-
ties. say 800 cases a month or more
We tried this cream in our family.
and before the receipt OF the above letter
decided that Il was one OF the cases
where the goods were too good for the
market The Chinese believe that con-
densed milk should be white in color. One
OF the largest firms in the United States
I'm the past supplied the bulk OF the canned
milk In this market. They made IL white
regardless Of quality. Now It is manu-
tactured by a Chinese firm In Canton.
which initiates the tins trademark label
and everything The fact tina; the label
is more often printed upside down than
otherwise In no way detracts from the
supposed senuineness OF the article. II
several firms of a. like nature-.iealers in
butter. milk. hams. etc.-were TO COM
hiue and keep their own agent here. as the
Hour and Kerosene interests are represent
90, there is no question but that hold
could be obtained on these large and grow
ing interests"