The evening times., 1899-06-03
AMERICAN EXPORTS
10 KOREAN MARKETS
Increase of Importations From
the United States.
Some Pecuiiarities Of the Native
Merchants.
gusiness Men From Thi. Country Ac-
tive in Numerous Enterprises.
a Statistical Report.

| The Bureau of Foreign Commerce, De-
paTtment OF State. has issued a consular
report on Trade of Korea in 1885," The
publication says that trade during last year
shows a falling OFF in comparison with
| 1897. Complete customs returns are not
| available. but figures as to the total ex-
| ports and imports and list OF the princi-
| pal articles imported from America has
| been secured by Horace n. Allen. United
| States Consul General, at Seoul.
The total trade for 1897 was 23.511. $50
! yen ts11. 755, ,625 gold, while for the year
1898 it was l7,527.s64 yen tsS.763.932 gold.
This is accounted for by the fact that
the effects of the scarcity of rice, due to
the short crop Of the summer of 1S97s have
not been dissipated by the generous crop
of 1898, and the people seem inclined not
| TO part with their food supply as readily
as in former years of plenty. In spite Of
| this general falling off in trade. importa-
| tioEs from the United States have increas-
| ed. The customs returns are not clear as
| to the proportion of American goods. they
being often classed with English and Eu
ropean products. A list Of American i'm
ports. however, shows that goods which
may be safely considered as American
were imported in 1898 to the value of l.
270075 yen ($635. .o37.50 gold. Of which the
| chief items were: Railroad material, S297,-
| s6l50; kerosene. slS9.3S0.
The Koreans cannot, apparently. resist
| the temptation to run into debt when the
opportunity occurs They seem not to con-
| slider the day of payment. but rather trust
| to some lucky chance for release from the
obligation. This tendency, and the strange
| complacency of large Chinese firms as well
| as of some Japanese in allowing credit to
irresponsible Koreans. has had quite a
| paralyZing effect on Chemulpo trade sof
late. as the Chinese have begun to sue for
| the amounts due them. This frightens a
certain class of trade away from the port.
Japanese and Chinese have acquired so
much real estate through the foreclosure
| of mortgages that the Korean government
has begun to object to recording title deeds
| lest the city of Seoul and other places slip
| entirely into the hands of these foreign
ers. Koreans possess the feeblest CONNER
cial instinct. Their shops are almost al
ways little booths, where the owner sits
/ surrounded by his wares, and if pur-
J chaser chances to ask for thing out Of
! the merchants reach while the latter is
| enjoying quiet pipe, or for some other
/ reason does not wish to be disturbed. ne
/ will reply that the article is out of stock.
An American. some time ago. desiring
| to find an article for export. decided on
certain artistic mats, and having agreed
! upon a price, asked the dealer how soon
he could furnish him with 5000 of them.
| The man replied promptly that of he want
| ed as many as that he would have to
| charge double the price.
! Akin to the mercantile apathy of the
! people is the reluctance with which they
( allow other people 10 do what they seem
unable TO accomplish themselves. The
idea seems TO prevail among the Koreans
that anything Korean is greatly desired
! by the outside world. This may be ac-
! counted for by the fact that for centuries
they completely closed their doors to all
comers. and when they were forced to
open. il was the prelude TO robbery and
pillage. Now. when a foreigner asks for
I a right to develop some dormant Korean
| interest, suspicion is at once aroused and
the thing, which may have possessed no
previous value in the estimation OF the
| owner. at once seems TO be most desir-
1 able possession.
This is notably true of the coal mines.
Koreans heat their houses by means Of
fues. laid under a tight stone and cement
floor. sealed with a strong layer Of oiled
! paper The fuel for these fiues is wood,
| grass, and brush. This fuel has to be
! transported on the backs OF men, bulls, or
| ponies for long distance. and is there
fore very expensive. Korea has large de-
| posts of smokeless coal which foreigners
have shown is well adapted for use in their
| heating system, which would be a great
saving in expense. while the proper de-
velopment of these mines would furnish a
I much h-needed coal supply for ether pur-
\ poses. So far. ali attempts to obtain
| coal mining concession have failed. and
these deposits lie practically neglected.
| except that little rotten surface coal is
got out each year and sold to foreigners at
| 80 gold per ton. As this stuff is mostly
| dust by the time it reaches its destination
it is mixed with red clay and made up into
balls by hand, which burn exceliently, but
are unnecessarily costly in a country where
good coal should be readily available at
| low price.
| The Seoul -Chemulpo railway, road
| twenty-five miles il length. standard
| American gauge, connecting Seoul, the
! capital of Korea with Chemulpo, the chief
pert, was built by Messrs. Collbran and
James, Americans, for the American con-
cessionnaire, James r. Morse. at a cost
of $1,500.0o0 gold, including an extensive
| iron bridge over the Han River, which
was to cost Sl9O, 200. The material was
mostly on the ground and the earth work
was about completed, together with the
abutments of the bridge and an extensive
sea wall and reclaimed foreshore, when, OIL
| December 81 last, the concession and prop
| critics were sold by Mr.. Morse to a Japan
| ese syndicate. The work Is intended to be
! completed during the year. This Is the
| first railroad to be built in Korea, and the
materials and equipment are almost en-
| tirely from America. The japanese lave a
| concession to connect Seoul with the port
of Fusan. several hundred miles distant,
at the xetreme southern end OF the pnin-
sula. Engineers are now going over the pro-
posed ioute. A French syndicate holds a
| concession for a railroad to connect Seoul
with the northwestern border, where at
one time it was supposed such a line
would connect with the Russian lines in
| indication that this road will b. built
H. Collbran. the American contractor
for the oulChemulpo railway, Is Just
completing the construction of an over
head trolley electric street railroad of
some six miles in length, in Seoul, for a
Korean company. The materials for this
road are from America and Japan, the
car bodies having been neatly constructed
| by the Japanese.
| During the past year. concession was
granted to an English syndicate for a min
| ing district to be hereafter selected and
| to be worked for a period of twenty-five
years upon terms somewhat SINH ar to
| those of the American and German con-
cessions-that is. upon a payment to the
Korean government of one-fourth of the
| net proceeds of such work.
The American gold mines in the north
ern DrOyince Of Pqng Yang are hecOyr,in q