The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-22
RAILROADS. IN CHINA.

y RECENT publication of the Treasury Bureau
! OF Statistics, entitled Commercial China in
1900" shows in a striking way the rapidty with
which that long closed empire is being opened up to
the trade and traffic OF the world At the pres
ent time upward of 5000 miles of waterways have been
declared open to navigation by the vessels of
all nations, and there about 5000 miles OF elc
graph wires in daily use.
1t in the statistics relating to railroads. however
that the revolution of the commercial conditions Of
the empire are most impressively shown At the
present time only about 800 miles of railway are in
operation in all China, and yet 5000 miles are
projected and concessions for them have been
granted They will be pushed forward Of course with
much rapdity for the builders and managers are all
eager to get ahead OF one another and reap as much
profit as possible from being first in the field.
Nearly every important nation in the world is in
teresed in these railway projects, either directly
through its commercial representatives. Starting
from Manchuria, the extreme northeastery Deepen
dency OF China, is a projected Russian line to
meet with the great Russian trans-Siberian railway
now nearing completion, which will bring its great
traffic to the ceree ports of Port Arthur and Talien
Wan, on the Gulf OF Pechili To this proposed Rus
sian line the Chinese Government has already given
assent, and work upon it is in progress.
AS this Russian line passes so near to points where
American and British commerce is established Brit
sh capital has arranged for the construction of road
from Shan Hal Kwan, already touched by COM
pleted line from Picking to Tientsin, TO Newchwang
thus giving a ready railway communication with the
capital the great port OF Tientsn and thence toward
the Yangtse Valley where the British have arranged
with China that there shall at least be no concessions
in favor OF any other Government and which valley
is thus by some, though with doubtful proprety,
termed British sphere OF influence
d
north the French are constructing them in South
China. In Central China nearly all nations have a
share but the British have the larger number and the
more important concessions Belgium, however is
not far behind her representatives have conces
sion for line from Picking to Hankow the most
important interior city in the empire The road will
be $50 miles long and it is said will traverse country
rich in mineral as well agricultural resources and
Inhabited by upward OF 100000 people
American concessions for railways are said to be
confined up to the time the report prepared to
line which is to connect Canton with Hankow In
reviewing the subject the New York Tribune recently
said: This line which is about 600 miles in length.
passes through a rich and important agricultural
section having population equal to that OF the
United States, and at its center taps an important
iron and coal The direction OF the proposed line
is almost due north and south and while it practically
touches the seaboard at its southern terminus where
it reaches the Yangtze at the north is several hundred
miles interior thus bringing to the great port of Can
ton the products OF the upper Yangtze Valley which
section quite similar that OF the Upper Mississ
ippi in country
1t will be seen that China is about to make an i'm
mense stride in the way OF internal development We
shall have the paradox that the stagnant of ma
tons is the one which makes the swiftest march to
innovation change from railway mileage of less
than 300 miles to OF 5000 in about five or six
years will eclipse anything done even in this
country.