Washington sentinel., 1899-02-18
ENGLAND.
GERMAN COMMERCIAL INTERESTS IN
THE EAST,
Consular Journal

We wonder whether it has occurred
to any one that the long continued pres.
ence Of Prince Henry OF Prussia in the
Far East, and his goings to and fro there,
have a commercial significance. The
Kaiser said. some time ago, in Stettin,
that Germany's future lies on the water.
Important railroads we're built recently
opening up the Usuri country, in which
Prince Henry has lately travelled; ice
breakers keep Vladivostock harbor open
to navigation all winter, Germany,
taking advantage Of both facts. has
begun to furnish those far away parts
with all kinds oil articles formerly fur.
nished by Belgium and France. Rivalry
exists in Eastern Siberia between the
nations named. What the end will be,
no one who knows what German enter.
prise has already accomplished can
doubt, Hamburg has a German-Sibe'
rian trading and shipping company,
whose purpose is to aid in establishing
regular trade between the empire and
the Amur country. Khabarovsk, the
last station on the line from Vladivos.
took through the UsurI country, is most
lavorably situated at the confluence of
the Amur and Usuri rivers. The Ham
burg people have made it headquarters
for all their operations in the Usuri and
Amur regions. Under this central office
are active agencies all over the sections
of Siberia opened up by the new road.
These are supplied with samples and
stocks of German manufactures suited
to the wants Of the Usuri and Amur
people. Some Of these are sold: many,
however. are exchanged for the river,
forest and farm products Of Eastern
Siberia. The vast regions through
which the Amur and the Usuri roll, the
latter navigable for many miles for fairly
large steamers, offer opportunities for
trade which are bound 10 increase,
Russian steamship companies are now
carrying goods up and down the Amur,
from Nikalojewsk to territory beyond
the provinces Of Transbaikal. A glance
at the map will show how important all
this may be in the great struggle going
on now in the East. There is reason
to believe that this trip, which took the
Prince far beyond the operating sphere
OF a naval commander. had for its objects
the extension of German commerce to
the districts of the AmuT and the Usuri
rivers, It is worth mentioning, too. that
Germany now ranks first among the
States now trading with these districts.
There are 50 German ships, aggregating
$4,000 tons. heading the list Of those
plying between VladivostOck and Hong
Kong, Shanghai and Nagasaki. The
sudden rise of VladivostOck, after the
rates for travel and freights were reduced
on the Usuri railroad, is due, to great
extent, to the enterprise OF German ship
owners. The growing commercial
interests of the Germans in that province
are sure to predominant as industry
develops. Most of the men who are
making markets in Russia for German
manufactures are masters of the Russian
language. Agencies under German
directors are at work in Moscow, St.
Petersburg, Odessa, Mini Novgorod,
Vladivostock and Khabarovsk, Hardly
ha0 Prince Henry pushed his way into
parts hitherto almost unknown to West
ern people before the Kaiser's pilgrim
age assumed an industrial significance,