The evening times., 1900-03-13
MILLS RUNNING in SIAM
Prosperity in Every Industry Ex-
cept Shipbuilding.
The Machine shops and Foundries
Plant and Car Scrvice-TweIyc
Printing Establishments i'm Opera
tiou - Three Newspapers Issued.

Hamilton King, Consul General to
Bangkok. in a communication to the De-
partment of State. says of the Industrial
development of Siam:
Rice cultivation is the principal indus
try OF Siam. There are twenty-six steam
rice mills in Bangkok. and although the
first one in the country was started by an
American, none are owned by Americans
today. Four are European, and the rest
are owned or managed by Chinese. Some
of these Chinese firms have a very large
capital. Seven of the mills have their
own electric light plants, one of which
was furnished by an American house. All
the other supplies and the rice milling
machinery used here have come from Eng
| land and Scotland.
| "A few years ago the paddy, or rice husk.
which is used for fuel was so cheap that
much waste was permitted in its con-
sumption. Now, however, the rapidly in
| creasing price of fuel has created good
market for this husk, and efforts are be-
ing made to economic by introducing
more improved methods of combustion.
Teak wood is the next most important
| industry of the country, and there are ten
large steam sawmills and many smaller
handmills in the city for the manufacture
of teak lumber. Three of the mills have
their own electric light plants. and all of
them get their machinery and supplies
| from Great Britain.
Twenty years ago shipbuilding was car
ried on quite extensively. At present. how
ever. there are only four small docks and
| shipyards, and only small boats are con-
| structed. There have been built on an
average for several years past about twen-
| tytive steam launches of from seventeen
TO thirty tons burden; thirty cargo BEATS
! tcraft about fifty feet in length by thir-
teen feet BEAM, and eight lorchas OF
| Chinese sailing craft. 10 fee, in length
/ by twenty-five feet beam; while hun
1 dreds OF the smaller boats of all descrip-
tions that swarm the rivers and canals are
! turned out every season. All supplies
and machinery for this industry come from
; Europe.
There are four large machine shops aud
! fcundries in Bangkok: also the shop; o.
! the railroad systems. supplies for viii h
! likewise come from Europe. The large
electIic-l lighting plant for the city and tle
two pOUerh houses for the electric tram
ear system obtained their equipment in
Europ an the United States.
There are in the city twelve printing
establishments in which English type is
used and twenJyfo in which Siamess
printing is done. These include in their
output three daily papers, periodicals. ard
I books Of all descriptions besides many
! lesser publications and much job work
! The printing supplies for the city FOR tho
most part come from Europe. The United
States is DOW furnishing a portion, how
ever. and American paper has within the
! last year made d decided hit and is Just
now increasing in favor.
''Lubricating oils for all thee manufi C.
tories are supplied by the Vacuum oil
I Company and the Charles Price Oil Com
! psny, both Of London. The native castor
( oil OF this section is vigorous competitor
| selling anywhere from $3.50 10 1854 in
| United States currency per 13S pounds
| During the last six months the importa-
| tion OF crude petroleum in bulk from Rus
sia and Borneo has been going on, and ef-
! forts are now being made TO introduce
| it a. a fuel in the factories and on TIE
steam craft in the inland waters. The ef-
! fort thus far is meeting with very ques-
Ilonahle success. ana seems 10 promise lit
I tie in the way OF trade
As result ~ the gradual improvement
Of the streets OF the city during the last
Ten years, very many vehicles of all de-
scrptions are used. The extent Of the
d 81
necessity; hence, Bangkok is probably
long VA! ahead of any other city in the
Far East in the of wheeled vehicles
The demand. was at first supplied princi-
pally from outside sources bur of late a
local industry mas been springing up and
40 per ceent Of the carriages in use are
now manufactured in Bangkok Without
exception, however they strike the Ameri-
can as unnecessarily heavy and clumsy
The Of he ,.itv are
level, no point for miles around being
more than three feet above high-water
mark. and being built Of brick or macad-
am. are most adaptable 10 the use of light
running vehicles of all kinds Moreover
The native ponies, which have proved
themselves best fitted 10 stand the trying
climate are very small weighing only
from 800 to 200 pounds. and hardly suta-
bic for the heavy vehicles. But these lit
tie animals are used so exclusively tnat
there are not more than thirty full sized
horses in the city. In view OF these con-
ditions ii would seem that the differeD;
styles OF light-running American vehicles
would prove very desirable if once intro
duced The Workmanship and material
must be first class TO meet the climate
which changes very quickly from extreme
ly wet TO hot and dry; but if well made
there is no doubt that our vehicles would
wear quite as well as the cumbersome
ones now in use. while their greater light
ness and beauty would win for them n
place in this market.
American paints. oils, and varnishes are
still unknown here: but in view of the
amoun; OF building now in progress in the
city. including the construction of docks
and shipyards. as well as the rapidly grow
ing carriage industry, there is no doubt
that there is an opening here for American
trade in this line of goods.
The greatest obstacle Is the cost Of
freight, due to the repeated trans ship
ments en- route 4 through line of steam
ers from New York TO Manila. with regu
lar Sailings, would be a great assistance
necessitating but one trans shipment at
Singapore, and placing American goods OIL
equal footing for the most part with
goods from Europe. There is but one line
OF steamers from this port direct 10 Eu-
rope-the East Asiatic Line, from Copenha-
gen 10 Bangkok The service consists of
one steamer each way every three months
THE Germans are coming TO the front
very rapidly in Siam Prince Henry of
Prussia is here and the last TWO weeks
have been spent in constant ovation 10
him. The Emperor of Germany from time
TO time by personal letters and by presents
TO the King of Siam has helped the Ger
man interests here very materially Eng
lang and France seem to be losing
ground.
Burned to Death.
CHARLESTOWN, ". Va. March
13.-Information has reached here of
the burning to death of Grace Nell
son. the five-year-old daughter of
Matthew Nelson at Wave;de in NoDuo.