The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-16


and long lines of rude carts. In the ex-
treme north the freighting is done largely
upon camels, which take all kinds Of
goods from Picking and Tents'n through
the Nankow pass over the mountains into
Mongolia and Manchuria. There is also
an enormous traffic on the waterways,
which cover China like a net and less
traffic on ponies.
These methods of transport are all slow
and some of them very expensive. A
good electric railroad system could take
their places. The people would patronize
such roads, they do the steam rail-
roads, and the roads would pay divi-
dends from the start. The trouble would
be in securing the concessions in quiet
ing the superstitions of the people. and
last. but by no means least in fighting
the labor unions affected by the change.
These unions honeycomb China. They ex-
tend to the cartsdrivers and wheeblrrow
men. and dictate terms TO both capital
lists and officials.
The electric railroad men could also
tablish electric light plants. At present
this country of 1000 600 people Is lighted
almost entirely by Kerosene. lard oil and
vegetable tailow. Even the yamens are
lighted with coal oil. None of the native
cities have gas. and it is only in the
larger cities of the open ports that you
find electric light plants. The imperial
palace at Picking has one. There is one
here at Shanghai and others at Hong
kong and Canton. Several of the vice.
roys have put in electric light plants.
but such plants are private and do not
extend to the cities. doubt If there are
darker towns in Central Africa than the
municipal centers of China after sunset.
The streets are deserted. little candle
or lamp may hang here and there out in
front of a store, but there is neither gas
nor electricity.
The coal oil consumed comes largely
from the United States. although within
the last few years there have been con-
siderable imports from Russia and SUI
matra. There are at Shanghai enor-
nous oil tanks filled with Dutch, Russian
and American kerosene. / saw Phila-
delphia oil for sale in Tientsin, and
have seen camels loaded with Standard
Oil cans on the borders of Manchuria.
A large part of the tinware used in
China Is made from old kerosene cans.
There are shops in each town which deal
in such ware, and many of the buckets
of the country are made from it, The
Chinese are very economical, and in buy
Ing oil they figure on the money to be
had from the cans well as from the
oil itself This desire to save recently
caused the death of an Acknowledged
servant of a missionary at Chefoo The
had ordered the boy to open it. The boy
thought 1t would be a pity to injure so
good a can, so he tried to remove the
solder with red-hot poker. The result
was an explosion, which wasted both the
oil and the boy.
Much of the light of the Yangtse valley
is from vegetable tallow. Indeed they
have trees in Western China which grow
tailow candles. At least, they grow
berries from which candles can be made.
The tree is a well-rounded one about
twenty feet high when full grown II
has heart-shaped leaves of the size of a
silver dollar and berries about as big as
a cherry. The berries have shells much
like our hickory nuts. As they ripen
the shells crack and fall OF. leaving
white seeds. The Wilderness comes from
a wax with which the seeds are covered.
This is removed by boiling. AS the
water heats. the wax melts from the seed
and II rises in a scum to the top. Ii Is
SKINNED off and poured into candle
molds in which are wicks, INST like those
In the candle molds of the United States.
AS It cools 1t hardens, and when taken
from the molds II is in the form of can
dies ready for burning. The seeds are
also ground and boiled and a second
rate talow is SKINNED from them. This
wax is known as vegetable tallow. II is
one of the chief exports of the kukiang
region
= = q
China Is glutted with money. much "a
the United States. and in organizing cleo
trio light. street railroad and telephone
companies large capital could be raised
from the natives IL the powers will de-
mand the right treaties as to the safety
of investment. | am told there are
thousands of rich Chinese who have
trouble to make their money bring fair
interest. At present the only outlets are
In pawn shops, grain shops and house
property, and the risks are so great that
money rarely realizes more than per
cent. The Chinese appreciate what In
terest means They are savers and econ
omizers. They are not afraid to invest
In anything that promises well IL they
know that the men at the head of II
are safe and that the undertaking Is free
from the official leeches. They have faith
in foreigners and will go into schemes
which are under foreign superintendent.
I: = =
Just now there is much Chinese capital
invested in cotton mills, silk mills and