The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-25

Is stated here that If the Cullom bill row
pending before the United States senate.
and which was recently Endorsed by the
National Board of
Bill by Trade, is adopted, II
Mr.. CuliOm. will give the inter.
state commerce
commission considerable more authority
than Is now possessed by that body. The
principal amendment proposed is to give
the interstate commerce commission spe,
cial authority when a rate complained
of has been found unreasonable or reia,
lively unjust upon investigation, after d
full hearing Of all parties interested to
declare what in Its judgment is a just
and reasonable rate in the particuia,
case in question. and to enforce the adop-
ton of such rate, subject to appeal to
the courts; its decision, however, to be
effective until reversed by the courts.
Other amendments proposed make the
requirements Of the long and short
haul clause absolute by striking out the
term under substantially similar cir.
cumstances and conditions" making tbs
suspension of the operation of tina.
clause In particular cases subject wholly
to the discretion of the commission upon
investigation and full hearing; also re-
move penalties of Imprisonment substI-
tuting heavy fines in case of any viola.
ton of the law. to which individual Off
GERS of the companies are liable, as well
as the companies Themselves; also re.
quire sixty days notice of any change in
rates before they shall become effective.
An additional amendment recommend
ed by the National Board of Trade, at
its annual session in Washington, gives
the railroad companies authority to
maintain associations for the purpose or
agreeing upon uniform rates not in cons
f1ict with the "anti-pooling" clause or
the present law
The bill Is still under consideration by
the interstate commerce committee of the
senate. A hearing was held in Washing
ton Immediately after the session of the
National Board of Trade, at which rep,
resentatives of various commercial or
ganizations throughout the country ap.
peared and earnestly urged the adoption
of the proposed amendments. 1t Is ex-
pected that the bill will be reported to
the senate shortly, and its passage Is
looked for at this session. The general
impression seems to be that when IL
reaches the house 1t will also pass that
body.
The proposition for the appointment of
commission to study the commercial coll
ditions In China and Japan. embodied in
sundry bills now before congress, Is
along lines similar
to those a | T a iEdue
adopted by several in the orient.
of the active COM
mercial nations of Europe. The docu-
ment recently issued by the treasury
bureau of statistics, Commercial China
in 1852, shows that experiments made by
other nations in sending commissions &c
the Orient have been very satisfactory.
The British commission. or commercial
commission" as it was called. spent
part of the years 1886 and 1891 In China
alone. devoting eight months to trip
from Shanghai up the Yangtze river 10
the head of navigation, thence soutnWaru
to the head of the West river, by which
they returned to the seaboard, reaching
Canton and Hong Kong after eight
months travel and study, and giving 70
the British public very elaborate aua
extremely valuable report on the Wantss
consuming power, and general conoltlons
of the people Of Central and southern
china. their trip having carried them
through the most densely populated part
of that country. The French mission Was
absent from France nearly TWO Yeats
returning In October, 1887, after tlioi
oush investigation of agricultural, NOUS
tr;eI and commercial conditions. which Is
not to be made public, but recorded ioi
tho use of the several chambers OF COM
merce (which shared in the expeoilloh.
The French are somewhat wary OF the
notification of the report of TINS COIN
mission. since commission sent 10 Chiiia
in 1913 for the purpose OF olscoVeriis
means of extending French trace pun
lished an elaborate report which ID S"-o
to have become more prohtaple 10 Ene
land than to France. me Gerih1is'
.nrofitinp bv this example. nave also
nn,itted to give to the general public the
result of the work of their commercial
mission which returned to Germany III
1899 after fifteen months study OF emma
and other Eastern Asiatlc couitiivs.
This German commission was espeCian!
tboroueh In It's work, collecting large
numbers of samples of the goods reauiiou
and used by the people of the countries
which they visited. and creating lroni
them an exhibit which is only open GO
ttose narsons actually interested In the
trades concerned and to members u
chaYnbers of commerce and certain Of
f1cials. no other persons being admitteo,
while comics of the report are only pun
lished for private circulation. Inc Nofo
Deutsche Zeitung Of April ~, loSs. STATES
that the exhibit includes over oo'oVv sai,-
Mos which show that the coliectlon Is
the result of close study OF coinpe.ene
men who thoroughly UNDERSTAND 49, 10
work and that the exnioils Div"
Whit european and American goods are
synorted 10 Eastern Asia, and second
what goods can be purchased there.
The pending measures as introduced
provide only that the commission snan
visit China and Japan, whose imports
form but about one-third OF those OF tne
Or,ent whose trade the United states
NAV be expected to command AMERICAN
n,oaucfs are finding a rapidly enlarging
Ioarket in all of the countries OF the
East. and especially in Asiatic Eussm'
Manchuria Korea. Siam. and Austraua'
while the enormous market offered by .he
British and Dutch East indies Is aiso
worthy of attention -, tho
The Following table, prepared by the
treasury bureau of statistics from the
latest available data. shows the value OF
me imports and exports of the territory
in question ard the share OF the United
States therein: