Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-25
IMPORTERS OF OUR GOODS
THE POINTS OF GREATEST DANGER
IN CHINA.
Tien Tsin the Most Important City in
the Northern Part of the
Empire.


the Northern Part of the
| Empire.
| Tien Tsin. Newchwang and Chefoo. which
| are mentioned the points of greatest ac-
| tivity and danger, aside from Pekin, the
| capital. in the present troubles in China, are
| especially important in relation to Amer
| lean trade in that country. They are in the
northern part of the country, and 1t is in
| them that American goods seem to be in the
greatest favor. The growth of our trade In
! that section Is described somewhat In detail
| by a recent publication of the treasury bu-
| reau of statistics. which descibes Ten Tsin
l as the most important city of northern
| China being located at the head of the Gulf
| Of Pechili. and but eighty miles from the
| capital. Pekin. with which it Is connected
| by water and by a railway line.
Another completed railway line runs
enthusiastically to Shanhai-kwan. and
an elaborate railway system is projected
southwark from this point through the pop
ulous provinces Of ShantunS and kiangsu
| to connect Tien Tsin with Shanghai. In adj
! dition to these the Grand canal, the most
| important of the great artificial waterways
of China. has for centuries connected Tien
| Tsin in the Yangtse-Kiang and Shanghai
| Its population is in round numbers 1.0oO-
coo, and its imports, which in 1888 were less
| than G1OO0.OO haikwan taels, were In 1897
| more than 53.0Oo.O00 haikwan taels. having
| thus nearly doubled during the decade.
The commissioner of customs. Mr.. Alfred
| Hippisley. writing in 1898 of the 1897 trade,
calls attention to the importance OF Amer
lean trade at that port, and adds that 1t is
| the only trade which increased in 1893 over
| that of 1897. saying that American drills.
American sheetings and American kerosene
had especially increased In imports during
! the year. while the cotton goods from other
countries were showing decrease. An
other interesting fact to which he calls at
| tention Is the new railway line recently
| built to connect T!en Tsin with Pekin is al
ready proving extremely popular with the
| Chinese. On this subject he says: ct is
astonishing how speedily Chinese despite
| their reputed conservatism, adapt them
selves to a new environment and make the
most of increased transport facilities Of
| fered them. Already Pekin fruit Is sent d.
rect to Taku for shipment south. and Pekin
| is similarly supplied with southern fruit.
and traffic generally developed so rapidly
| that 1t soon became necessary to double the
line"
Commercial Importance of Tfen Tsin.
Consul Reade Of the United States says
| that Tien Tsin ranks in commercial impor-
| lance next to Shanghai and Canton. and in
| a report to the State Department says:
''Tien Tsin by its geographical position. is
| the point of accumulation and distribution
of all merchandise destined for the United
States or intended for consumption in the
northern provinces of China. Direct ship
| ments from the United States to Tien Tsin
are impracticable, it being in all cases more
advantageous to ship to Shanghai or Hong
Kong and then transship to the steamers
| Of light draft that ply between those ports
and Tien Tsin.''
Commerce of ChefOO.
Chefoo is considered an extremely i'm
I portant treaty port by reason of the con-
slant and growing demand for American
goods at that point. 1t is located on the
Gulf of Pechili comparatively near to
Tien Tsin, but nearer to the British port
Wei Hal Wei and it's Importance to Amer-
| can interests is pictured by Consul Fowler
| in a report to the State Department, in
| which he says: 1T is satisfactory to see
| that during the six months under review
the following American goods show gain
| over the same period of 1895: Drills. ,214
pieces; sheetings, Ill ,040 pieces kerosene
| Oil, 1920 gallons. 1t Is worthy of note
| that of the thirty-six classes of foreign
merchandise showing a gain in the table
Of imports twenty-seven are imported from
gold-standard countries and only nine from
| Asia or slver-standard countries: this in
| spite of the enhanced values due to the
! tremendous fall in silver. OF the twenty
| two classes Of foreign merchandise that
| show decline eight are imports from gold
standard countries and fourteen from silver
standard countries.
Importance of Newchwang.
| city of but 10000 population, is Of especial
| importance to the United States treaty
port. 1t is located at the extreme north of
| the Gulf Of Pwchili considerably farther
north than Tten Tsin, and is Of especial
| Importance to the United States because Of
| the demand for goods from this country in
| that section. American cottons. oils and
American manufactures generally are in
great demand in the province of Shingking,
of which Newchwang Is the treaty port and
most important city, and goods reach the
interior by the Muren river, which is navi-
gable nearly to the northern border Of the
province. The proposed Russian railway
| line, which Is projected through Manchuria
and the province of Shingking to Port Ar
thur, passes near Newchwang, and Is TO be
connected by a short line. Another-a Brit
| ish line-will connect Newchwang with
| Shanhaikwan. which Is already in railway
connection with Pekin The demand for
| American goods at this treaty port and the
| country adjacent to it Is shown by the
| following extract from the report Of Walter
Lay, commissioner of customs at that
point, written in 1893:
1.-THE rapidity with which English drills
have been disappearing may be seen by
noting that the Importation only four years
| ago amounted to $4,000 pieces, while dur
| ing the period under review only 5000
pieces arrived The predominant position
/ secured by American drills and sheetings Is
| now one of sheer supremacy. The value of
these two items aggregates 3123,0O0 haik-
wan taels-that is, not far short of half
the gross value of all foreign arrivals
coastwfse. Cotton yarn did not recede from
the advanced position assumed in the pre-
vious year, for the falling off of the Indian
yarn was neutralized by the increase in
Japanese yarn. The inelastic character Of
| the trade in wooden goods continues. The
most striking feature in the category of
| sundries is the overwhelming importation
Of kerosene oil. in which trade the supre
| macy of American brands is exceedingly
pronounced. for the large importation o;
| 900 gallons In 1896 has been eclipsed by
| the 2.O41 900 gallons to the credit of the
period under review. The net value of the
imports which is practically the same as