Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-02-01
CHINA AS WORLDS KlON DIX {
Wonderful Chances for Yankee Capital
in the Flowery Kingdom,

Nowhere else are the principles of soun1
h1nking better known and understood or
50 universally practccd, while the word
OF chinese merchant Is accepted the
world around. Tho Chinese were the frs:
to coin money, aud they have long since
solved the problem of bank-rote issues,
says Guy NJ Walker in 1.esies Week, y.
BUSINESS conditions are stable and values
settled. Their internal commerce is high
" developed, and all products that can
stand their slow methods of transporta-
ton are well distributed. Yet this, the
greatest country in the world, is without
any of the modern means of tranSporta-
ton and exchange. It's immense traffic
is still handled in the most primitive man
ner-strings of Camels that reach from the
city gate to the horizon carry the tons Of
coal for the peoples fuel PaCk-n.uleS
from the western provinces laden with
dried fruits. silks, ard rugs, return with
salt fish and sea weeds. Heavy carts
groan beneath casks of fragrant wines.
Tow-boats are dragged along the canals
and rivers by dozens Of strainng mon
Tho travelling merchant may make his
trip by cart, boat, or sedan chair. If the
weather Is mild, but If it be winter the
mule-ittcr will carry him over the rough
cr country, or he may skim along the
waterways on light sled propelled by
human arms and legs.
The great empire of China nUst be sup
ton, and that means the building of the
greatest sys'em of railroads the world has
yet sceA our country, with its popuia-
ton of S0000.000 supports 1Sd 600 miles of
railroad. or an average of twcnty-siX
miles of railroad for each 10000 of our pop
llation The same ratio applied to Chi
ma would call for over 100000 miles Of
railroad. 1t therefore requires no stretch
or the imagination TO see that China, with
her looOOo,OpO of people, can and will sup
rort 100000 miles Of railroad. 1t has taken
MS the best part of a hundred years to
bulld our present rail1 Dad system, and to-
day tn entire product of our iron and
steel mills Is sold for a year or two ahead
should We begin now to build for China
the railroads which she needs, and which
her trade ana population will support, it
means It market for the entire product Of
our iron and steel mills, our Car-Skops.
and our locomotive works for two hun
dred years to come. Nor is this all for
Chiua, like all old countries where large
iCDulatiOnS have existed for centuries. a
a trpcless country. Her forests have long
since disappeared. I he building of Ch.-
rcsc railroads, then, mop1s a market for
a. the ties, pilingS and bridge tiinbets
trlt our Gulf or Pacific coast states can
produce. To carry these iu.m nsc supple 4
fleets Will be needed on the Pacific WNerc
now single vessels ply, and under its i'm
retus our shp-huildIng interests Will
hOuiiSh and we shall regain the carrying
trade of the world.
over $4,000 0o09 dollars have been sp mt
in building our railroad system. and h.na
viii spend S25,OG00.0,oco in building hers.
The building OF ;his gigantic system 81
railroads by rights belongs to us. 1t be-
lnSS to us because we are the nearest.
40 other civilized nation can deliver the
material in China SO Cheaply as we can.
1t belongs to US because we have the best
in railroad supplies. 1t belongs to us be-
cause We can build 1t cheaper and deliver
the best stock faster than any other ma
ton on earth. 1t belongs to rs because
our engineers have had the largest and
best experience.
Ten years Of railroad building ought 10
bring at lrast ALI of Chln1's populat ton
within reach Of our cotton goods, and
that, WITHOUT any increa.o in the per cap-
tia use (only one d0llar of our cotton,
would amount to s20o.pl0 coo, or more than
the total surplus OF cotton now raised by
us for eXDOr; China lies largely in 4
zone of severe winters, and while It has
the creates, deposits Of coal, the Chimes
have never yet solved the problem Il
building heating stoves. The intrbdu Il Il
of cheap American heaters into $1,000 i0.
Chinese homes is one of the possbilitie-
which lie before our manufacturers.