Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-12
The Trade with China.

China today offers the richest untitled
field in The world for the development of
trade. The millions of its inhabitants are
just emerging into the condition to require
heavy imporationS of western manufac
lures to supply their expanding wants.
There is no possible estimate of the limit
to which this trade will run before it is
checked by the establishment in China of
the means 10 provide for the domestic
needs. All the manufacturing nations on
the earth are in an eager rush for the
largest possible share in the commerce
which has such bright future and the
United States stands now in position to
secure and hold d very large if not the
largest part of the trade There is printed
today in the news columns an article Civ
ing the statistics of foreign commerce with
China. showing clearly the growth of the
American supply taken by the empire. In
1868 the United States had only lii per
cent of all the import trade of China. In
1878 this percentage had increased to sos
Ten years later it fell to 2.4s per cent, and
in 1898 it mounted to $40. This jump in
the past ten years indicates what hold
the American manufactures have now Sc
cured upon the Chinese market. With Or
binary diligence and close study of the
the american percent
age ought to be doubled or even trebled in
the following decade, fer there Is nothing
China wants AMI is sure to want in the
future that cannot be made in these states
and placed in China more reasonably than
similar goods from ether countries. With
the Nicaragua canal in service this ad-
vantage will be even further increased. The
Chinese are economical people and will for
a long time bIIv the cheapact M rlxa
with less regard for quality than for cost
But there is TO reason why they should
not find American goods desirable both as
regards quality and cost. The prime ne
cessity at present is for the manufa cturers
TO study the celestial wishes and to con-
form their goods to the Chinese conditions
and prejudices. In the formative days of
trade with such a country many conces-
sions must he made to peculiSritics due to
centuries of isolation. The Chinese will
learn somewhat slowly 10 require articles
of western make. They will unlearn slug
gishly their old ways of life But the
change is sure to come. Nothing can with
stand the civiiZing influence of the rail-
read and the contact which that great
agency causes with the peoples of all chimes
and degrees of culture. New needs are
born thus ard when once the crust of con-
servatism is broken it is comparatively easy
To persuade the Chinaman that he will be
happier and more comfortable with articles
of household equipment or building or dress
offered to him by foreign producers
than with those of domestic manufacture.
When once the market is secured the strug-
gle will be TO hold it against the natural
inclination of the Chinaman to initiate pro-
oesses. But it Will be chiefly through west
err enterprise that factories will ever be
set up IN that great realm, to supply dones-
tic demands, and in these advances Ameri-
cans are likely to be foremost as an
other nationality In this great project of
opening and holding the Chinese trade
which invites dilgent efforts and the mos,
careful study. the possession of the Phil
ippines trade base will be valuable
adjunct