The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-15
WAITING ON Mr.. ROCKHILL
The State Department Anxious TO
Hear From the Protocol.
Necessary That Its Text BE known
Before Steps Can lie Taken Look
iHS 10 Securing Satisfactory Trade
Relations with Chinese Empire.

4
! iHS 10 Securing satisfactory Trade
Relations with Chinese Empire.
The unexpected statement was made at
! tho State Department today 70 the effect
/ that the Peace Commissioners at PekIn
have not definitely determined that there
| shan ho am International board To meet
| at Shanghai To carry out the details Of
! forming a now customs tariff for China.
| The State Department is anxious 20 hear
| from Mr.. Rockhiu as to when the proto-
co! VIII De signed SO that steps can De
| Immediately taken to secure satisfactory
| trade relations with China
| While Secretary Hay has been informed
of the principle agreed upon in the pro
| tocoI. it is very necessary that ITS text
/ be secured before much progress can be
made ON the subject Of commercial re
| lations- The latest adyices from Mr..
/ RuCkhiH show that the protocol leaves TO
4 the Powers themselves the work Of franz
| ing Chinese tariff on the basis OF spe-
/ cine duties 1t does not say, however.
/ that this shall be- done by an International
! board al Shanghai OF whether the Powers
viii arrange the tariff through their min
! listers in PeIin. In any event the United
states Will have a customs expert IN chi
/ ma to assist IN the formation OF the Gus
| toms schedule
! Secretary Hay has already consulted
/ Secretary Gage on this subject and il is
/ practically settled that Customs Expert
! Shanetts shall so TO China either as a
] member Of an International board or to
| advise and assist Mr. Conger who will
/ relieve Mr. RockhHl as soon as he reaches
! Pekln. Mr.. Rockhiu VIII then return TO
/ the United States.
] Another subject TO be- taken up by Sec
| retary Hay is that Of commercial treat
/ les with China. Whether or not Il will
/ be necessary 10 make new treaties with
/ China cannot now be determined because
| Of the absence Of detailed information in
! regard 20 the protocol. Il is. OF course.
/ positively known that the open door is
I guaranteed and that the protocol assures
the free entry into China Of rice. Hour.
and cereals. Secretary Hay will. there
fore. take mp the subject Of commercial
/ treaties just as soon as the department
! receives a copy Of the protocol
/ The first step after the protocol is sign
/ cd viii be 10 consult with the other Pow
eTs with a view to securing an agreement
. in regard To a plan for arranging the de
tails not determined in the protocol and
. II is this step that the State Department
/ is prepared TO take just as soon as il is
! known that the document is signed
Minister Wa called at the State Depart
ment this morning and had a long talk
with Secretary Hay ia regard 10 future
/ relations with China. He also enquired
whether the department had heard when
the protocol IS 10 be signed He said he
had no news from China and explained
that his Government was desirous Of hav-
ing the protocol signed as soon as posi-
ble. In connection with the subject q
/ commercial relations, a report from Mr.
! SQuiers. Secretary Of the Legation at Pc
kin, made public today AT the State De
. paTtment gives interesting statistics as 10
/ Chinese trade in 1901. Mr.. Squiers says
In the first quarter Of 1900 the Boxer
/ movement was gathering strength for the
storm which soon followed, but the for
! eign trade Of China had not as yet been
/ seriously iuterfered with by the troubles
| in the north.
THE returns for The first quarter Of
! 1900 show an increase Of about ST717CO over
the first quarter OF 1893; but notwithstaud-
I ing the country was stilI suffering from
! the bad effects Of the war, the revenue
| collected during the first quarter Of 1901
is only q million less than 1900 and a
trihe more than for the same quarter Of
lSg9
/ out OF twenty-eisht treaty ports eight
cen show an increase over last year. The
ports which report q falling on are Shaug-
hai, TientsiD, Haukau. Kiukiang Wuhu
/ Haugch1W, WenChOW. Fuchau. Annoy
Swatow. and KiunEchow- The total for
1901 Cthe JaEuary-March quarter was g.
362.5ql in 1860, s. 3Sss 100 and in 1899. S. l20-
SO.
While the general Increase in trade has
not been as great as might be- expected
/ American cotton interests have especially
suffered, as is shown by the following fig
uros: Drills, IN 1901. 1919 pieces IN 1890
@66.m pieces; in 1899. f2og66 pieces. sheet
ings, in 1871. 796 pieces, Ia 1890 S2I.2a2
pieces; in 1890. Llo2sl5 pieces.
American kerosene oil has made a
better record. and, as compared with Rus
sian, shows large gains Kerosene ou-
American. 1871, 57Oa.15o gallons; 1860 g.
81 30 gallons. 1893 a.aZS7 75S gallons Rus
sian. 1901. 2t-g.550 gallons; 1850. 1883 .73G
gallons; 1893, 3.o1fg20 gallons
| unfortunately. il as impossible to trace
| i'm these customs returns an goods Of
American origin. and. excepting I'm a gen
eraI way ii is difficult to ascertain TO
/ what extent our trade has decreased dur
ing the recent troubles. I have been i'm
/ formed by one Of the largest importers
I Of American goods at Shanghai that the
/ Chinese merchants there have recently
given large orders for American goods,
Z especially cotton. and ] have no doubt
but that as soon as the negotiations are
/ concluded trade viii De- given fresh
impetus. and i'm "a short time make up for