The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-14
AMERICAS TRADE WITH CHINA.
Cotton Goods alone Show Decrease
for tie Year 1900.

for TIE Year 1900
John Gooduow. the American Consul
General at Shanghai in an exhaustive re
port to the State Department concerning
the trade between the United States ana
China says:
Aside from Gotten goods. I am of the
opinion that more merchandise was i'm
ported into China from the United States
in 1900 than in 1899, in spite Of the general
decrease of trade. 1t is impossible to give
exact figures on this subject as the publ
cations of the Imperial Maritime Gus
toms. so far as regards trade Of the
United States with China, are misleading
The customs credit the trade to the coun-
try from which and to which the carrying
ship clears, without taking any note OF
the country in which the goods original
cd or for which they are destined. Al!
goods shipped by Canadian Pacific steam
! ers are credited to British America:
goods shipped via Hongkong are credited
| 10 Ho1gkong: goods shipped via London
are credited to Great Britain; the large
/ shipments from the Pacific Coast via Jap
| aucsc lines are credited to Japan The
| amount of American trade, particularly,
/ is minimizcd by this method
! The customs value the imports from
/ the United States in 1900 at S12. 81, 569- 10
/ This total is at least $6.G00.000 too little.
| In the table of imports the amounts Of
! cotton goods and kerosene are as given
/ hv the customs returns under the name
| of American The amounts Of -four ana
| timber also are as given in the customs
| returns. as all of those articles are known
I 30 be from America The amounts OF the
| other articles enumerated are approx
/ mate. and are estimated by me after con
SuItatiOn with the importers of the Va
| rious items
| Imports from the United States IN 1909
were as follows:
Drills, 81, IS, 500; jeans. $27S,6SS; sheet
ings, $4.eeJIg1: kerosene, S4,72S. 2SS; flour.
8. 40. a0I; timber. $40. 925; cigars and Gig
| arettes, S675.000; wearing apparel, $1,000;
| raw cotton, $250,000; machinery, $35I 500;
| household stores, S375, 90: beer, wine, etc,
S157 800; iron, $1S7,5pg; lead, $4,000; leather
S1l2,5O0; clocks and watches, 5000; sun
dries. S1,500,0t0; total, S1S.542.352-
I am confirmed in ny belief that the
above figures are correct. from the fact
that they agree with former statements
of the statistical authorities of the Gus
toms. that their tables credited America
with only about two-thirds Of her import
| trade. Ny figures are also confirmed by
| the United States statistics of exports
Ey these corrected figures, the United
Z
| amount Of goods sold to the Chinese
The customs value the exports from
| China TO the United States in 1910 at ST.
| o65, % y. These figures are farther from
the truth than are those in regard to our
! imports
According to the figures given the
United States buys more goods from
China than does any other nation. and her
total trade with China, imports and ex-
ports, equals that of Great Britain mot
including colonies) and IS far ahead OF
that Of any other country
1t was a matter Of common knowledge
a year ago that the trade OF the United
States was increasing faster than that OF
any other country; but ! am satisfied that
at the present time German trade is in
= creasing faster proporueuately (aot ahso-
lutsIyb than is ours. The reasons for this
q are patent TO the ordinary observer Ger
] many IS sending out her own citizens L
q handle her goods; the Germans here wors
intensely and have long business hours
e d5voting little or no time to relaxation
- and amusement that can be utilized II {
| business way. They help and trade witt
one another. Germany furnishes any
:. J thing and everything. SO far as she car
manufacture or buy it. that the trade de
o rnands. and supplies goods III the way re
q quired-
Y The difficulty of obtaining room fol
g freight from the United States to China
did not decrease during the year No new
. / lines were established, and the existing
| ones did not increase their facilities i
is gratifying TO know that new and large
?. steamers are being added TO the SaI
: Francisco lines; that a new line Is beins
established from Portland, and also a linz
from Seattle. These new vessels VIII com'
Tpr
: l,sI.
in 1900. I3.7g7 vessels entered at anS
| cleared from Chinese ports III the Iorelgi
b trade. Of this number, IA were under TN
American flag Our trade with China rep
resented i per cent of her total forelgI
= commerce; we furnished only l per cen
IN connection with this matter, wouI,
= call attention to the fact that all steaHe
. lines engaged in this trade, except tn
- steamers owned by Americans, are suDsi
died in some form by their TesDecIiF'
n Governments
The Consul saws that there was mark
cd decrease in the import of America
n cotton goods to China in 1850. as cOmpdr
20 ed with 1885. The figures for the tWt
- years were. 1899 51ZS,"l2 pieces IN lS9l
3.255,152 pieces decrease IN lyo1 z.4'-,'''
n pieces There was also decrease O.
e $50 5T pieces of drills, jeans, and sheet
" iugs imported from all countries by Chi
8 na in 1900. as compared with the humble
- of pieces imported during the previous
year. Speaking Of this situation Nj Good
~ | now - vs.
4 1T viii be seen that almost the cutir
| decrease in this line Of goods was Amen
l. / can This is accounted for by the FAC
- that the disturbed region was largely sup
piled with cotton goods from America
| The recovery Of this trade must be SLOW
n ! IS thc dealers are scattered ana IN
n Mort hern provinces Impoverished
Flour however. was imported IN slight
= J " larger quantities. rs follows. ltH
: 3 81, 80, 1879, $2,s2o, 22sl; increase Sio5r
f V' ,.-rI,,,+ -Fora v,as no decrease must b
Accounted for by the presence Of the for
sigD armies and the larger number of for
eiE1 u-eu-Of-WaT in Chird during part o
~ the year.
= Cigars and cigarettes were imported
! increased quantities. as follows l5Jo- sos,
It T3q 10 1899 SG35 81 10; Increase $l23.4lS-J6.
s Not only does the presence Of the Tor
- eign forces cause 4 new demand for man
- Ufactylred tobacco. but the American pro
a ducers and manufacturers are also push
4 ing the sale OF their goods here throug
American agents who are devoting thel
n whole time and energy to this business
a and are advertising their wares among IN
! Chinese in the Chinese language. IN way
! | they have found, By careful study, ar
n / best calculated TO attract the faVOFabl
80 attention Of the masses of the people
The result Of these proper business meth
5 DDS is that the imports of American man
f ufactured tobacco are today double VIVA
they were two years ago
y The total cessation of building opera
k ] tons in the north during the diSturbc
+ months caused marked decrease IN tn
! amount Of timber imported all Of whic
comes from the United States. Import
were 1899, 1855. $500; 1900, SIJ5, 925-2J; dc
! -