Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-03

d, ctors, who is now connected with til,
university at pckin, he told me he though
he could make a fortune if he cared to &,
about the country selling drugs. especially
if he had a lot of pictures labeled Before
and After Taking" adopted to the Chimes
WhccIbnrrOws nnL bicycles.
| am surprised that some American has
not thought of making whoclharrows for
the Chinese trade. The VIII elhalrow is the
farm wagon, the freight wagon and the pas
scnger train for the greater part of China
1t is used by the hundreds of thousands In
every Chinese state. You find 1t near the
Chinese wall and you have to step aside for
it in the crowded streets of Canton. You
meet long lines of wheelbarrows pushed by
men, carrying freight from town to town.
Wheclbarrows are the drays of every
Chinese city. The streets are too narrow
for carts and the same is true of most OF
the roads throughout the country. Thcr,
are 5000 licensed wheclbarrows in Shanghai
and almost every town has it's whcelbarrow
union, These barrows are all made by
hand. They are heavy and clumsy. They
cannot be oiled and they screech as they
move A far better wheelbarrow could b,
made by machinery and If sent in pieces
Knocked down, the freight would be com
paratively low.
am told a big demand might be create,
for cheap bicycles. There are American
bicycles used in nearly all the ports. but
they are very high priced. You find Chinese
now and then riding them They use ladies'
bicycles, because they are better adapted
to their stiff petticoats and full pantaloons
What should be sent here is a wheel thai
could be sold for $25. 1t should be strong
but need not have all the modern improve
mcnts such as pneumatic tires or an easy
saddle.
! know several Americans who expect 10
work the Chinese markets from the Philip-
pine islands They are going to buy M
some of the hardwood forests and SUNNY
lumber for the Chinese railroads and es.
pecially for Chinese undertakers One oi
the big markets for lumber in China is tb
collin market There is nothing for which
the people pay so much as for collins The,
often buy them long before death and keeI
them in their houses as paror ornaments
The collins are made very thick ana thos
manufactured from hard wood bring tn
highest prices, Today great part of tn,
coffin wood comes from Fu Chau, botwecI
here and Shanghai Large trees are needed
and lumber of this kind is scarce
The new railroads will create a great
demand for ties and bridge building ma
terials. II the mines are to be developed
they will have to be tlmbered and It viii
take forests to supply the wood needed
american Coitons.
Our cotton trade Is steadily increasing
We are now selling more cotton goods tC
north China than any other country anC
our consuls think there Is no reason why
we should not have the bulk of the fin,
Cottons which are sold by the English ant
Germans throughout the Yangtse valley an,
south China.
At present our trade is confined almost
to the north. Just before the war begar
we were selling more than half the cottor
goods imported at Ticn Tsin and there is
steady increase in the sale Of American
drills and sheotngs in Manchuria and other
parts Of north China. We are also selling
great deal OF cotton to COrea and the
possible extension OF the trade Is unlimit ed
What our big cotton factories need is tc
have men here studying the markets ant
to keep the factories at home posted or
just what the people want and how |,
should be packed
One OF the great troubles with the Ameri
can products shipped to China is In tn,
pa king. The steamers are now going fal
Into the Interior and the goods should b,
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