The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-06-08
HBNE0N'S BIG TRADE
Peculiar Facts Concerning
the Chicago of China.
HAS IMMENSE TONNAGE
Is Six Hundred Miles in In
terror of Country.

washington, June 7-Hankow, the Chi
cago Of China, is the subject Of an elab-
orate discussion in a recent number of
the British Board of Trade Journal.
which presents certain facts that win
prove Of Importance to Americans inter
ested in the trade with China Hankow
is a city of over q million inhabitants,
situated about coo miles in the interior
of China but reached by ocean-going
steamers which pass up the great Yang
tie river to that point Located as it is
in the very heart Of the most productive
and densely populated section Of China,
it is one Of the most important trade
centers. The article in question says:
"Of the treaty ports on the Yangtze.
Hankow is second IN Importance, coming
only after Shanghai. which latter from
its position near the mouth, should be re-
garded more as a seaport than as river
port The total import trade Of the 50
treaty ports on the Yangtze has been as
follows: In 1897, rs, 0S0,51s haikwan
taels Of which the value Of 25,1So,2S en-
tered at Hankow; in 1898. 109. 44s, SOS taels
Of which 22s17,794 entered at Hankow;
and in 1883, 1z4,553 IA taels, of which 20
1866 taels entered at Hankow. The
total export trade of these eight ports
in the same years has been as follows:
In 1897. 106. 454. Sos taels of which the value
Of 24.54O.SS2 taeIs left China through Han
kow; in 1898, 102 ass, 3S2 taels of which 80,
$50 col taels IN value was exported from
Hankow. and in 1899, IA. $50, 355 taels, Of
which 81. 4s3, S95 taels value was exported
from Hankow. From the above it viii
be seen that as regards exports the trade
% Hankow is greater than that Of all the
other six ports OF the Yangtze exclusive
of Shanghai, whose export trade in 1893
amounted to 70,S22, 474 taels. The value
OF the haikwan taeI ranges between 20
cents and Is cents.
In 1893. 1929 vessels, with a total ton
mage of 1.976.O31 IONS enterai and cleared
at the port of Hankow, as against 1855
vessels with a total tonnage OF Ls22. $50
tons in 1898 OF the total tonnage enter
ed and cleared at Hankow. the tonnage
of British steamers amounted to 65.S per
cent in 1S9S and CD per cent in 1899. In
the report Of the deputy commissioner of
customs for 1888, It is stated with regard
to the increase Of Shipping at Hankow
IN that year as compared with 1898, that,
among the reasons for this increase, may
be noted the arrival of ocean steamers
with materials for the Hankow-Pekin
railway.
In the issue OF the Indian import and
export trades Journal for February last,
in an article on the commercial import
ance of Hankow. it is stated that Of all
the towns in the interior Of China this is
the one most likely to increase in COM
merciaI Importance witain the next de-
cade. Situated as It is on the Yangtze.
$50 miles from Shanghai il holds the i'm
portant position of being at the head Of
that portion OF the Yangtze which is nay
igable for vessels drawing up to 10 feet
all the year round. and for ocean-going
vessels drawing 80 feet during the food
seasons May to October) 1t is also at
the mouth Of the Han river q very i'm
portant trade route for Chinese junks,
and what is more important. the rail
ways from Pekin to the north, and Can
ton to the south. are to have their ter
mini at Hanlow Iieukow IS. from a
commercial point IF view. and from that
Of the foreigner the most important place
Of the three towns Wuchang. Hanyang
and Hankow-sitgated on the Yangtze,
close to each other but separated by
that river and the Han river It's chief
manufacture is brick tea The process, /
briefly described. is simply grinding the
dried tea to powder, cleaning it. and
COMPRISING it by hydraulic or steam
power into bricks of about half an inch
in thickness. and Z b inches width and
length. These bricks are almost all
exported to Russian territory. There are
also several works for the manufacture
of albumen from the white OF eggs. One
factory viii use as many as three mil
lion eggs month. The demand has
caused the Chinese to trade largely IN
eggs All the principal 'hongs' as the
foreign business houses are called. are in
British concession. with the exception of
two German ones in t-eir own concession
The Lu-FTan Railway viii, when complet-
cd, Join Hanzow with P6kin.