The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-25
AMERICAN FLOUR In CHINA.
4 Demand for Better and More Di-
ver~Ified Food Expected.

Ver~IGed Food Expected
IN the course of report to the State
Department. from Chungking on American
-four in China. Consul Henry B. Miller
says:
a careful observation of the Chinese
method Of living their system Of prepara-
Ion Of food, and habits of consumption
shows concIusively that -four is especially
well adapted thereto. and that whenever
it can be brought within their purchasing
power it Is sure of permanent and in
creasing use. It's use in Sc many different
ways makes it especially desirable. With
the development of China viii come i'm
proved conditions OF the Chinese and de-
mand for better and more diversified food
Progress IN China means a wonderful in
crease in the consumption of wheat flour
In all the Chinese cities. very large
percentage Of the population lives in
sort Of hand-to mouth fashion, buying
food from restaurants Hot water is sold
from stands by people who make a bust
ness of providing it The great necessity
for economy in fuel seems to be the pri-
mary cause of this mode of living. Res
tauTants are the great consumers of for
eign AOur- Throughout central and SOUTH
ern China very little baked bread Is used,
and the -four is consumed in the form of
dough. yermtceui or dumpIings filed with
chopped meat or meat and vegetables or
fruit
The flour is made into dough and work
ed into a leathery form by a man operat-
ing a bamboo fastened at one end. The
worker sits on the ether end of the bam-
hon and and tho
til it is quite tough; it is then pressed
into thin sheets and cut into strings, boil
ed. and thus eaten, or made into dump
lings and then steamed and eaten. In
nearly every case it is eaten while hot
This foreign flour is also used quite ex-
tensively in cakes and Chinese confec-
tions Of various kinds.
In a great many of these restaurants
the native flour made from native wheat
is used for the inside of the dumping and
dough bread and the finer and whittier -four
is used as a covering. The Chinese appe-
tite seems to demand boiled or steamed
food rather than baked; hence, very little
foreign -four is baked into bread for Chi
nese consumption"
Considerable space is devoted to an ac-
count Of the establishment and operation
OF -four mill by a Milwaukee concern at
Shanghai In this connection Consul Mil
| Ter says
1uGIt are Two CHluESt EudI dtICL LktS
that are seriously detrimental to the sue
cessfuI mana cement Of large Industrial in
situations exclusively by Chinese The
first and most important is the family or
clan social and Industrial system Of China.
Every Chinese manager of any institu-
ton employing labor must provide en-
ployment for his father uncle. grand
father. innumerable cousins, and entire
clan relationship. These people do not
work. are not expected to work, but are
pensioners, and their great number makes
a burden so heavy that the enterprise be
comes Improbable This has been the
cause of many institutions of a foreign
character under exclusively Chinese man
agement being failures, and is largely ac-
countable for the extra cost Of products
Of all factories, arsenals, etc, operated by
the Chinese authorities.
There is no country where so many an
necessary people are clustered about in
dustTiaI works. drawing pay and giving
no economic value in return. as in China
The main thought in Chinese economy
seems to be 70 md a place for a man 10
get wages, however small, regardless Of
whether he earns it or not The idea that
a man should be employed on the basis of
his earning power and capacity is IN
known
THE other Characteristic is lack Of or
ganizing and directing power of the Chi
nese mind applied TO industry There is
the most complete liberty and democracy
of management of ali Industrial affairs on
the part of the Chinese, with no organized
systematic direction
In moving heavy weights, there is no
oyerseer. no manager. but each coolie has
a say, and a stranger passing along can
give direction without creating offence.
Their entire Industrial life has been so
completely confined to hand labor and sin
gle-h handed effort that the organizing and
! directing powers Of the mind have not
been brought into action
These two characteristics make il alb
soiutely essential that foreigners must
inaugurate, develop, and direct for q ICng
/ time 70 come the modern industrial af-
( fairs Of China. even when resting upon
/ Chinese capital The purely commercial
/ side of the growing industries Of China
! Will be handled better by the Chinese
I themselves. The mechanical, the econ
oInic the distinctly industrial part of all
( progressive movements in China must be
under the direction of foreigners
! In conclusion, the Consul says:
THE consumption Of -four in China,
| then, that is growing so fast, indicates
/ Il good future market for American -four
| and Touring mill amchinery, as well as
/ employment for skilled Americans in the
| construction and operation of -four mills.
| THE conservative character Of the peo-
| pie Of China when il comes 10 a change
/ in methods of industry is so well estab-
! lisbed that it seems perfectly safe to
/ predict that the demand for flour for
many years TO come viii be far ahead of
| the local production The ability of the
/ United States TO place -four cneapIy in all
| the great coast cities gives assurances
/ Of an extensive and permanent trade be
| tween our country and the Orient.