The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-17
A RETURNED
HONOL ULAN
What TT. Dredge
Says Of Oriental
Business.
ALL FEARFUL OF
A GREAT WAR
Little Trade Doing in Far Eastern
Cities-Japan Suffering for
Lack of Money.

..All over the East the tension is
strong, and the people are united in
believing that war is yet to come,
said Mr. Theodore F. Dredge yester-
day, when commenting upon some of
the features noted during his recent
trip to Japan and China. Especially
is this true in Hongkong, where there
is little business being done. OF
course the presence of the plague kill
ed Hongkong business for this year,
but the merchants are not laying in
any stocks, for they fear that there
will be no solid future to China's
prosperity For instance, one mer-
chant said to me that he would not
buy much; only little things which
are quickly turned into money, as there
would be no chance to get rid of a big
stock in case there would be trouble.
He went on that there was no gen
eral belief that the Emperor would re-
turn to Picking, and again I was told
that the majority of the Chinese men
of business were of opinion that the
present situation could not be clari-
fled without a war between England
and Russia This is so true that in
every line the only business being done
is just what is necessary to keep doors
open, and the trade from languishing
! entirely. No one hopes for speedy re-
covery, and what the outcome will be
is Still a mystery to all.
Tn +ba north therea moro bllSi-
ness, and Shanghai will be the better
| business city of the two ports very
soon All kinds of business is good
| in Shanghai, as the Quitting for the
north, and the supplies for the new
J peoples. the garrisons, and so on, must
be drawn from that city On every
! hand there you see the same energy
which made the city of the south a
great port There are many more for
eigners there now than We're there be
fore. and they seem to be out fol
business.
I'm Japan there is less business thar
ever The country seems to be suf-
! fering for money. l was told that the
entire amount of the indemnity which
was gathered from China after the wal
of a few years ago, has been expend-
ed From another source I learned
that the most of this money was spent
| in the building up of an army. How
ever, the only thing which is beine
pushed in Japan today is the great ar
senal. There the people work all day
and all night, and the activity is ST
markedly in contrast with other work:
that it is noticed by every one whe
locks into the matter at all For in.
stance, the people there seem to be
convinced from the activity of the ar
senals that there must be some war il
view, to account for the activity of tn,
war Office
1T is believed that all the none,
which was secured from China as al
indemnity has gone into the army, ant
lit has been made ready for a contest
There appears to have been very littie
of it spent in what we know as public
| works. OF course, the Mitsui family
which has as much money as the Roth
schilds. is mixed up in the promotion
and construction of street railways anG
| steam roads, and all kinds of enter
prises, but these are all private, and
there has been no comprehensive sys-
Item of public improvements as we I'm.
4 derstand the term