The San Francisco call., 1901-12-22


What the products of the manufactures
Of California will be for ships to carry
is large problem. The two significant
developments that are now concerning
manufacturing in this State are the dis
covery Of unlimited quantities of fuel oil
In the San Joaquin Valley and at other
points in the State, and the application
OF the water power OF the mountain
streams in the Sierras to the production
OF electrical energy for the turning Of
wheels.
three and one-half barrels of California
! crude petroleum the steam producing ca
paClty Is equal to one ton OF coal. Al
lowing that oil shall reach ultimately 81
per barrel, although it is now sold at one
fourth of that price at the wells in Kern
County, 1t will be seen by shippers that
the problem Of cheap fuel, which has
been one of the great drawbacks to this
state has been practically abolished.
With the tendency that San Francisco
has latterly shown to reach for markets
on ner own account. and anticipating the
demand that may be created, 1t Is not
going far from soberness of calculation,
when the great capacity Of the freight
carrying vessels is considered together
with the cheapness of their operation,
to anticipate that raw materials which
are now lacking in this locality may yet
be laid down as cheaplv here as they are
elsewhere, and, now that the fuel prob
lem is solved. that they can be made up
on terms to compete with other sections
freights for ships to carry that Will be
of character that is new for this port.
Mineral discoveries are in their infancy.
Copper is throughout large part of Cal
1fornia. Dredging for gold and the inn
proved processes Of quartz mining insure
a vast growth in the output of precious
mineral. The Alaskan mineral field is in
| its infancy. Turn to whatever direction
one may, there is a rosy horizon for the
shipping Of this port.
The Oriental Prospects.
The Chamber Of Commerce of San Fran
cisco, taking a lively interest in the eX-
tension of the shipping and commercial
liam M. Bunker. who was about to travel
through Russia, to represent the Chamber
of Commerce abroad and to gather all
the information he could that would be of
value to the commercial community of
San Francisco. His report has been pub
lished in part in connection with the news
paper accounts of the doings of the cham
ber.
Dealing largely with Russia and China,
with which countries this port will have
vast trade. some extracts from Com
missioner Bunker'S report will be found
to be of general interest in this particular
connection:
american exports to Asia" says Com
missioner Bunker. grew from S27, 421,893
in 1893 to SIS, ,235 .176 in 1899 Hence our
consuming interest in Asiatic affairs. Eu
rope looks askance as the United states
decreases the Asiatic demand for Euro
pean goods. The fercest struggle is in
Northern China and the Russian Asiatic
region. The foreign trade of China ap-
proximated 1890, 900 900 in 1899. an advance
of $44 900 900 the total of 1898 and double
that of 1880. Sixty-three per cent of the
trade Of China is with the British; japan
has II per cent, the United States 10 per
cent and Russia 3 per cent The balance
is with France, Germany and other coun-
tries. The United States and Germany
are gaining Chinese trade at the expense
of Great Britain. The latter has lost its
coarse sheeting business with China
through American enterprise. Great Brit
I
that 81 per cent of the tonnage entering
Chinese ports in 1899 flew the British flag"
Commissioner Bunker Travelled over. the
Siberian-Russian line of railway. He was
satisfied that the operation for some years
of a line from IrkUtsk westerly had not
benefited European countries outside Of
Russia.
1T has increased the population Of sibe-
| ria he says, but has not, and. in my opin-
ion; after close and careful study Of the
burg will not, give the European countries
outside of Russia much wider Siberian mar
Russia to Russian Oriental ports over the
Trans Siberian Railroad will cover not less
Odessa to vIadivostok is forty-six to forty
seven days, and the cheaper freightage is by
The Russion volunteer fleet Of steamers on
the Odessa-Vladlvostok ard Port Arthur @ line
ton vessels Belonging to the Eastern Asiatic
Steamship Company of Copenhagen. The rail-
road will strengthen Russia in the Orient.
furnish the Pacific States Of America with
an enduring market for food, products and
machinery, and will influence travel between
Euroupe, China and Japan"
Commissioners Opinion.
After quoting statistics to some extent
| to prove his position to be the correct one
concerning the question which so largely
concerns the commercial interests of San
Francisco, Commissioner Bunker presents
general conclusions, which are given in
| part as below:
1t is the fixed policy of the Russian Gov
| ernment to develop as fast as may be possible
the present and prospective territory termed
| Eastern Siberia. The necessity for this devel-
| opment is even greater than when the railroad
planned. To colonize and civiIfze the vast
region which has Port Arthur for it's southern
/ most seaport, Russia is making superhuman
! efforts and many sacrifices. These figures tell
| part of the story: The total trade of Euro
pean Russia for 1899 was $685.. .44G OOO, being a
] decrease of 4e,0s5,000 or 6.3 Per cent from
| that of 1S9S The trade of Asatic Russia
came to SIS. S90.0 COO, an increase Of So, 100 900
over that of 1888, bringing the total decrease
| of the foreign trade of the empire for 1899
down to $33 9o5, 600. This was the first year
for a considerable period to show balance
! the increase of the Russian-Asiatic trade in
| the face Of a marked decline in the total for
| eign trade Of the empire.
| Now that the Russians have through the
| Chinese Eastern Railway secured the CONNER
! cial control of Manchuria, we have to accept
! that Chinese province as prime factor in
the Russian-Asiatic trade problem. Because
more temperate in climate than the region
north of the Amur River, and richer in coal
and iron and presumably richer in gold and
ria will finally prove trade bonanza The
| trade advantages are and should stay with US
| Our commercial revival and future are top
| les of talk in all the chief cities abroad For
| latlng on our ability to take at it's flood our
| tide of prosperity. They have seen us turn
out the record warship Of the world, from one