Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
OUR CHINESE TRADE
Popularity of American
Goods.
INCREASED SHIPMENTS
GREATEST GAIN SHOWN IN COT
TONS AND FLOUR.
INCREASED SHIPMENTS
Some Anxiety Caused on the Part Of
European Manufacturers-AG Great
Market Hardly Touched.

The growth OF American trade with China
and the increasing popularity of American
goods in that country are shown by two
official statements which have just reached
the treasury bureau OF statistics. One of
these is the report OF the foreign commerce
Of China, in the year 1901, by customs dis
tricts, which contains the detailed reports
of the customs officials Of each district. as
we'll as a standardization of the total COM
merce of the year; while the other consists
Of some extracts from the report of the
British commercial attache In China, Mr..
]. w. Jameson. The general report on the
commerce of China for the year 1901 shows
that the imports from the United States
have grown from 5.Os3. 1s2 haikwan taels in
1895 to @, 529, Cos in 1901: while those from
Great Britain grew from 339GOOeO taels in
1895 to Al Do, 53S taels in 1901, those from
Russia from 1.791.65S taels in 1885 to
3,015, 1856 taels in 1901 and those from the
continent of Europe, Russia excepted, from
1852 600 taels in 1895 to IL .O46, 453 taels in
1901 showing much more rapid gain pro-
portionately in imports from the United
States than from the united kingdom or
other countries of Europe.
Cotton Goods and Flour.
Cotton goods and -four are the items OF
importations from the United States which
show the greatest gain, and in cotton goods
especially the increasing popularity of the
American product seems to be causing
some anxiety on the part Of European man
ufacturers and representatives of European
manufacturing countries. Commercial At
tache Jameson, commenting upon this fact.
says that cotton manufacturers are find
ing it increasingly difficult to compete with
the United States, particularly in the
coarser grades of cottons." The American
manufa cturer, he says, enjoys advantages
in no of pan nj
port rates and improved machinery. In
gray goods the competition is especially
strong, while in other lines American goods
are at least holding their own. In cotton
yarns the United States has, up to this
time, made no effort to supply the demand.
Great Britain, Japan and India being the
chief competitors for that class Of mer-
chandise nearly all of the cotton yarn ex-
ported from India being sent to the mar
kets of China. The value OF cotton yarns
imported into China In 1901 was 4S,0O0.O00
haikwan taels, or about S35,0o0,O00.
In Northeast China.
Especially interesting is report from
TIE collector of customs at Newchwang,
located In the extreme northeast of China.
a section in which American goods are sup
posed to be especially popular and to
which large share of those entering China
via Shanghai, the most important port Of
entry, finally make their way. largely for
with foreign goods" says the report. I'VE
find that American drills almost held their
own In comparison with 1899, being SAC, 123
pieces. against 5S4,S77. OF American jeans
and sheetings, 52,4I3 and 979.o59 pieces
came in, against %, $50 and l, l01, SS5, pieces.
respectively, In 1899 The value of the
three articles during the year, including
the small, direct arrivals. was 5,65S.661
haikwan taels, or about SO per cent of the
total foreign importations into this port
The collector also calls attention to the
fact that the demand for cotton goods Is
still largely supplied by native cloths an
on in the cottage homes Of Manchuria.
Foreign yarns. he adds, are in general use
for this purpose, their popularity over ma
tive yarn being accounted for by their
greater smoothness, smaller liability to
breaking and greater cheapness.
Clothes for Natives.
Here, in fact" he says. tiles the great
competitor who has to be faced by the cot
ton manufacturers in America, Great Brit
ain and Japan. In the words of the Black
burn commission, there is form Of
competition which is very apt to be over
looked, or at least moderated, and from
which the conditions under which 1t Is car
ried on act as q greater deterrent to the
more general use of Lancashire cloths than
all outside competition put together. We
refer to the universal production of native
handmade goods. The sooner we drop the
fond Illusion that and other competing
countries clothe China's millions, and grasp
the fact that as regards the trade In for
eign piece goods every province in the
country is an undeveloped market, the more
hope we shall have for the future of our
trade in the far east. The fact Is. we do not
clothe China's Millions they ciothe them
selves. the purchasing power of the indf-
vidual deciding whether he does or does not
wear garments made from foreign cot
TONS