The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-13

A miller having occasion TO buy certain
small fittings and feeling that fifty dol
lars per dozen demanded by one OF the
firms here was excessive. sent to an Amer
lean agent in Singapore, and obtained from
him quotation at nine dollars and forty
cents per dozen Whether the local firm
would have sent 10 the Singapore agent or
10 Europe for the fittings. had it received
the order. II certainly would have paid no
more for them than the Singapore agent
asked. At that price there 20 per cent.
commission on the order. This example is
possibly not common, but firms that can
handle engineering or contract work In
this part OF the East have no occasion to
figure on only ordinary profits. There are
boats in these waters which got into the
hands OF engineering firms because charges
for repairs exceeded in the opinion of own
ers. the value Of the craft. and they sac
rificed the property rather than pay them.
A case row in hand, for engineering work
to be finished at a time fixed, at a charge
OF 5000. illustrates a practice by no means
rare. The contracting company sublet the
work TO Chinese for Sc 900. II has not been
finished at the time agreed, and the COM
pany disclaims responsibility for delay. on
the same ground that 1t will probably re-
fuse to make good any electromagnetic
outsiders undertook the job and demands
for compliance with terms OF contract must
be made upon them. The company will
pocket $500 on the contract without hav-
ing done stroke OF work. The captain
OF one of the coasting ships that comes
here is in a state of rage over a bill pre-
scented 10 him for overhauling his vessel,
amounting to more than 5000. The bill
covers eight pages Of foclscap, and is item
lied infinitely as to condemn Itself. Ii
charges Tot only for labor and material
but for the OF staging, hoists, jacks,
hand tools, and all apparatus used in the
work and taken away again. Items for
varnish smeared on the walls of small
cabin, total up six gallons and four days
labor while the of half gallon would
be wasteful-prObably no more was used
and a varnisher who would spend more
than four hours on the job has missed
his calling. The captain declared that he
would not pay the bill. and protested to
his principals that in Europe the work
might be done better for 81, 900. The prin-
cipals advised him not TO worry over
things that he could not help-"for people
do not come out here for their health
and advised him to approve the bill,
which they would be glad to pay. They
happened to have some interest in the en-
cheering company. 1t may not be that
every important commission or shipping
house is so allied, but so few are free from
direct or indirect influence in that line
that it may be said generally that all the
ships running regularly to this port are
liable to extortion such as that cited above.
a merchant who processes to have in
formation from the inside says that on
engineering contracts a minimum profit
of 500 per cent is always figured.
FIELD READY FOR CULTIVATING.
There is no relief in sight for imposi-
lions of this nature, but it must certain
ly come, and the field is open. 1t would
amply repay inspection with view to an
establishment of an American house. pre-
pared to undertake large public contracts.
to deal in American machinery and ma
chinery supplies, and to make machinery
repairs. Good business might be had
from the rice mills alone. There is bust
ness up country in teak logs worth from
100000 to 930O.OOO per year. Excessive
cutting in other years may have a ten
dency to restrict the output somewhat but
for the local and nearby markets the
quantity of logs and hence the amount
of work for sawmins will hardly suffer
material reduction. for the government
is encouraging cutters to make up possible
shortages in teak from other woods
The record for 1901 in respect to shipping
may plead for far cry to the United
States in that line. AS recently as 1896
British ships carried IS per cent. of the
commerce of this port. In that year the
transfer of the German flag to the two
principal lines of steamships running here
assured shift in the shipping tables
whereby Germany would take the lead in
the transportation business. Trade was
better in 1901 than in any preceding year,
the inward steam vessels registering $40, sos
tons. German ships constituted only 47.4
per cent. of the commercial hotiIla of the
year and British 262 per cent.
This exhibit is significant apart from any
sentiment which may attach to it, German
lines have facilities for carrying the bulk
of the business of this port, and they are
not getting it. Discomfort has appeared in
regard to their methods and charges Ger
man goods are said to have had preference
in deliveries to such an extent that consign-
ments not German are alleged to have been
allowed to lie for weeks unheeded I'm Snga-
pore and HongKong, the points of trans
shipment for Bangkok of European and
American freights In one instance goods
ordered from the United States in Nav.
and coming by way of Hong-Kong, did
not reach here until the last of November.
They lay at HOng-Kong two or three
months because German ships preferred 10
bring on German goods. and there was no
body at HongKong or here to look special
ly after them, or care when they had de-
livery. Disregard of business not German.
in the export line became so fragrant that
shippers looked for relief elsewhere. and an
increase resulted in Norwegian ships of
from eighteen in 1900 to ninety-one in 1901.
Rice millers alone were credited with hay
ing twelve ships under charter at the end
of the year. millers having found a way TO
market their own products, the export of
that staple, which constitutes the chief
item in the Bangkok trade, may suffer Sc
rious shrinkage through German lines If il
may not be lost TO them altogether. Ger
man supremacy is not yet waVering. but
it may well be that the warning i'm these
figures may be intended to serve notice
that vigilance and concession must be the
price of unchallenged leadership in the car
Z trade for Siam Moreover -.