The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-05
AMERICAN CAPITAL
DEVELOPING CHINA
ConsulS at Hankau and Can
ton Send Full Reports.
DEALINGS WITH CELESTIkLS
Difficulty Experienced in Overcoming
Their Dilatory Tsctics-Many Kinds of
Obstacles Put in the Way of Foreign
Investors
Investors.

The investment Of American capital Il
various enterprises in China. and the ex-
Pansion OF United States trade Interests
in that country is steadily continuing. ac-
cording to the reports made by consular
officials. to be printed IN the Forthcoming
volumes Of Commercial Relations" b
the Department of State
Consul Wilcox. Of Hankau, reports that
the American syndicate which secured The
concession for building the Hankau-
Canton Railway. and made a preliminary
survey of the proposed route in 1893. is
preparing to begin work at several points
On the line. lie also notes that cunces-
sions for mining gold. silver, copper, and
anthony ores have been given By the
board CT mines to parties Of Americans.
Frenchmen, and Germans, who are at
present endeavoTfng to develop their
claims The CONCESSIONS are Of such re-
cent date. however. that it is too early
to expect returns fiom the properties.
Mr.. Wilcox describes the difficulties en-
coUntered by foreigners who come to
China as managers OF Industrial enter
prises- According to- decree, the Chinese
retain controlling interests in a railway
and other eoacessisrss7 but they get be
yond their depth IN, atTempting to dictate
the management, and for their iron works.
arsenals, textile mills. agricultural col
leges. etc, they baye secured foreign
superintendent. Having been educated
however, to thinkthat the Chinese way
OF doing thing is the best, they viii not
allow the superintendent to carry on the
work according to- his Judgment
The foreigners who, as. rule, are well
qualified for their positions. arrive al
their posts with high hopes and full Of
energy But they have not calculated unon
the Chinese character. TIIey are given to
understand that every facility will be af-
forded them for making their work sue
cess They select their men and organize
for the undertaking, but they soon learn
that there are many officials who desire
that their relations shall se on the pay
roll These employees are not put there
to work but TO draw their salaries Many
manufactures have from six to ten men
10 do the labor that could be done by enc
man IN the West They do only what
work they are compelled 70 do Again.
unless the superintendent is ever on the
watch, 10 care is taken of anything. Hun
dreds Of Thousands OF dollars worth of
imported machinery is allowed TO be ex-
posed to the weather, unhoused for
months, until It is ruined.
The professors who came out to start
an agricultural college brought several
dollars worth of farming frnple-
ncnts- They were given eight or ten boys
as students with whom to start the col
lege; also, eight Iaborers and two head
and two assistant superintendent for
these eight men. The IabOTers worked
only when the superinterdents were pres
ent- To the managers were allotted a half
acre Of ground to start with, 20 plant the
trees and shrubs they had brought Plenty
Of land for the farm was promised
They waited for months; they were told
not to be in a hurry, as they were drawing
their salaries, and all would be provided in
time They continued to wait; their ag-
ricultural machinery was Fusting and be-
coming useless. After two years and a
half they inalIy left disguised.
Enough money, says Mr.. Wilcox. has
been expended in China during the last
forty years in INTRODUCING various Western
to have m=rdc them q great
success, il they had been left under the
Of foreigners.
The superint endent Of one arsenal in
formed the consul that it cost twenty
times as much to make rifles as they could
buy them for IN Europe.
Consul MCWzde at Canton says that
American goods have an established repu-
jation in China, and arc preferred 10 all
other foreign articles, This is well appre-
ciated by the japanese who put many
cheap and inferior limitations of our pre-
ducts upon the market A large trade in
our goods is done by British and Chinese
merchants through Hongkong. The Chi
nose are especially fond of novelties. the
wealthy classes taking pride in possessing
anything that affords entertainment or
amusement. IN their yameas are often
fornd cameras. magic lanterns, music
boxes, Photographs, etc Watches, as well
IS clocks. are extensively sold, the cheaper
varieties leading. There is a good demand
for silver watches costing from s. TO s1a.
and many gold watches are disposed Of
American time pieces are preferred to all
others.