Evening star., 1902-02-05
AN OPENING iIkl BANGKOK
NEED OF AN AnFn'qAs BUSINESS
HOUSE THERE.
Excellent Outlook fer Those Who viii
BE Pioneers i'm Improvement
of the Country.

Consul General King at. Bangkok, Siam, |
reports to the State Department that there |
is great need Of an American business
house in that country. He says there Is
not in the whole of Siam at present one
American house competent to consider
business proposition or government con-
tract. to push American trade or to repre-
sent American interests. Other nationaii-
ties are well represented. They are con-
stantly seeking business and in the event
of OPPORTUNITIES are ready to consider them
at once.
Mr. King declares that an American busi-
ness house should be established in Bang
kok, and says that after three years resi-
dence in that city he Is persuaded that for
the right kind of people there is an excel
lent business outlook IN that country.
After stating the conditions under which
an American house could succeed he says
the electrical development of the city OF
Bangkok during the last ten years has been
wonderful. There are twenty-six private
electric plants in the various mills, forts,
dock companies and the navy yard in that
city A house handling clocks, bicycles,
sewing machines, lamps and other lines Of
sure-selling articles, through consignments
! or through guaranteed orders. would bene-
| fit the trade. .-,-.
| and piece goods alone In the port of Bang
kok amount to about 81, 600 900 gold a
| year, of which scarcely dollars worth
| comes from America. :Het the only bar
| riers to these goods between Bangkok and
| America are the present rates of freight
| and our demands for cash payments, the
| removal of either Of which would open the
| market
| Water Supply System Needed.
| The consul general says Bangkok is a
great city of 100000 souls, whose only
water supply is that of the rain from the
| heavens during the seven months of the
wet season and of the foul and braclkish
waters of the rivers and the canals dur
| ing the five months Of the dry season: q
city which, because of this, loses its citi-
| zens by thousands every year from the
| scourge Of Asiatic cholera. The one es-
cape from this is a public water supply,
which the increasing intelligence and
progress Of Siam must provide. Mr. King
cites the great need for sewerage system
| in the country, and says:
Rich Soil Almost Untouched.
ISLAM is, with few exceptions. great
| alluvial plain extending hundreds Of miles
to the north. This plain is capable of being
made the richest rice garden Of the world
, As yet, the soil has been scratched In but
the crudest way and in but few and limit
} ed areas; yet Its abundant harvests feed
! the millions of Slams people and supply an
| export of between S2,000.000 and .00f
worth every year. The very little that haI
! been done to turn the Jungle into product.
| I've HeldS mas returned ElCu TeWdIuS LII
proved harvests. improyea revenues. anc
J Improved homes: yet this great unculti
I waited plain lies ready, t9 respond to th'
! simplest processes ofSirrigation, with re
, , turns that will make Siam one of tn,
! richest of agricultural countries. Thos'
: competent to speak Say There is nothing
: > like its promise as a'fffce reducing coun
! try in the world; it's area Is vast. It's sol
is rich, and the quality 81 it's rice Stands
first In the European markets. The prob
3 lem of irrigation is one Of the simplest ant
: | will soon receive attention.
Q Neglect of the Canals.
'srhe highways Of ,dhlst fcountry are it
|, canals, which intersect this vast plain Il
every direction. These, through years o
t neglect. have become, choked. With tn
I dredging Of these old canals and the open
s vests sp and "im improved rove % ndatFies must fin
\ cheap transport to the sea- and here /
: another problem that awaits solution.
v Splendid Harbor Blocked.
t 1.-THE great mud fiat at the mouth of tn
9 river, known as the bar, street ches ava
for miles. effectually blocking this splendi
q harbor against all shipping Cor good par
d Of the time. and against good part Of tn
@ shipping at ali tirnes-a hindrance to com
=, q merce, an expense to the trade, and a
, | unmitigated nuisance that finds no eXcus
. for its existence but the considerable OUT
= lay that would be required to remove i
- This viii not be endured much longer b
y an intelligent people.
It The Railroads.
; Slams railroads are but In their tr
u fancy, yet the little state has already sper
the handsome sum Of s16 100000 Mexica
ID (about s7s00.O0O), and her railroad PIT
IT gram extends well into the future.
= = ''She has a snug little navy, Of which st
20 is justly proud, and this, with her arm
l. Of 10000 soldiers furnished with the mo!
a, modern equipment, calls for constant SUI
- plies
'-rhese are some of the plans and .pro7
lens that confront this people for sol,
tion now; of the development Of the mine
. and forests and the abundant agriculture
L resources let the future speak. For
house competent to enter into this fieI
Is there Is probably no better business ou
1e look in the world" .i.-s -.t p. S.,