The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-14
VALUE OF MANCHUR|A.
The Land of the Future, Says
John Barrett.

The Land Of the Future, Says
John Barrett.
MOST PROGRESSIVE PART OF CHINA
Increase Of Population and Material
Progress to BE More N~Ote.TSr.i3
There Than Elsewhere In the Em-
pire-Rapidly Developing Market
For American Goods Assured-Why
Russia In = Formidable Com pctitor.
The Manufacturers Record publish
I'd recently an interview in regard to
the significance of the opening Of the
new Manchurian ports with John Bar
rett, commissioner general to Asia OF
the Louisiana Purchase exposition. Mr..
Barrett, who has recently been APP
Lpointed United States minister to Ar
gentina, was formerly United States
minister to Siam and while in Asia
made a careful study of the political
and commercial conditions Of China.
He was in Manchuria in 1894, again in
1898 and last year made another visit
there as the representative of the st.
Louis exposition. In his statement,
which he made at st. Louis, Mr.. Bar
rett said:
"The Importance Of the enlarged
commercial opening Of Manchuria can
not be overestimated, especially in it's
bearing upon the market for the man
ufactured cotton goods OF the south.
Manchuria is sure to provide a rapidly
developing market for all kinds of
!, American manufactured products. 1t
is my belief that northern China and
Manchuria will always offer the best
general market for American exports.
: It is the land of the future. 1t is the
one portion of China where material
. progress and the increase of population
J will be more noteworthy than in any
= other portion of the empire.
"The present population of Manchu-
ria. ~conservatively estimated, is APP
proximately 100000. 1t is not thick
" settled, like most of the provinces OF
China proper Wherever the traveller
{ goes through Manchuria he is impress
ed with the opportunities for the growth
/. Of cities and towns, the improvement
9 of the land and a general increase 81
:, population. The inexperienced dur
y ing the last five years gives some 'dea
q Of what will come in the future. There
= are cities of $4,000 population O
z where in 1892 there were small vii
70 l. roc FTho,o ic no C,,feo1irtin fhe
u fact that the construction of the Chi
. nese Eastern railway has had much the
same effect upon Manchuria as the
= building Of the Northern Pacific ha6
on the Dakotas, Montana, Oregon anG
Washington.
= ut is interesting to note that the in
habitants of Manchuria and northern
China seem not only to have taken {
special liking to American cotton goods
but to have manifested a greater will
ingness to employ modern methods OF
, life than the people of other portions
Of China. The rapid increase of the
sales of cotton drills made largely by
southern mills is proof of the popu
larity of these exports and a further
evidence that the market for them ii
the future will be much greater than il
is now. When l first visited New
chwang, some ten years ago, if l re
member correctly the import of Amer
lean goods amounted approximately tt
only 10 per cent of the total, as shown
by the records Of the imperial customs
When l went there five years Later
American imports had grown to near
ly 60 per cent of the total. The las
report by United States Consul Miller
at Newchwang says that the presen
value of cotton goods coming through
that port is So, 100000.
HE brings out one salient poin
which must not be forgotten, and thai
= is that the Russian cotton manufactur
ers Of central and southern Russia
{ have their eyes on this wonderful mar
n ket and are going to make every cffor'
n to capture it, assisted by low fatcs OF
e the Transsiberian railway and on the
subsidized Russian commercial steam
6 ers plying regularly between the Blacl
sea and gulf Of Pechili. 1t is doubtful
if the Transsiberian railway, With it:
= long overland haul, can ever give per
9 manent rates that will compete will
o all water transportation from New
York, New Orleans or San Francisco
but there is danger in The subsidized
steamship competition. 1t will be {
long time before the mills of Russia
can make goods that will equal the
: American product in both quality ant
) price, but a low freight rate is always
S a pOwerful leverage. In the meantime
however, before the cotton goods o.
Russia can be a great factor in the
market, the American article should &c
on increasing its field of demand and
its popularity. until it obtains a hole