Courier Democrat., 1903-08-20
VALUE OF maNCHuRiA.
The Land Of the Future. Says
John Barrett.
MOST PROGRESSIVE PART OF CHINA

MOST PROGRESSIVE PART OF CHINA
Increase of Population and Material
Progress to BE More Noteworthy
There Than Elsewhere In thc Enl-
pire-Rapidly Developing Market
Russia Is q Formidable Competitors.
The Manufacturers Record publish
ed recently an interview i'll 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 ap-
pointed United States minister to Az
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 i'll
1S9S and last year made another visit
there as the representative Of the st.
Louis exposition. In his statement,
which lie made at St. Louis. Mr.. Bar
rett said:
"The Importance Of the enlarged
commercial opening of Manchuria can
not be overestimated. especially in its
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
will be more noteworthy than in any
other portion of the empire.
"The present population of Manchu-
ria, conservatively estimated, is ap-
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
Of the land and general increase Of
population. The remarkable progress
that this section has experienced dur
ing the last five years gives some idea
Of what will come in the future. There
are cities of $4,000 population now
where in 1892 there were small VII
lagos. There is no contradicting the
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 had
on the Dakotas, Montana, Oregon and
Washington.
ut is interesting to note that the in
habitants of AIanchuria and northern
China seem not only to have taken a
special liking to American cotton goods,
but to have manifested Il 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 in
the future will be much greater than it
is now. When I first visited New
chwang, some ten years ago, If l re.
member correctly the import Of Amer
ican goods amounted approximately to
only Is per cent of the total, as shown
by the records Of the imperial customs.
When went there five years later
fO
ly GO per cent Of the total. The last
report by United States Consul Miller
at Newchwang says that the present
value of cotton goods coming through
that port is $12,1S0,O00.
"He brings out one salient point
which must not be forgotten, and that
is that the Russian cotton manufactllr-
ers of central and southern Russia
have their eyes on this wonderful mar
ket and are going to make every effort
to capture it, assisted by low rates OH
the Transsiberian railway and on the
subsidized Russian commercial steam
ers plying regularly between the Black
sea and gulf Of Pechili. 1t is doubtful
If the Transsiberian railway, with its
long overland haul, can ever give per-
manent rates that will compete with
all water transportation from New
York, New Orleans or San Francisco,
but there is danger in the subsidized
steamship com1 1etition. 1t will be a
long time before the mills of Russia
can make goods that will equal the
American product in both quality and
price, but low freight rate is always
powerful leverage. In the meantime.
however, before the cotton goods Of
Russia can be great factor in the
market, the American article should go
on increasing its field Of demand and
it's popularity, until it obtains hold
which cannot be taken away even by
loss cost 0f fransnortatinn !"