Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-03-03
PRAISE FOR RUSSIANS
STATE DEPARTMENT AGENT
REPORT On HIS TRAVELS
WENT THROUGHOUT MANcHURIA.
NEEDED CHANGE OF AMERl.
CAN TRADERS1-sEER
AL0NE.Sy

tour of Manchuria for the State Depart
ment. Mr.. Davidson made this trip
for the purpose OF studying CONNER.
cial conditions, and he has been in con,
ference with officials Of the State, War
and Navy Departments every day since
he came to Washington iSsA week.
I All Manchurian towns Of more than
one thousand population were visited
by Mr.. Davidson. The Russian Gov.
eminent placed a special car at his dis
lposal. He travelled over every mile of
railway in Manchuria and made trips
reached by rail or water.
Praises Russian Reform.
Mr.. Davidson Is liberal in his praise
of the great work the Russians have |
done In cleaning up and improving cit |
les and Is much impressed with the |
great future which awaits Manchuria. |
Although he believes Russia will soon |
be in position to supply the demand
Of the Orient for -four, oil, lumber, cot. |
ton goods and other products which !
the United States Is now sending there
in large quantities, he says there are
many other products which Russia can
not furnish, and urges the necessity
for creating a demand for supplies of
a sort this country alone can offer.
Unfortunately the United States has
built up trade In products which Rus.
sia will soon be able to supply. The
great Russian lumber concerns along
the Yalu River will soon be able to
furnish all lumber needed. Central and
Western Manchuria is an ideal wheat
growing region, and great mills are in
course Of construction and in operation
at Hardin. which promises to become
the Minneapolis of Manchuria. Rus.
sian cotton goods are displacing Amer.
lean cloth. although the goods OF Rus
sian manufacture are not SO choice as
those from the United States. o
The Russian Chinese Bank, with
branches in all cities and towns of i'm.
sian oil. American machinery, which
once found such great market in
Manchuria, has been displaced by Rus
sian machinery. American beer alone
remains supreme. Russians, Japan
csc, Germans and Chinese have tried
to displace the American product, but
. the latter still remains the most pop
ular drink in Manchuria.
Mongolia is an ideal grazing coun.
try and Russian capitalists are en-.
gaging in cattle raising there. and have
established packing plants at Hailar.
the ancient capital of Mongolia. As
yet the plants are small and the freight
rates are so high that Mr.. Davidson
says American meats can be shipped
from Chicago to Port Arthur cheaper
than Monaghan meat can be sent by
railway to Dalny or Port Arthur. With
the development and improvement Of
the railway, however, rates will be
lowered to a point where the Russian
American products.
Hardin the Commercial Hub.
Hardin is now the center of com.
mercial activity In Manchuria," said
Mr.. Davidson. 1T Is only three years
old, but has population of more than
forty thousand. In appearance 1t is
not unlike Western mining town in
this country. Persons are living there
in all sorts Of temporary buildings. It
is the junction of the two branches of
the Siberian railway. The line which
runs to Vladivostok and the line to
Port Arthur meet there and merge into
the single line, which leads across ST.
, IBERIA to Russia.
although Hardin is now a boom
town 1t has substantial basis. The
railway company is erecting locomo-
tive works which will cost 81 POS, 900.
The Government is also building an ad.
ministration building at cost OF $780,.
600 and hotel to cost 100000. A
club in course of construction for the
use Of railway men will cost $3.50, 900.
Hardin Is located In an ideal wheat
country, not unlike the Red River Val.
ley Of Minnesota. With wheat selling
there at one cent pound, as against
two and one.half cents In this country,
and with labor at fifteen cents a day
in Manchuria, against 81 a day in the
United States, the United States can.
not expect to control the -four trade Of
the East II nothing happens to hinder
the development of Russian mills.
= While In Manchuria Mr.. Davidson
J visited Mukden and was also at An,
tung, on the Yalu River. These are
: the two cities which are to be opened
to American trade under the new com.
mercial treaty between, the United
States and China. Mukden Is not a
port. II is situated so far inland that
} even fatboats cannot approach nearer
; than four miles. It is also located
! about three or four miles from the
Port Arthur branch of the Siberian
Railway. "a
One of the provisions OF thesrailway
/. concession was that the line should
not touch any Chinese towns, SO the
old city of Mukden, with Its two hun.
dred and seventy thousand inhAbit.
ants. is several miles away from trans.
portation facilities. AS Is the case
with all other cities near the railway,