Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

Director General of Imperial Chinese Railways.
head. who ranks about a cabinet officer,
is Shcng kung-pao. one of the ablest,
wealthiest and most progressive of Chinese
statesmen. Sheng is, in fact the successor
OF Ii Hung Chang far as international
standing IS concerned. Born wealthy, he
has always been largely interested in the
leading commercial enterprises of the en-
pire He was one of the original stock
holders of the Chinese Telegraph Company,
for many years the director general OF
the Chinese Merchant Steam Navigation
Company, and was up until the time of his
fathers death, when he retired to go INTO
mourning minister of commerce, having
been made such on the death of Ii Hung
Chang Sheng Kung -pao owns the largest
cotton mill in Shanghai. and he Is also
director general of the Hanyang iron and
steel works with which are connected
large mining interests in coal and iron.
Mr. Ferguson is a Mass lchusetts man,
who went to China shortly after his gradu-
alton at the Boston University to be presi-
dent of the Marking University. He acted
such for ten years and then LOOK the
Shanghai, which was founded by ShenS
kung- pao. While there he so aided the
Chinese in important negotiations WITH the
foreign powers that they persuaded n m 10
give I'D his educational work ana tnter
the service of the government. For the
past two years he has been connected with
the commission for the revision of treaties
between China and foreign countries and
he IS now a part of the Imperial railway
administra ton. He has come to TINS c9un,
try on behalf of that admlnstr anon, ana
has 7 am told been very successful IN mis-
mission He knows all about the modern
movements in China. and perhaps more
than any other American about the new
nroiects for railways there and the pros
nactive railway development of the empire.
China's Railroad Development.
In response to my question, Mr.. Ferguson
said:
THE Chinese government has Tor some
time realized its need Of railroads. but 1t
has not been able to raise sufficient capital
to construct them from among its own peo-
pie II has had to borrow and in order 10
do so has been obliged to issue government
bonds and to mortgage the railways pro-
jected to the Syndicates constructing them.
This has required time and the country is
far behind in its railway development
Some small lines have been constructed,
and such lines are profitahly managed. One
line runs from Shanghai to Wusung. and
others connect coal mines with the water
ways These have been built with Chinese
capital but the great trunk lines are yet to
be made. and they will be constructed on
borrowed capital raised by issuing govern
ment bonds
North Chinese Railroads.
But there are already a number of roads
in northern China. Mr.. Ferguson" said 1.
Eyes, there is a line running from Tien-
tsin to the Kaiping coal mines and to
SHdHIlllhWdI, DIT TIE ellu VI tHe trIedb w dIl,
and also one from Tientsn to Picking.
The first road to be opened was to the
kaiping mines, connecting those mines
with Tientsin and the mouth of the Peiho
river. That line has been in operation for
nearly ten years. and it has now been
pushed on northward so that 1t connects
with the Chinese-Eastern railroad, which
comes down through Manchuria from the
Trans-Siberian road to Port Arthur This
same road goes via Tientsin to Picking,
so that one can travel directly from st.
Petersburg to Peking by rail. 1t gives Pc
king railroad connection with every part of
Europe.
Another important railroad in north