The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-12
| RUSSIA REMAINS
| CHIEF TRADE RIVAL
No Matter How the War Ends,
She Is Most Dangerous in
the Oriental Trade.
Globe Special Washington Service,


1917 G Street.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. IL
Without waiting for the result of the
| Russo Japanese war, the Washington
administration is satisfied on one point
| beyond the possibility of change: Rus
! STA will continue to be Gas she is now
! the most dangerous rival of the United
States in the growing trade Of the
! Orient. The value of this great COM
mercial prize looks bigger than ever,
now that competition appears more
real The administration feels that
! Russian supremacy over Japan will
quite likely make things harder for us
in developing the trade of the far East;
but it is not disposed to dodge the
plain fact that Russia is already push
| ing US hard for the command of the
| Eastern markets.
New point is given to this PROPOSE
ton every day. Fresh evidence of it
comes frequently from our consuls in
China, Siberia and Japan; and Amer
| lean exporters are becoming aware
that they must look to their Iaurels.
The hustling, aggressive United States
| consul at NeWchWang sizes up the sit
uation again and again, and the state
ment. His latest letter says, among
| other things:
1.-The production in Siberia is enor-
nous and the possibilities of increase
are great. The mass of people are ag-
| riculturaI, and the type of life and
| standard of living is far below those
| of our people engaged in the same oc-
| equations. While this fact is the basic
/ in be, Of az 10
not the most interesting feature. 1t
will be observed that the Chinese
Eastern Railway company is engaged
| in marketing this product (milk and
! butter especially. Both the railway
company and the Russo-C Chinese bank
have commercial departments as
branches of their organizations"
Provision Trade Grows.
| The Russians are supplying, Mr..
| Miller says, about every kind of article
| that the people of North China use.
| Provisions of all kinds come in over
/ the railroad from Siberia and Russia
proper. Particularly the consul men
tons butter, milk, sugar, lumber, kerr
osene, cotton goods, cheese, candies,
/ jams, flour and every line of groceries,
| including fish and meats, in almost
| every form.
1t makes no difference that the Chi
nese are only slowly learning to eat
European and American kinds of food;
! they are learning, and the Russians
are catering to the newly acquired
taste with great perseverance and con-
| slant care.
The fields of the Pacific Northwest
and of the near Northwest in the
| United States are at present being
| drawn upon to some extent for lumber
and flour for the Chinese trade but
| ha PnccioT tn
cles is becoming serious, as it is in the
other two principal articles of our
| Eastern commerce-kerosene and cot
/ ton cloth. The Russians are selling
| goods at rather low prices, although
| the quality of good Is generally not
| high.
| New Lines of Trade.
| Our consuls in the Orient do not by
any means give up the flour trade, but
| they all say it is threatened. The
northern lines of railroads in the
United States are transporting flour at
| a low rate in connection with the
| steamship lines running between Sc
attic and Oriental points, but the
! American flour, some say, is too good
for the Chinese" They are satisfied
with the inferior grades produced in
Southeastern Siberia and Northern
| Manchuria, and the milling industry
| churia is growing rapidly
| Every one of our consuls In the far
| East says the United States must
| reach out for new lines of trade ST.
IBERIA is agricultural and Manchuria is
| agricultural 1t is only a question of
time for developing the great natural
| resources. Whatever lines the United
States embarks in, however Russia is
sure to be the keen competitor.
The question of who is boss in Man
churia becomes, of course, a seri-
GUS one. American trade will thrive
| more, probably, if Japan carries the
| day in the present contest. At any
rate, the administration will almost
| certainly insist, sooner or later, upon
the preservation of our commercial
rates in North China; and the reckon
| ing will probably have to be with Rus
STA and not with Japan
I Walter e. Clark.