Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-12
TIMELY WARNING
THE NATIVES ARE EXCELLENT
JUDGES OF VALUE
II They Cannot Import What They
Want They Buy and Make Up
Domestic Manufactures.

Consul Andersen. Annoy, China, furnishes
a timely report to the Department Of Com
| merce and Labor on the duty of American
manufacturers who are now fast gaining
| ground in the east; maintaining the high
| quality of their products, particularly cot
| ton. He says:
,.If there is one thing feel it my duty to
impress upon the American cotton manu-
| facturer 1t is the need of maintaining his
products at as high quality as they have
| had in the past. In spite of demand at
home and in other portions of the world; in
spite of high-pr!ced cotton and high-priced
| labor; in spite of unfavorabie exchange.
manipulated first of all to the disadvantage
| OF the American exporter; in spite of the
| fact that the markets for imported cotton
In China have been held by others, and the
| fact that most of the American cotton
goods sold in China are sold by non-Amer-
leans. the American cotton manufacturers
have moved steadily upward. ~,
The amount of cotton goods they have
sold in China in the fiscal year just closing
demonstrates that even allowing for an
unusual change and a particularly favor
able turn of affairs. they are capturing the
Chinese market. There Is Just one reason
for this state of things-they are selling bet
ter goods for the same money than are
sold by others. The whole story Is one of
quality, and this story Is to be told from
Chinese Are Good Judges.
cit Is doubtful If there is another people
on earth as good judges of value as the
Chinese. Their average possession Of
worldly goods is so small that what they
do have they know all about. The margin
between their earnings and their expenses
Is 80 small. where there Is any at all, that
every expenditure is watched with the ut
a hi Nlo NOD
people. even in the southern provinces, and
clothing is even more Of social necessity
with them than it Is with other nations
processing to be further advanced in ciyli-
zation. 1t goes without saying that any
thing that affects their clothing affects
them directly and at once. Practically the
basis of all their clothing is cotton, or, in
the case of the well-to-do, a measure of
silk. China's position as an authority on
silks has been acknowledged and admitted
by the world for centuries, and yet there
seems to be disposition on the part Of
some foreign manufacturers to deny the
same knowledge Of cotton.
4 think that without doubt, the Chinese
people as whole are the best judges of
ordinary grades Of cotton manufactures on
earth. When it is considered that possibly
nine-tenths of the people In a population
OF about 4O0.OOO.OOO have an intimate
knowledge of cotton as 1t Is grown in the
field, as 1t Is gathered, ginned and carded
spun.sa woven and dyed. a knowledge not
secured vicariously or theoretically but by
actual labor with the staple for clothing
for their own family. it ought to be real
really is. 1t should be realized most thor
oughly by every American manufacturer
that, while American cottons may be com
paratlvely new In China, cotton manufac-
ture itself has been here, almost as many
centuries as most Of the American factories
have existed years. and other foreign cot
tons have been coming here for many years.
High Prices Stop Consumption. :
THE superiority OF foreign goods is the
only reason why the Chinese consumer
should use them. The price of a compar-
able grade of goods of Chinese manufacture
is generally very nearly the same as the
price Of the foreign product. When the
price of the foreign product goes up Chinese
consumption stops, and the native returns
to his home weaving of native cloth. China
imported last year total of 1870. 7S4
worth OF cotton goods and cotton yarn not
including cotton and wooden mixtures or
cotton and silk mixtures. Almost exactly
one-half of the total of cotton importations
was cotton yarn. In other words the
natives have manufactured out of foreign
made yarns more cloth than they have
bought from the foreigner; and il is safe
to say that in this native-made cloth,
though made from foreign yarns. there Is no
weighing" clay. The real cotton is there,
and the reason the Chinese prefer this
native-woven cloth Is because of the quality.
mot the importatons of foreign
cotton goods and cotton yarn, however,
compare in magnitude with the real Chinese
cotton industry. There are tens Of millions
Of people in China who probably have
never owned a foreign manufactured piece
of cloth. China produces and manufactures
most OF Its own cotton and finds time and
opportunity, and profit enough to justify
it in exporting 50. 305, 229 worth of raw cot
ton year to foreign countries as the
ton did last year. recent estimate pub
lished in Europe and America places the
ohor0 f Syin in Of
600, and the number of looms at 1900. AS
an estimate of the foreign spindles and
looms in operation in the country, this Is
probably too large.
China not only can but will manufacture
its own cotton goods if the goods imported
do not meet its requirements in quality and
price. Cotton cloth manufacturers of the
United States ought always 70 have before
them the specter of flood of cotton yarn.
for the thrifty Chinese peasant when for
eign goods get too high or too poor. sim
ply returns to his ancient industry home
industry, simple but effecuve-of making
his own cotton cloth. from foreign cotton
yarn. If it can be had to advantage, or
from his own cotton yarn made from cot
ton raised by himself If need be.
European Goods Deter1orating.
1.-The quality of European goods sold in
China has deteriorated in late years, and
the result is that European trade is falling
off in proportion to the whole trade OF the
empire. American goods have gained i'm
mensely and enjoy good reputation The
secret Is that of quality. The common
grades of cottons must have wear In them.
The demand for the fancy grades Is con-
stantly increasing. China is growing
weather. every year. and as It's wealth in
creases its people can and will buy grades
of cottons which canont be manufactured
in China, at the present time at least Hay-
ing shown their ability to meet the compe-
titton of the world in the staple grades,
there certainly should be no reason why
American manufacturers should not be able
to compete with the world in other grades.
America has the raw material and it has
demonstrated its manufacturing abilities
A little steadiness and adherence to the
policy of giving the consumer what he pays
for will do the rest"