East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-02-18

Following is a report sent to the
bureau of commerce and labor by
American Consul Gordon Paddock, of
Seoul, Korea.
Mr.. Paddock has been close OBJ
server of conditions and his findings
are interesting to Americans. The
report is as follows:
The largest American enterprises in
Korea at the present time are the
Oriental Consolidated Mining Co., and
the American-Korean Electric COM
pany. The former, operating on con-
cession district some 500 square
miles in extent in northwest Korea,
has been described as the largest de-
velopment undertaking in Asia. 1t
employs about 20 white men and sew
eral thousand Asiatics, and operates
mills on its concession, with a total
Of 200 stamps. In 1903 it mined and
milled 20S,567 tons of ore, valued at
|1,47S,s56, and had in sight on De-
cember 81 ore to the value of over
s6,0O0,000. 1t has now about COM
pleted a large dam for a reservoir to
furnish water power for an electric
plant, by which its mill will be run.
This plant is to cost completed some
5000, 900.
Ten Years Exports of Gold.
In this connection the following
figures, giving the export of gold
from Korea to foreign countries for
the past 10 years, is of interest: 1894,
S465,169; 1895, s67S,75S; 1895, $692,-
425; 1897. $1,O12,971; 1898, S1,1S3,-
III; 1899, s1,46O,S24; 1900, S1,SO9,-
25S; 1901, s2,4S6,6SS; 1902, $2,521,-
s25, and 1908, $2,717,2S5. These fig
ures do not include a considerable
quantity of gold mined by natives but
not exported through the treaty ports.
Other foreign mining concessions are
operated in Korea by British, German
land japanese companies, but have
thus far proved by no means so sue
cessful as that of the American COM
pany.
Considerable deposits of gold have
recently been discovered a short dis
tance from the city of Pyengyang, in
the northwest, and it is reported that
$4,000 Koreans are now in that region
engaged in placer mining. 1t is
doubtful, however, if the deposits in
that locality will hold out very long,
and the returns to each individual
miner cannot be very great In 1903
mining supplies to the value of s212,-
s64 were imported-about the same
oc IN 1QnO In
over 1901; a considerable proportion
OF these were American goods for the
American mines.
The American-Korean Electric Co.,
which began operations in 1899 under
the title of the Seoul Electric com
pany has recently been reorganized
and Incorporated under it's present
name, with a capitalization of $1,000,
900, under the laws of Connecticut.
1t holds an exclusive franchise for
operating electric street railways,
telephones, lighting and power plants
in Seoul, and is the only concern at
present that has an electric light and
power plant in Korea. It now runs
some 25 cars over 11.2 miles of track
in and about the city of Seoul and
furnishes some 5000 electric lights.
Its entire electrical equipment is of
American manufacture and of the
latest and most approved type. This
company has been so successful that
il is about te add six miles of track
to its line and contemplates the pur-
chase of 15 to 20 new cars. 1t will
also add to it's power house installa-
ton two generating sets of $50 kilo-
watts capacity each. connected to two
40O-horse power cross-compound en-
gines
Waterworks at Seoul.