The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-11-26
AMERICAN TRADE WITH CHINESE EMPIRE
1.-The Boycott is a Great
Hardship to
Chinese,


men OF the United States are Just be-
ginning to realize the great possibili-
ties of trade in the Orient. the volume
of our business here is already reach
ing vast proportions. During the
twelve months prior to the beginning
of the boycott against American goods
our sales IN China in one line alone
cotton piece goods-averaged more
than two million dollars per month.
During the same time the sales of kerr
a million every month, while flour re-
ceipts held pretty close to half mil
lion dollars every thirty days.
But these three items averaging close
to forty millions annually, do not con-
stitute the whole of American COM
mercial interests in China. The list OF
American articles on sale here in
cludes hardware, drugs, medicines and
thousands of manufactured articles of
every variety. Our business here was
increasing with gratifying rapidity, in
fact the last report shows that it had |
more than doubled over the previous |
period. However, this boycott viii |
take the wind ont of our sails for some |
time to come. Even if it is called off
at once it will require lively, earnest |
work to recover the ground we have
lost.
THE GREAT COTTON TRADE.
+ha+
President Roosevelt last June to pro-
test against the Objectionable admin
istration of the Chinese exclusion laws, |
pointed out to him that the cotton tex
tile industry of the United States rep-l
resents $5OO,0 900 of invested capt. |
tai and employs 100000 wage earners. |
The security of this capital and the
prosperity of this large branch of |
American labor, depend largely upon
the retention of the great market that
has been developed in China. The
Americans practically control the piece
goods trade of the northern part
of the country, and are gradually
making their way into the southern |
part of the empire. Few people ap- |
preciate what a tremendous market |
this is. The Chinese people constitute |
one-ffth of the population of the world |
and occupy one-tenth of the territory |
of the globe. Although they are mis-
erably poor they are alike IN their hab- |
its, and their great numbers give vol
ume to their purchases, even though |
individual consumption is small.
American piece goods are shipped to
China plain and then dyed to meet the
requirement of the trade. The cloth
IL Il !
classes, for both men and women, comes |
off the same bolt. In China the pre-
vaiIing color is blue. This is called the
land of the blue gown, the coolies be-
ing distinguished by dark blue, and
the upper classes by a lighter shade.
The cotton manufacturers have dem
Onstrated the wisdom of supplying the
foreign trade with an article that suits
the taste of the people and is within
their power to purchase. Most OF the
manufactured articles that come frotn |
America are too high-priced for this
market. The same thing that suits an
American does not appeal to Chinese,
because the latter is not used to such
good things and can not afford to pay
for them.
WANT QUANTITY, NOT QUALITY.
The other day an American hard
ware drummer showed me some specI-
mems OF German goods IN his line
They were very roughly and cheaply
made and would find no sale at all in
America on account of their common
quality and appearance. But they out,
sell the high grade American product
in China because of their price. The
Germans are getting up lines intended
for this trade only, and when the Amer
lean enters the field seriously he Will
have to do the same.
There are some parts of the world
where il is good policy for the Yankee
manufacturer to stand pat on the SUI
periority of his product, but China IS
not one OF them. The people here are
so poor that they can never become
extensive consumers of most articles
made by our highclass labor. An
American manufacturer who was in the
Philippines while L was there told me
that he intended to establish branch
Observation-Disclosures