The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-05
OUR CHINESE TRADE
WE STILL LEAD. BUT FELL
OFF LAST YEAR.
Cotton Goods and Copper the Principal
ExportatiOns-causes of the
Decline in 1908.

WASHINGTON. July 5.-The causes Of
the recent falling off in the export trade
from the United States to China are
shown, In part at least, by the oficial
of the Chinese en-
titled Returns Of Trade and Trade Re-
ports. 1906 which has just reached the
Bureau of Statistics of the Department Of
Commerce and Labor.
Part of the falling off In the general
import trade of China last year was due
to INTERPRETATIONS of cotton goods in 1904
and 1905. ut is on record" says the re-
mort chat by September, 1904, the English
and American cotton mills were filled with
all the orders they could take for China
for twelve months ahead, and that further
orders placed early in 1905 could not be
filled for over a year" Commenting upon
the effects of these large orders placed in
1904 and 1905 the report says that In 1906
of stocks from earlier importa-
tons were not only burdened by storage
charges on millions of pieces. and insur-
anee and interests of tens OF millions OF
taels' value, but found themselves with
their stocks laid down at higher silver
equivalents han those of importers OF later
dates" AS a the importa-
tlon of cotton goods fell from 27,724, $50
pieces in 1905 to 20.247, 123 in 1906.
The four classes of cotton cloths which
China imports from the United States are
shirtings, sheetings, drills and jeans. A
careful analysis shows that in shirtings
imported the falling off in quantity In those
as American was 80 per
cent. and English 81 per cent. In
American sheetings the falling off was %
per cent. and in English "a per cent; In
American drills the fall was 40 per cent,
and in English So per cent; In jeans the
falling off in American goods was 81 per
cent. and in English AZ per cent. While
the other classes of cotton goods import
ed are not so designated as to Indicate
their origin the figures relating to these
four principal classes seems to Indicate
American cottons suffered no greater
decline proportionately than did those
from the other chief source of supply
the United Kingdom-and this conclusion
seems to be strengthened by the statement
in the report itself that "but little has
been heard during the year Of any active
in connection with the boycott
in connection with American goods except
at Canton, and there 1t has taken the
form of public meetings and impassionate
rather than of reduced pur-
Another article in which a large reduc-
ton in imports from the United States has
occurred IL upper III OAiCidt Icpoib
shows that the net imports of copper In
COTS fell from q 1892, $40 taels value In 1905
to 211, 516 in 1906, and as most of this large
importation In 1905 was drawn from the
States the reduction OF more than
q, 900, 900 taels In this single item explains
to a considerable degree the fact that the
total imports of merchandise into China
from the United States fell off 32,0oo,0o0
taels in 1906, as compared with b record
year 1905.
Even this large reduction, however, Of
30, 900, 900 taels in China's imports from the
States in 1906, when compared with
1905. still leaves the value of imports from
United States in 1906 greater than in
any other year, except 1905, in the history
Of the trade between China and the United
The total value Of imports from
the United States to china in 1905 is stated
the document in question at 44,45@209
taels, while the highest figure for any
other year, except 1905, was 30, lbs, 113 taels.
and the exceptionally high figure for 1905
was, as has already been explained, due to
importations Of Nboth cotton
cloths and copper, the former to supply a
supposed deficiency in Northern China.
where American cottons are especially
popular. and the latter to supply material
for use in making new copper coins, of
which over 100000 have been coined in
China during the past two or three years.
While cotton cloths and copper show a
falling off in the exports from the
States to China In the past year,
certain other articles showed a marked adj
vance. The -four exported from the
States to China in the eleven
months ending May, 1907. was S4,974,O s5 in
value, against 1895, 742 in the corresponding
months of the preceding year; wheat ex-
ports to China in the eleven months of
1907 amounted to $1,153, 600, against. but
500 In the corresponding months of the
preceding year, and cigarettes showed a
value in the eleven months of 81, 25s, l61,
against 81, 120. Az in the same months of
1906.
A comparison of the figures OF imports
of China from the United States and
from other principal countries during a
considerable term of years shows that the
gain of the United States has been more
rapid than hat of other principal coun-
tries, even when the figures of the I'M
favorable year of 1906 are used as the
basis of comparison.