Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-05-23
GRA(tY Tells Of
TRADE Of CHINA
Commerce Chamb,r Hear
Address BY Consul
OF Tsingtau

The first of the Consular talks to
be given before the Chamber OF Com
merce was delivered yesterday after
noon by Consul Graccy of Tsingtau,
China, who, though he is still a
young man. is an authority on Chi
nesc matters, besides speaking the
vernacular fuently.
Consul Gracey was introduced by
f. ID. Tenney, who acted as chairman
during the absence of President Nor
gan.
Gracey began modestly by stating
that he thought II was an odd situa-
ton for young man like himself to
address gathering like the Cham
Der of Commerce. He had acted as
Vice Consul In Hongkong, and on his
way back to the mainland he had
been met by a cablegram ordering
him, as Consul, to Tsingtau.
Tsingtau was leased by Germany
for 80 years and since the Germans
first took hold of It, ten years ago,
It had become splendid place. 1t
has a harbor 35 feet deep. 1000 feet
of wharf space. accommodating up to
| 80 ships and costing $4,OOO,OOO, and
a floating dock costing $2,0OO,OOO.
Great work had also been done In the
way OF forestration, ana a railway
had been built into the interior which
carried $4,000 passengers last year
and $50, 900 tons of freight.
| Tsingtau itself had a very small
trade, but It was the emporium OF the
Chan Tun province, the products OF
which have to pass through 1t.
Consul Gracey went on to describe
the trade and possibilities of Tsing-
tau, ending his speech with the fol-
lowing valuable information in re-
gard to Chinese trade In general:
1.-The trade of China may be di-
vided into three classes-1 that for
the $4,000 Europeans who live In
China, who buy the identical things
that Europeans everywhere want;
(2) the trade of the high-class Chi
nese, the literati, the merchant class
and the Official class, who want many
of the kinds of goods desired by Eu-
ropeans and are able to pay for them;
of these there are between three and
four millions; CD the trade OF the
4SO, 100000 common people Of the
Empire, who want everything that Is
little better and aflittle cheaper
than the same class OF goods made
by themselves.
1.-The best way to improve trade
conditions is personal investigation.
There should either by Commercial
Commissioner to travel throughout
China or Commercial Attache.
Great Britain has Commissioner,
Sir Alexander Hoting, whose reports
are looked to by the whole world.
Following the work of such COM
missioner much be investigation by
expert agents familiar with each
trade. The Chinese have but vague
ideas of what they want, and must
be educated. Catalogues are of no
value whatever. Personal represent
tation is the important thing The
Chinese are anxious to engage In
manufacturing and therefore there
Is an opening for manufacturing
plants of all kinds. But in order to
J sell them there must be personal rep
resentatives capable OF showing the
Chinese everything; there must be
constructing ngineers.
Americans won't cater to the
needs of the Chinese. In this they
are excelled by the British and the
= pany found the sale of oil prohibited
, in whole regions because the Chinese
:. used bottle with a string in 1t for
a wick as a lamp and the danger of
y fire was SO great that their use had
to be prohibited. The company i'm
mediately secured the manufacture
of cheap lamp which, chimney,
wick and all. they sold for seven
= cents Mexican. less than 1t cost
them. But by doing this they saved
the market for their oil. I.
u Americans expect to be paid cash.
y British give'frOm three to six months
credit. Germans give longer credits
yet. ... ....-. .
J. In the matter Of packing the
= Americans are behind the British
and the Germans. Goods should be
packed in packages about the size OF
two oil tins, and SO well that they
can stand the travel they must stand
before reaching the interior carried
by coolies, by wheelbarrows, and by
Pekin carts"