Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30

clothing or the common people. II CoIIles
into competition with the mills of India
and Japan. and also with those which
are now starting up in the other parts OF
China. I am told there are something
like 300, 600 spindles now working upon
such yarn at Shanghai, and also large
number at Ningpo and Soochow. Ihere
is one big mill at Hangchow. one at Can
ton, and some at Hongkong, Wuchang and
Hankow The labor is abundant and the
people easily learn to handle the modern
machinery.
The Chinese are rapidly introducing
the better class of machines, and their
mills are already about as we'll equipped
as our own. A great part of their machln-
cry is imported from England. and only
certain specialties come from the United
States In one factory | found an Amer
lean light plant with 5000 electric lamps
burning and in another there were mod
ern fire machines, and the employers had
q fire drill every week. In nearly every
place the wages were as low or lower
than those 1 have quoted, the highest
price paid the men being something ike
30 cents per day while a good average
wage was or 10 cents. l found girls at
work in all of the factories, and know
of none which does not employ children.
At present a considerable portion OF
the cotton used in China is imported
from abroad. We have the bulk of the
Manchurian trade, although Japan is do
ing its best to compete. The English sell
the greater part of the goods brought in
to the Yangtze valley and south China
and the Germans are pushing their cloths
everywhere Within the past year or so,
however, the Chinese officials have been
starting small factories In which mana
looms are used. l saw some IN Ilentsln
and other parts of Chilli. and I am told
that there are more than 1o,On such
looms now at work in that province
China is doing all it can to improve It's
native cotton The officials are sending
out men to study our cotton belt and our
methods of cotton raising. and edlcts nave
been issued to encourage the grown OF
the crop in all the provinces. Ii Is
claimed that cotton will do wen IN most
parts of China Much of the country
lies in the latitude of our southern
states. and from Shanghai northWard
there are rich plains which the experts
say are fitted for cotton growing. with
nnscientific methods of cultivation the
country is now producing something ike
20 per cent of the raw material 1t uses,
and if properly farmed the crop could
be enormously increased.
The native cotton Is or snort staple.
1t is brought here in boats upon the
Yangtze kiang and its tributaries, and
also in seagoing junks- from Ningpo and
the lands farther south. 1t is put up In
packed that one twice as large as a
feather bed weighs only 200 pounds. 1t
is loaded and unloaded by coolies who
carry it upon their heads from the ships
to the factory.
Other farmers ship their raw cotton in
basketwork bales the size of hogshead
The bales are opened in the cotton yards
and the lint is sometimes rebaled in pack
ages of 500 pounds for export to tho
United States and Europe. The nature of
the native cotton makes it especially
good for underwear, and some of it is
sent to the United States for that pur-
pose.
If our cotton interests could handle this
market as the Standard Oil does the eX-
ports from our southern states might run
into the hundreds of millions year
The Standard Oil Company has its own
agents in all the provinces, and it is
pushing its business in every city. TWEEN
ty years ago the oil was shipped here in
tin cans. 1t is now brought in tank
steamers which carry 10000 tons at
load. The vessels start from San Francisco
and land at half dozen different ports
where the oil is pumped out into great