Evening star., 1916-08-16
PARCEL POST TO CHINA.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

If you want to travel in China and
get the benefit of old-time local color
and quaint customs the time for your
voyage is growing short. II you de-
lay you may find the Chinese coolie
dressed in the latest Americana made
hand-me-downs, his shaggy ponies
harnessed with American harness.
his thatched hut papered with the
last design in wallpaper and adorned
with chromos and Autographs struck
of in U. S. A. We have just put into
effect a parcel post agreement with
the Chinese republic Four hundred
million people are added to the mail
order market of the United States.
Anything that can be put in eleven
pound packages can be shipped to
any part of China for ~ cents a
pound.
This is likely to prove an important
step for both countries in many ways.
For China it means that she is able to
trade in the worlds biggest mail
order market under conditions prac-
tically as favorable as those OF
states. For the United States it
means a chance to attack the Chinese
market problem from a new angle.
China Is recognized as the greatest
market in the world in many ways.
The field is practically undeveloped.
by no means poor. The people are
not a manufacturing people; they
are a typical buying nation. They
are just beginning to ask for the
products Of western manufacture 1t
has long been clear that China rep
resents a good American opportunity.
The chief drawback has been the
uncertainty of local conditions.
Americans have
cIouy IN pu+ been slow to
put their money
Money in China. in China. out
side a few big treaty ports. because
a disturbance Of some sort or another
was always likely to arise which
would mean a heavy loss. But IL the
Chinese market can be served by
mail to any great extent with stock
and plant safe on American soil and nc
risk necessary in China except q
catalogue printed in Chinese there
would seem to be a chance for the
enterprising exporter.
An immense number of small articles
both cheap and expensive. can be ordered
and shipped outright under the eleven.
pound-limit system. But Mr.. r. l.
| Maddox, our superintendent Of foreign
mails believes that the most important
results of the new parcel post conven.
tion will in the long run be indirect
rather than direct. The convention
gives American goods chance to es-
tablish themselves in popular favor ir
| China. Every article with the made
in U. S. A." stamp that Is ordered at q
fair price, that is up to catalogue de.
| scription and satisfactory in quality
means a strong advertisement for al
American goods. And this widespread
| what the goods Of any nation need be-
fore they can take real hold in for.
eign country.
After any given American firm has
rendered satisfactory service with the
class of goods that are shipped in par
| eel post packages. 1t has a certain
right to look for mail orders of a larger
sort that will be shipped by freight
Nowadays everything from fish hook
to an automobile or portable house
can be bought by mail: and it is just
under such conditions as prevail in
China, where the local dealer who car
ries automobiles or portable houses In
stock is conspicuous by his absence
that the mail order catalogue is in its
element. OF course. there was always
the possibility of selling goods in China
by mail, the order to be shipped by
freight. But shipping cheap trifies by
freight is hardly practicable, and 1t is
from just such small beginnings that
confidence and larger orders must grow
The now convention gives America a
chance to sell large variety of goods
to China strictly by mail, and on such
foundation an important commercial
structure may be built.