New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-04
Progress and
Pirates Drive
Junk from Seas
Heavy Trade Losses. Shipping
Shortage and High Freight
Rates the Result

The Chinese junk, one o! the piet'
uresaue features OF South Chins's in
land water transportation system, il
giving way to the foreign style steam
vessel. Adviees from the Far East are
to the effect that junks are being driven
ont Of the trade, largely because OF
brisandsss along the Chinese water
courses.
But the decline IN the number Of
this craft being operated In South
China waters Is having . msrked o.
fec. upon the import snd export trade
according 70 George z. Andersen. the
American Consul General At HonsEons
I. has increased local frsishts and has
.,.o resulted In the actual failure OF
tr.nsportstion Of goods in and out OF
the country.
Trade Losses Heavy
Practically all Of the commissioners
Of customs In the South China ports
IN their last annual published reports
r.ter 70 the manner In which the JUNK
is giving way to foreign style steam
vessels because the latter by reason
Of foreign protection or their s0'','y
TO escape avoid many Of the results
OF the interference Of Chinese origands
In his r.por. for 1915 the commits
sioner q. Canton shows that the value
Of the Junk trade passing through INC
ot,ces under his control in that year
w.s only about $4,000. 900 taels. in
stead Of the $4,000, 900 taels Of the pre-
ceding year. The decrease, he stated
was due entirely 70 the cause referred
10. The commissioner at Lappa de-
scribes conditions at length, and indi-
Gates that most Of the loss Of trade OF
the port, which amounted to about q
per cent, as compared with that OF
1918, was due 10 the same cause. The
commissioner at Kongnun reports that
the number of junks entered and
cleared co,stwise a. Kongmun in 1915
was only 1911, compared with 1870 in
1915. Samshui has a similar report.
"Where the trade is not killed entire
ly," Mr. Anderson writes. cit is now
being handled only by steam vessels
OF . higher cost, and, Of course, with
that much more OF q drain upon the
supply Of steam vessels for other
purposes. Freiehts have advanced sc-
cordingly, and costs to American i'm
porters or 10 Chinese importers OF
American goods have advanced in the
same way.
Better Service May Result
aside from the paralysis OF indus
try and production, as we'll as inter
ference with commerce which this en-
tails, nearly all the customs commits
sioners in their annual reports init
mate that the trade which has thus been
driven from junks will never return 70
native style vessels. and there is little
doubt that most Of il will remain with
the foreign style vessels. even after
present abnormal conditions have
raised This probably means better
service in some respects. but II IN
means increased freight
rates upon many commodities now
shipped TO the United States which
heretofore have found their way to the
seaboard at Hongkong BY native trade
route and native vessels. Hereafter
they will be handled through the Chi
nese Maritime Customs and the foreign
trade route. proceeding thus along
safer but probably more expensive
lines.
Some Of the larger Chinese vessel,
that were used in the delta water in
foreign trade service and have been
driven from their former business by
have undertaken coasting
and short oversee voyages. Some OF
these southern ports show an increase
In Chinese style tonnage trading to
Hainan. Pakhoi, Kwangehow and lndo-
Chinese ports. Vessels Of this char
scter. however, cannot long survive In
this coasting trade. and it seems more
likely that as they disappear fewer
vessels % their style and nature will
appear to take their places"