Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-14
With Other Editors
China's Railways.


China, including Mongolia, Manchuria, Chinese
Turkesan and Tibet territory of approximately
four million square miles. or about million more
square miles than the United States exclusive Of
Alaska and island possessions. Inside the boundar-
les of China live approximately four hundred mil
lion people, or about four times the population of
America. American has about three hundred thou
sand square miles of railroad, about 2641 miles
for each 10000 of population. China has 6,147 miles
of railway about three thousand miles less than
the United States had in 1850. The present means
of transportation in China outside of the compare
lively few miles of railways by canal, coaswise and
river steamer, camel caravans and the labor of
human beings. The cost of Transporting merchan-
disc in China is about gold) per mile while
the cost of transporting merchandise in America
der modern railroad conditions is about sOO69 per
ton mile.
There are immense provinces in China as yet I'M
touched by modern methods of transportation These
provinces are the most fertile in the world from the
STANDPOINT of agricultural production and they con-
tain mineral products of untold wealth and quantity
In spite of this wealth. the population of these prov
inces is scarcely above the hunger line because
the impossbility of transporting merchandise to
the markets of the world. Coal many native
mines in China may be purchased for so cents a ton
while few hundred miles away people freeze to
death every winter because they cannot afford to
pay s25 to $40 ton for coal, the high cost all
being caused by the difficulties of transportation The
average daily wage in the interior of China is about
10 day. This is caused by the fact that Chna's
great wealth of labor, owing the impossibiIity
transporting the products this labor mar
kets fairly itself up.
Chinas greatest material need is modern means
of transportation Railway engineers have estimated
that $4,000 miles of railways may be built and profit
ably operated in China in the next few years. The
cost of constructing railroads in China is slightly
lower than the of construction in other parts
the world owing to the unlimited supply of human
labor in China 1t has been estimated that 1925 900
(Chinese currency mile is liberal figure rail-
road construction in China this includes the pur-
chase of land and the unusual of bridge
building that Chna's numerous streams and canals
necessitate
Chinas 6,467 miles of railways in most cases
proftably and efficiently operated when it is con-
sidered that China has known railroad opera
ton longer than quarter a century. The di-
and managers the Chinese government rail
roads foreign educated in general understand
their business Chinese railway trains of course do
compare in elegantly fitted trans
continental trains of America Europe of few
years ago, The roadbeds of the railways of China
In general of better construction than the aver
age roadbeds of many American roads
y American capital and engineering enterprise with
it's railway systems practically completed and
under government control and operation will in the
next few years other fields TO develop China
offers the best possible field for foreign enterprise
in railway construction. The labor here in unlim-
tied quantities and the materials of iron steel and
coal but await the coming of capital and ranspor-
aton development as true of electrically
America and Europe for dozens of years have
spent millions in in China for missionary
educational and philanthropc work. OF what value
is this of education when there is means OF
applying the educated product? China cannot de-
yeop unless she is given means for development The
internal political troubles of China can largely be
traced back to lack of understanding the part OF
the various sections of the with another
and with the outside world. This is due TO lack of
internal transportation and communication. There is
room in China for the greatest measure OF deveIp-
ment the part Of every foreign nation China well
comes foreign capital and enterprise in every field
of endeavor but her greatest present need is more
railroads .-Milards Review.