The sun., 1919-09-24
Business Men Should Make
Steamship Reservations
Well in Advance.
HOTELS NOW CROWDED
Travel in Japan and Countries
Near By Presents Few
Difficulties.
BY JOHN A. FOWLER,


States on business trip to the far East
is the late summer, In time to arrive In
China about the FIRST of October. but
April, May and June are almost equally
fino in most parts of northern Asia and
tho China trip may be made with COM
fort after leaving the tropics IL 1t Is
more convenient II some time Is to be
spent in Japan an earlier start should
be made, so as to leave for the south by
the first of December.
Favorable business conditions do not,
however, always synchronize with IA
vorable climatic conditions, and the
business man who expects to sell his
wares should consult his bankers and
export agent to learn the state of the sill
YER market in relation to his exports.
He should also study the tariffs and
the restrictions on imports in all the
countries he intends to visit.
At the present time steamship reser-
vations are difficult to make. Sailing
lists and possible reservations may gen.
orally be had by addressing the follow
ing companies operating steamships on
the Pacific: San Francisco-the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company. the China
Mail Steamship Company. the Matson
Steamship Company. and the Togo Kisen
Kaisha. Seattle-The Admiral Line. the
Nippon Yusen Kaisha and the Osaka
Shosen Kaisha. Vancouver-The Cana
dian Pacific Ocean Services Company
The hotels of the Orient at present are
full to overlooking, and some OF the most
popular ones are refusing to book ac-
commodations in advance, especially in
the tropics but 1t will always be an ad-
vantage 10 have reservations reQuisi-
toned some time in advance and by
cable from the last port. A list of the
hotels patronized by business men, to-
gether with other items OF interest, has
been placed on file with the branch Of
fees of the Bureau of Foreign and Do
nestle Commerce in New York. Boston
Chicago, st. Louis, New Orleans. San
Francisco and Seattle.
Japan, Corea, Manchuria, China.
Travel in Japan offers no difficulties
whatever to experienced travellers.
Heavy baggage not needed ashore
should be sent on the steamship to
Kobe to be picked up on leaving the
country.
Regular sailings OF passenger steam
ships are maintained between Kobe and
Tientsin until the ice forms, generally
in December. but the most convenient
route is across the Sea of Japan by
ferry" from Shimonesaki to Fusan in
Corea and thence by rail to Tientsin,
via Mukden, where a change is made to
! the Pekin- Mukden Railway.
The principal cities in North China
where business can be done with for
eign business organizations or with
English-speaking Chiense are Chang
chunfu and Mukden- in Manchuria.
| Tientsin and Pekin, in Shihili and Wei
haiwei, Chefoo. Tsinan and Tsingtau, in
Shantung. Hankow and its sister cities,
Hanyang and Wuchang. may be reached
| by rail from PelSin (four hours from
Tientsin) in a little over a day. or by
one of the several competing lines OF
steamships from Shanghai in from two
| to three days
| Shanghai is three days by sea and
thirty-six hours by rail from Tientsin
Some of the steamers call at ChefoC
and Weihaiwei en- route, but often the
steamships have to wait several days
to get over the bar, and the surer way
to keep on a schedule is to go by train
which makes possible a stop over al
Tsihan and 10 side trip by rail to the
port of Tsingtau.
Most of the big houses of China have
either their head offices or importan
branches in Shanghai and its easy &C
cess by rail or steamer to its enormous
hlnterland makes 1t the most importan
commercial centre in the Orient. Nan
king, Chinkiang. Soochow and Hang
chow are within easy reach by rail
and Ningpo can be reached by steam
ship within twelve hours.
Three treaty ports-Foochow, Amo.
and Swatow, on the coast betwee
Shanghai and Hongkong-may be wort
visit, as there are important branche
of some of the large import and expor
houses there. Many steamers call reg
ularly at these ports, and there is no dii
ficulty in getting transportation, sue
as 1t is, but hotel accommodations ar
very poor or even entirely lacking. an
it may be necessary to stay aboard TIL
steamer at night.