Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-26

dummy extra funnel and flying the
japanese flag, crept into Penang and
sank Russian cruiser and a French
torpedo boat destroyer. She kept
alive until the 10th of November,
when she fell in with one of the
Australian cruisers off the Cocos
Islands and was driven ashore and
burned.
The Japanese mado things mighty
uncomfortable for Kiauchau. They
had aeroplanes and hydroplanes. with
which they dropped bombs on the
fort and city, trying to hit the am
munition depots, the signal station.
the electric light plants and the
kerosene oil tanks, In opposition. the
Germans had only two balloons and
one little taube. The Japanese filled
one of the balloons with shrapnel
holes. and the other was lost by a
strong wind. which carried 1t out
over the yellow sea. The taube left
the port the day before the surrender
and few to the Chinese city OF Hal
chaw. $50 miles away, where 1t was
informed. its aviator making his way
to the United States. After the siege
was over the Japanese took possess
sion of the port and the country sur
rounding. Since then many civilian
Japanese have arrived. and the trade
has been largely captured by Japan.
imports and 95 per cent OF the ex.
ports. There are said to be about
10000 Japanese now living and doing
business in Tsingtau. Nevertheless.
the Japanese government alleges that
it is willing to give back the civil adj
IN pf rot nF tho GhAnfnDR Denin-
suIa to China. and this may be the
decree Of the peace conference,
Whatever be the decision as to the
government of the territory. 1t is
commercial stronghold of the Ger
mans in the far east. They have ex,
plotted the country adjoining and
have established connections. com.
mercial and otherwise, which VIII
enable them to control much or me
trade. They have built railroad ESQ
miles long from the port to Tsinanfu,
the capital OF Shantung, and this con-
meets with the road running north
to Tientsin and south to Shanghai. 1T
Is now possible to go from Shanghai
to Kiauchau in comfortable train
The Germans have opened up the
coal mines which lie about sixty miles
back from Tsingtau. and these mines
will compete with the Japanese mines
at Nagasaki and the Chinese mines
posits are said to be large and the
coal Is close to the surface OF the
earth. In visiting the Kaiping mines
I was taken down more than 1000
feet below ground. and when ! went
through the Japanese mines at Maya
saki I Travelled for miles in tunnels
far down under the Pacific ocean.
The Shantung mines have been work.
ed by the Chinese for generations.
They dug the coal out with picks and
,tv-Ny tva.
backs Of mules and donkeys and In
carts and wheelbarrows.
Outside the territory reached by the
railroads the -wheelbarrow is Shan
lungs chief means of heavy trans
port 1t is rude monocycie. with a
OF the bed and shelf on each side
of the wheel. The freight Is carried
on the shelves in baskets or bags.
Such barrows are pushed and pulled
by men. On the great plain they. are
often aided on their way by sails held
over the barrow by poles fastened to
the bed. Not infrequently a donkey
is hitched to the front of the barrow.
thus aiding THE two-legged human
animal without feathers who pushes
behind The chief trouble in mining
this coal is that some of the mines
are bedded iii water, and when sunk
more than 200 feet from the surface
they require pumps. This made them
impossible of further exploitation by
the Chinese. The Germans have in
PRODUCED the best Of modern ma
chinery and have been taking out the
coal by modern methods.
The mineral resources of Shantung
are said to be large. There are four
known coal fields, but none has been
intensively explored. There are also
deposits of copper, iron and silver.
and diamonds of considerable size
have been found. The province has
some gold. 1t has beds of sheet mica
and veins and beds of asbestos.
The great value of German China
Is its agriculture and human re-
sources. OF the thirty or forty mil
lion inhabitants of Shantung fully
nine-tenths are farmers who raise
wheat. mlllet sorghum and Indian
corn. They also raise peanuts, beans
and sweet potatoes. The wheat is
cultivated with the hoe and carefully
cared for. The people appreciate the
value of Indian corn. and 1t Is be-
lleved that market for our corn
might there be created.
The Germans realized the possibili-
ties OF this market and had devel-
oped 1t until they reached q total of
exports and imports of $50.000,O0O q
year. The chief imports are raw cot
ton. cotton goods and cotton yarn,
metals, paper, sugar and matches
The chief exports are strawbraid,
silk, peanut and bean Oil and pongee
silks.
The center Of trade is at Tsinanfu.
t1,t ta Ny.x., avISt n1