Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-06-05
UNCLE SAM is PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE
IN COMMERCE WITH THE CHINESE
Great Britain Really Occupies
First Place, While Amer
lea Stands Fourth.
JAPAN S NDS SECOND
Cotton lmportations From U. S.
Also Snall-Exccl in Kero-
scnc, However.
u. " lillian rhilIr si,nm..

America is playing second fiddle in
tnis part Of tho world. Trcro is no
di'euising the fact Nnd as long :
rampant disorder grips CHINA. as u
docs now, thor. iy lirtIe prospect OF
tcr ever playing anything else unless
" is TO 20 still further down tho line
and play the ineffective, but t.ukling
ty'nbal
50 business men herea bouts orinc
The iangtzc River taps tho heart
.; china. the richest par, OF tho
country Hankow is the outlet and
tho gateway a. one and the same
time. 50 inquired ~ tho por, au-
thoritlos for neures 70 check up
b'' on what had heard.
The statistics they furnished would
sorm 10 bear GU. what Americans
had told me And iIdnAOw statistics
carry Significance.
I. y. Trailing.
During last year. of 81 ocean going
vessels calling a, Hankow, 375 were
American. twenty Chinese ana four
French
OF the river steamers. i72o we're
under tho British haE. l,bo6 Under
the japanese, s33 under IN" Chinese
ana t73 under The American.
In The order of tonnage the line
MP Of the seaeoinE vessels was ike
$500; American, l3l,5ls. Chinese.
:O.ist; French, ass.
The tonnage OF tho river steamers
clearing Hankow follows.
British. 2.32o.O2l tons. Japanese.
lI5s.52i. Chinese. l.I3l,5a3 AmcrI-
~.n l23.s9i more than eighteen
British tons for every orc Americana.
Here * the sailing vessel tonnage
Chinese SCI ships to,aling s70lo
tons BrAish, ai7 ships agsrceaiinT
70.s7T tons, japanese i2i ships. OF
a72os tons. and American. SIN ships.
or see tons
america Fourth
Ba-ges play an important role In
al river tranic. In the Yanktzc - in
every other. 50 asked for the tug
statistics with The tonnage o. ;heir
tows. Here is what the port oA!c;als
gave me:
Chinese towing craft, 2.i7e: tonnnE.
in tow. ils.3s6 tons. British, 1851
Graft. towing 23i,5si tons. Japanese.
tvs craft with ll42oe tons IN tow
,.0d ninety-uinc American Graf, tow
T, WIN be seen tina, Grea, Britain
rca,ly occupies first place IN this
category Or river shipping heca use
while tho Chinese have considers by
more towing vessels on the river they
arc much smaller than TIA" Rr'tisn.
whose towtd ,onnac" doubled that 81
tho chinese.
TAe Hankow clearance figures snow
America - b" IN fourth place IN
grand to,al tonnage. Great Britain be
irr fret. Japan second China ;h.rf
a. INLAND sailors.
Thc total tonnn re figures follow
Greet Bri,aIQ 2.s69,l72 tons Japan
ln.e.3s2 tons. china '677.ssi. United
s,a,cs 260.5oo
-, r.,,,,sc b,rdi,nnncG as 'hcv
src and with but few vessels other
,h.Y iunks and launches. thus got
n,v.v with fair share Of N" gross
t'sbinoing They had S,lil vessels ~
ono sor, ar another To clear lian"ow
during 1920 as against i."6i Brltisn
vessels Of all "ateGorIcs, 222" Jdpa n
csc and Gli American.
Inland water stcamcrS-pr principally
rnrol and lake vessels mainly In
80 hands Of tho chinese themselves.
Tho iapancse make no effort 10 com
no.. with anybody in this field AID
,,rb craft Of this kind a arc under
,r.lr ;ac are for their own private
usos Tho Chinese operate 1856
,oichinc ct Hankow. rs against 80
B-.tish. ll6 American and eight ia
pan"sc.
Inland Empire.
Szcchunn Province. up tho river
from Hankow. ia called the Inland
Enlpi-c." because OF It's vast popula-
ton and the richness Of its natural
resources This province alone has
almost as many inhabitants rs the
tinted states and tho population Of
the whole territory continuous TO tho
yangtHc has been estimated as pretty
close Ia 00.o0o.000.
Tho Japanese and British arc fight
ing for import trade in this part o.
/. China 7 looked into this. too AT
tho customs in Hankow, and found
American business suffering.
cotton goods piece goods they
cali them over hcrc-rank first
among China's imports and will
probably continue first for long
time 20 como. All the natives wear
cotton clothes some Of them TO the
exclusion Of all other kinds
u. 6. Behind Again.
a.. Enormous quantities Of cotton
goods must he imported by china
An,Il cotton mills in China arc in
operation. and il would seem that
great cotton producing country like
America would get much OF this trade.
Here are the customs figures fur
nishcd me in lIankow:
Gray Shooting: Chinese. % hno
nioces: Ihpancsc. $1,000: English. l3,.
oco: American. l,5oo.
GRAY shirting: Japanese. 373.oo0
ricccS: English, 10000. Chinese. $500;
American. 40
ct%y drills: Chinese $1,000 pieces
japanese. lt,G3o; American LES;
English. 40.
Gray jeans: japanese $4,000
riices: English. $4,000; Chinese. o.ooo;
!, american =.
p white shirting: English. 354.oOO
piccos; japanese. $1,000; Chinese.
$500: American
u. y. Lends In OIL.
In the oil trade. however. America
led. though even there the 1920 lead
was considerably smaller than IN
1919
I.ikcN isc. with other nations Gradu-
ally getting their hands on the new
petroleum fields and American
sources alleged 10 he on tho decrease
gather than the increase. experts arc
beginning 10 question the wisdom
of the United States furnishing the
world with her product now so law