Evening star., 1924-12-14
Such Activities and Majority of Missionaries American

prise in China is the Standard Oil
Company. Our tobacco trust sells
more cigarettes to the Chinese than
any other American or foreign COM
pany, and now has its own cigarette
factories in China. One of our sew
ing machine companies has for years
done a large business in China and
has its own agencies throughout the
country. Americans have also been
quite successful in recent years in
selling electrical goods of all sorts.
and the Chinese government railways
have bought many cars, locomotives
and other railroad equipment from
the United States.
Some of the trains run on Chinese
railways are made up of American
equipment throughout, from head
light to tail lights.
There are in Shanghai Americans
engaged in selling to the Chinese
with more or less success practically
all the more important lines of
American manufactures, and there
are engineering and construction
firms out here engaged in public and
private improvements on a large
scale. In Shanghai alone more than
500 foreign style homes were put up
in single recent year, and many of
the business houses, both Chinese and
foreign, now have their own build
ings made of stone, steel and con-
crete that would not seem out of
place in our American cities.
In talking with Americans since l
have been in China, ] find great diff
ferences of opinion as to the pros
poets for Americans in this country.
Some Of our people out here are
frankly pessimistic, and say that try
ing to do business with the Chinese
is not worth their while and that
they can make much more money at
home. After the World War there
was greet rush of American firms
to establish selling agencies, branch
banks and other enterprises in China.
Many of these schemes failed and a
lot of Americans went home dis
gusted, as well as minus a good many
dollars.
Other Americans tell me that the
trouble with our people in the Far
East is that they are unwilling to
take the bad along with the good.
They say that Americans are enthusi-
astic as long as business is booming
and they are making money, but that
II q cloud appears in the financial
sky both those on the ground and
their hackers at home quickly get
frightened and throw UP the sponge
instead of fighting on for the better
times that are sure to come. They
point out that the Chinese
have more faith in America
than in any other nation. and declare
that in the long run it will pay
American business not only to send
it's agents out here, but also to invest
in Chinese enterprises jointly with
the Chinese themselves.
Our manufacturers are much criti-
cized for tagging behind those of
other nationalities in sending their
own Representatives to China. In the
past many lines of American goods
have been sold here through British,
Japanese, German and Chinese firms.
Such arrangements, am told, never
bring as good results as can be OBJ
tanned by Americans selling their own
goods on the ground. 1t Is certainly
true that the American firms most
successful in China have their own
managers and statesmen to drum up
their business in this country.
4 -
TT IS expensive for American firms
to maintain their own agents in
China. While the cost Of living in
China is very low for the Chinese, It
ample, it is. estimated that no Amerf-
can employe, even in minor capac-
ity, should be sent out to China on
salary less than $4,000 a year. 1t is
calculated that IL he is married he
should have at least $4,000, and If he
has children he should be helped out
in some way with his house rent and
servants. Some of the American and
English corporations regularly fur
nish houses to their chief representa-
tives In China.