Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-09

comment. Of tea she exported 1l200O.-
900 pounds in l926-certainly an ample
supply tor brewing a vast sea of that
universally popular beverage The uses
of silk are steadily expanding and Great
ing new outlets for her increasing pro-
duction, not only for wearing apparel,
but for numerous new industrial pur-
poses which range from radio set insula-
ton to parachutes for aviatorS. Her
trade in raw silk last year mounted to
more than 100000,000.
There are many other exotic Specialties
of china which figure in the worlds
trade bristles for hairbrushes. the ex-
port value OF which exceeded $4,000, 900
in 1925; human hair-though the fall
ing demand for hair nets has steadily
impaired this once prosperous industry;
musk, which is the basis of so many of
our expensive perfumes camel's hair for
our smart sports coats; gall nuts or "oak
apples" for the manufacture of high
grade writing inks: firecrackers, rugs,
jade and countless others. China is one
OF the largest exporters of eggs and egg
products. Much of our import trade in
Irish" lace-in fact, nearly all of it
now originates in the mission schools of
China
Question Of Industrialization.
This brings up the question of the
possibilities of industrializing this hith-
erto predominantly agricultural people.
With a vast population of 400 millions,
nearly equal to that of the whole of
Europe, with an area greater than that
of the United States and Mexico COM
bined, and with corresponding variations
in climate. topography and, therefore,
resources, the possibilities of indus
trialization would seem to be very
promising. 1t was not, however, until
1890 that the first smokestacks of
modern factories appeared on the
Chinese horizon among the quaint
pagoda roofs. There are now hundreds
OF industrial plants, largely cotton mills,
with some 100000 spindles (one-tenth
as many as ours). about 100 modern
flour mills turning out 10000 barrels
a day more than 400 electric light and
power plants and hundreds OF lesser
establishments producing various fine
fabrics, glass, porcelain, paper, matches,
etc.
At first thought, this movement might
appear to threaten seriously our export
trade in certain competing lines of
goods. notably textiles, hardware, etc.
The broad commercial effect of such a
curtailment, though evident in some
commodities, is apt to be overestimated.
In the first place, the output of the
Oriental factories Is largely of lower
grades, which compete more with Ger
man or Japanese exports than with our
own. Secondly. the outstanding merit
OF American industry Is the speed of
its progress; and the rapid advance
ment in technique, with consequent
cuts in production cost and improve
ment in quality of output, have been
and will continue to be sufficient to
maintain a substantial margin of adj
vantage for our trade
1t Is worth noting in this connection
how our sales Of raw cotton to China
have increased because of this indus
trialization. They totaled about $780,
600 in 1913, but advanced to 10000, 900
last year.
An Increasing Market.
Furthermore, there Is the resultant
increasing market for machinery, re-
placements and supplies, which we are
In an excellent position to provide. She
bought $4,200,000 worth of machinery
OF all types from us last year-nearly
six times as much as in 1913. Even
more important is the fact that this in
dustrial development involves the pay
ment of wages which yield much
higher income to thousands Of natives
than they would otherwise enjoy; it has
already had marked effect upon their
purchasing power.
The old industrial order in China was
OF the primitive household variety--an
| intimate adjunct of the barter stage of
trade. the lowest form of commercial
life. With the newly stimulated buy
ing power OF industrial pay rolls the
market for many classes of American
goods hitherto unstable in China has
come into being. For instance. the
American cigarette has come to displace
Chinese tobacco and those picturesque
little metal pipes. In the period just
before the war we were selling that
country about 650,000,000 cigarettes a
wear; the sale last year was about seven
! billion. The smoke of factories seems
propltiouS to the smoke OF flags"
For the same reason-the improved
living standai ds-there has been Il
striking growth in recent years In our
exports to China of wheat, -four espe-
clally from the Pacific Coast in years
OF rice crop shortages.
! Similarly. dried fruits (notably raj
| sins). flashlights, radio sets, canned
vegetables, toilet requisites and even
chewing gum are beginning to figure in
our transpacific sales. AS yet some of
these represent individually only mod
crate values. but they are straws indi-
eating the direction of the trade winds
of the future. These imported luxuries
are certain to be more and more In de-
mand as the standard OF living rises in
China and our share in supplying them
should be substantial one.
| Fortunately for lie nerhanc the mr.
chasing power of China has increased
so rapidly that these gains of ours have
been only to moderate degree at the
expense Of our competitors; they have
been made up largely of sales of charac-
teristic specialties of American fac
tories. But the time Is certainly COM
ing when we shall have a real struggle
on our hands as the rehabilitation of
the republic gets under way and creates