604
CHINA
Plant was less, at Hk. Tls. 6,046,459 in value, and other Machinery increased in value, by a fourth, to Hk. Tls. 2,660,039.
"Exports.-The total value of Exports was Hk. Tls. 239,486,683, compared with Hk. Tls. 236,205,162 in 1903. In 1864, to a total of 51 million taels Silk contributed 24 per cent., Tea 58 per cent., Raw Cotton (an exceptional exportation, owing to the American Civil War) 12 per cent., and all other goods 6 per cent.; in 1904, to a total of 239 million taels Silk contributed 32 per cent., Tea 12 per cent., Raw Cotton 103 per cent., Beans and Beancake 3 per cent. (5 per cent. in 1903), and other goods 41 per cent.. In the enumeration of Exports Tea is still given first place, on account of its past importance. The total shipments of all kinds amounted to 1,451,249 piculs, a decrease- of 226,281 piculs. Black leaf shows no diminution; green leaf fell off 60,474 piculs, fairly distributed over all the consuming markets; and Brick Tea, black and green together, accounts for the rest of the reduction, being less by 170,763 piculs. The lessened export of Brick Tea left a larger quantity of Dust available for shipment. The maintenance of the figures for Black Tea will teach the Chinese growers and packers a false lesson, in leading them to believe that they can retain their trade in the face of careless and unscientific methods of growing and preparation; they should remember that the restriction of the market for Brick Tea left more of the crop free for packing as leaf. Large shipments of Green Tea in the two previous years lessened the demand during the past year; and the reduction in the export of Brick Tea is. explainable by the difficulties of transport to the consuming area in Asiatic Russia. Silk shipments increased to a satisfactory extent over 1903 figures, but in the important items of white and yellow reelings did not attain to the already lowered figures of 1902. For many years attempts have been made to bring home to Chinese producers a realising sense of the danger impending over the China Silk trade. It has been pointed out to them that their worms are diseased; that, of a smaller cocoon, it now takes from 4 to 6 piculs and a much greater proportionate number to make the 1 picul of Silk formerly made by 3 to 4 piculs of the larger and stronger cocoon of former years; and that remedial measures were ready to their hand. The silkmen of China are living in a fool's paradise. The drop from the high prices of 1899 to the low rates of 1901 may have given them a shock; but their confidence was easily restored by the later moderate recovery, and the fact that they can still sell their deteriorated Silk blinds them to the absolute necessity of doing something for the improvement of quality. Their prime error is in thinking that they make the price, that it depends on the cost of cocoons in China; the price is made in the markets of the West-at Lyons and New York, at London and Milan, and in making it Italy and Japan are much more important factors to-day than China. Of the world's supply of Silk at present, based on the average of the past three years, 1902-04, and not including the home weaving of China and Japan, China provides 27 per cent. (North China 18 and South China 9), Japan 28 per cent., Italy 25 per cent., and all other countries 20 per cent.; China Silk, moreover, owing to its now inferior quality, has not even the influence due to its quantity. Though the export of White Silk from China in 1904 was less than the export of five years ago, the world's visible supply is greater than ever before, and for 1904 is expected to reach a total of 325,000 piculs, of which China's export only constitutes 25 per cent. The fact is that the North China silkworm is by nature the best in the world, producing naturally from the best mulberry the largest quantity of the finest Silk; but, in common with all other countries, the worm was. attacked by disease. Other countries at once adopted remedial measures, with the result that the disease does not exist there, and with the further result that their Silk is now superior to Chinese. Japan, for example, now obtains for her Filature Silk as much as is given for that from Shanghai'; and while from 1899 to 1904 the export of Chinese White Silk fell from 109,279 to 81,511 piculs, in the same five years the export from Japan increased from 59,069 to 96,586 piculs. The Chinese methods. of breeding the silkworm were excellent so long as there were no scientific methods available; the exposure to the frost and snow was effective in eliminating the weak- lings from the eggs and leaving only the strong to hatch out, consume leaf, and spin silk, but only on condition that there was no disease. Against this the surgeon is the only effective agent. The result of the failure of China to adopt microscopic examina- tion of eggs is that, while of 1,000 healthy eggs selected by such examination, perhaps 700 may survive through all the stages of development and spin strong cocoons, from 1,000 of the eggs of to-day in the Shanghai country not over 300 will arrive at the spinning stage-the other 40) will have eaten leaf to waste, and even the surviving 300 will spin an undersized cocoon. As has been said, to make a picul of Silk once took 3 to 4 piculs of cocoons, and now takes 4 to 6 piculs. Everyone knows this; but