7
\
160
affairs. When the Berliner Tageblatt, discussing this same legislation, can advance the argument that it is because the coolies prefer the humaner German captains and crews, and therefore flocked to German ships, that the Straits Executive Council issued its recent order, it can occasion no surprise to read such articles as the one which we have glanced at above. Such articles, nevertheless, may do harm in embittering national feeling, on which ground their publication is to be regrette.l.
THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD'S COMMERCE.
·
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(Daily Press, 19th August ) The Philadelphia Commercial Museum has published a small pamphlet entitled The World's Commerce and United States' Share of It, which, though mainly statistical, is of great interest at the present time when the fear of American trade competition has developed into a panic in certain commercial circles. The pamphlet summarises the actual figures on which the evidence of the States' commercial advance is based and indulges but little in anything beyond the barest comment. Starting with a note upon the vast change in the relations of the States with the rest of the world since 1890, when the country was largely dependent on Europe, and more especially on Great Britain, for money to develop its resources, it alludes to the BARING collapse of 1890. the panic of 1893, with long and widespread distress throughout the States, causing general economy, the introduction by manu- facturers of new and cheaper methods of production, and ultimately an accumulation of savings. Then came the good crops in the States at a time of drought in India and Australia, which led to the increasing needs of Europe having to be satisfied from America, with the consequence that $2,000,000,000,000 in four years represented the excess of exports over imports in the States, whose manufacturers now found that they could sell their products at prices enabling them to compete successfully in the world's markets. They have entered those markets to stay, and since 1890 have increased the exports of manufactured goods more, in actual value, than Great Britain, France, and Germany combined. The percentage of this increase the pamphlet says, is greater than that of any of these nations in a quarter of a century.' The following table of export of manufactured goods is appended, the figures being in millions of dollars:
Countries. United States
"
17
<
Increase per cent.
"
**
26
G
This balance was paid out of the amount
paid to us by England, and left over three
[August 26, 1901.
SIR JOHN CARRINGTON'S
RESIGNATION.
(Daily Press, 17th August.)
and a half billions to pay freight, insur- ance, and other charges, and to accumulate a balance in our favour in the money As we announced to our readers yesterday, "markets of the world." The disposition the news has been received in Hongkong of this surplus presents a difficult problem. that His Honour Sir Joня WOBRELL At present a large part of it is used to pay CARRINGTON, K.B., C.M.G., D.O.L., LL.D, freights, insurance, interest on securities in M.A., has been obliged through ill-health Europe, and travelling expenses of Ameri- to send in his resignation of the office of cans in foreign countries. All of it cannot Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of this be invested in English, German, and other colony, a post which he has held since 1896. foreign loans and investments. It is there- The news has been received with feelings of before us thinks, that large amounts will be possible for any man to have administered fore probable, the writer of the document universal regret. It would have been im invested in new industries and railroads, the duties of his office in a manner which and in developing the new possessions. could win wore general esteem than has These new industries will increase the fallen to the lot of Sir John Carrington. surplus for export and compel the United For ability, and uprightness he has made States to take a prominent share in the himself an honourable name among all the world's politica and trade, whether it races with whom his work has brought him desires to do so or not. A vigorous in contact. He has, moreover, done the 'foreign trade will enable the American colony an inestimable service in the com- 'people to continue the prosperity with pilation of the new Code of Civil Procedure, which they have been blessed in the past which was issued shortly before his departure By means of machinery, for Japan. Away from his official sphere the great manufacturing nations have of action, he has won for himself a reputa- been able to produce much more than they tion which will not quickly perish, whether can consume, and have been forced to find in his capacity of Commandant of the local outlets for their surplus products in less Hongkong Corps or in his general social developed countries. This explains the efforts which European nations are making the affection felt for him that he was known aspects. It is perhaps no small token of to secure control of large regions of everywhere simply as Sir John." His "country in Asia and Africa. The United States, by possession of the Philippines, is in a position to secure a fair share of the trade of near-lying "countries on the continent of Asia." But, as the writer says later on, nothing but persistent pushing can secure foreign trade, which does not necessary follow the flag, for (he instances) in the Philippines, England and Germany have secured a larger share of the trade than the United States.
"6
+4
"
"
186 per ct.
*
11
1890 1900 Increase.
151 432 281 United Kingdom.1119 1144 25 2 Germany
529 678 149 28 France
40 365 -25 -61 The panic-mongers who fear so much the advance of American commerce should take to heart the warning which the pamphlet proceeds to give that the success of the United States in foreign trade cannot be achieved by the destruction of that of their rivals. The States are largely dependent on the purchasing ability of their best customer, the United Kingdom. From 1880 to 1900 "the United States sold to the United 'Kingdom a little over nine billion dollars' "worth of goods, or about one-balf of all "our exports; while during the same time “the United &tates bought from the United "Kingdom only about three and a half "billion dollars worth, leaving a balance of five billion six hundred million dollars. During the same period the imports from "other countries exceeded in value the goods "sold to them by over two billion dollars.
**
46
44
four years.
from the United States into the various Into the exact details of the exports parts of the world we cannot here follow the writer, for to do so would involve the from them that the United States have still quotation of endless figures. He concludes to gain their fair share of the world's imports in many lines, and that this can only be done by the "persistent pushing" mentioned above. With regard to the fear expressed in Europe that the States will not only secure a larger share of trade in the other grand divisions of the world, but will also make inroads upon the domestic trade of European countries themselves, the writer laughs at the talk of an international alliance agaiust the States to keep American products out of Europe, and says:
Such efforts are unlikely to cause anxiety if considered in the light of recent commercial history Individual nations in the past have tried to do this, and it has generally resulted in a steady increase of American exports to the countries themselves, and a decrease "of American imports from these same this instructive little pamphlet has evidently "countries." The author and compiler of
nations to damage the United States by any no dread of the power of the European Euch action as anti-American extremists on the Continent have urged.
*4
44
**
10
During the first half of the present year 1,910,105 tons of coal were shipped from Moji, of which 203,831 tons were sent to Hongkong, 241,504 to Shanghai, 47,535 to Singapore, 102,302 to Manila. Bunkers for foreign-going for local steamers 622,684 tons. The Mitsui ships took 269,514, and Japan ports and bunkers Bussan Kaisha shipped 423,135 out of the total of 1,910,163 tons, including 73,303 tons to Hongkong, 62,803 to Shanghai, and 49,456 to Singapore.
4
(4
At the same time, the strain of hard work had departure will be a great loss to the colony evidently begun to tell severely on him of late, and no one can grudge his retirement from
a long and distinguished career. Born in 1847, Sir JOHN CARRINGTON WAS educated at Lodge School and Codrington College, Barbados, and Lincoln College, Oxford, the University for which he cher- ishes still, as is well known, the warmest affection. He was a barrister at Lincoln's
and became Member of Inn in 1872; returned to the West Indies House of Assembly in 1874-78 and again the Barbados
in 1881; Solicitor-General, 1878; Acting the Education Board; Chief Justice of St. Attorney-General, 1880-81; President of Lucia and Tobago, 1883-85 Acting Chief Justice of Grenada, 1886; Attorney. General of British Guiana, 1888; and Chief Justice of Hongkong, in succession to Sir FIELDING CLARKE, in 1896.
Sir. JOHN CARRINGTON took his seat in Court for the first time on the 18th May of that year, being welcomed by the Hon. W. MEIGH GooDMAN, Attorney General, in a speech expressing the high anticipations entertained of his coming administration of justice here. We can only conclude by saying that all such anticipations have been more than fulfilled.
[We believe that, though Sir John Carring- ton actually sent in his resignation, he will be induced to reconsider it so far as to wait the ' few remaining months before his pension falls duo. It is probable, however, that he will be on sick leave during the remainder of his term of office.j
signing himself T.E.E., writes on the subject A correspondent to the Singapore Free Press, of the proposed tramway scheme for Singapore. In the course of his letter he mys:-"In Hongkong there is no public body to mfeguard public rights from the pressure of the Colonial Office, and as the rickshas are limited to a small number (700, I think) the syndicate may have dropped in for a good thing there." As matter of fact the actual number of rickshas at present l'censed here is:-675 in Victoria, 23 at proposes as a model for Singapore the Durban Quarry Bay, and 14) at Kowloon. T.EE. Municipality which controles the rickskas and the tramways, and the latter are being built because the rickshas are too expensive insuficient to deal with the trafla.”