April 17, 1905.)
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རྒྱུུ -
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
minerals, opium, cotton and rape seed, tim- ber and wond, etc., in which the trade to Foreign countries is of recent development.
Beans and beancake were considerably less than in 1903, the quantity being reduced by a half and the value by nearly a third; this was occasioned, not by a reduced demand in the principal consuming country, Japan-where they are taken, the one to produce an illuminant and esculent oil for the use of her people, the other to manure the rice fields which produce the people's food, but by the Russian declara- tion at the outbreak of war that they were contraband when shipped to the enemy's country. The export from Newchwang to Japan (in 1903 nearly the total export of beancake and half that of beans) was consequently proh bited so long as that port was held by the Russian forces, and, after its occupation by the Japanese, supplies were restricted to those coming by rail from the neutral zone west of the Liao.
to Burma. Wild silk-33,327 piculs, about five-sixths from North China-was more than in 1903 by 50 per cent. For many years attempts | have b.en made to bring home to Chinese pro- ducers a realising sense of the danger impend
It has been ing over the China Silk trade
are pointed out to them that their worms disessed; that, of a smaller cocoon, it now takes from four to six pículs and a much greater proportionate number to make the one picul of silk formerly made by three to four piculs of the larger and stronger cocoon of former years; and that remedial measures were ready to their hand. From the day of the investigations of Mr. Kleinwachter to the practical proposals of Mr. Rocher, all sound adivée fell on d af ears, and the only visible result is seen in a small school of instruction, feebl: patronised, at and in & recent anonymous Hangchow,
"A Lessou to the Silkworm pamphlet entitled Industry," addressed to the people of Wusieh
Straw Braid increased from 8,723 to 86,110 and vicinity, in which the example of the pains-
piculs. A large portion of the increase came taking Silk producers of Shao-hising, whos cocoons command a price 30 per cent. higher from improved demand for the fiuer qualities, than those of Wusieb, is held up as one worthy while the coarser grades were again distinguished
The silkmen of China of imitation.
are by the same charges of irregular plaiting and living in a fool's paradise. The drop from the fraudulent packing which have characterise l the industry in recent years. The Shantung higher prices of 1899 to the low rates of 1901
product shows a tendency to gravitate to Kiao- may have given them a shock; but their con- fidence was easily restored by the later moder te chow since the opening of the railway from recovery, and the fact that they can still sell Chi-nan, the Chefoo contribution to the combined their deteriorated silk blinds them to the export of the two ports having fallen from 70 per cent. in 1903 to 4 per cent, in 1904. Should absolute necessary of doing something for the
this tendency continue, the efforts which have improvement of quality. Their prime error is in thinking that they make the price, that it been made by some German exporters to im- prove the quality of the straw and the methods depends on the cost of cocoons in China; the price is made in the mark-ts of the West-of braiding and packing will, if successful, inevitable result of forcing the at Lyons and New York, at London and Milan, have the
Chinese guilds and middlemen, if. not from -and in making it Italy and Japan aro much more important factors to-day than China. shame, at least from interest, to place some Of the world's supply of silk at present, restraint on the operations of the producers and based on the average of the past three years, packers, and in time a recognised chop may 1902-04, and not including the home weaving of bave a recognised value.
Raw cotton, the export of which suffered a China and Japan, China provides 27 per cent. (North China 18 and South China 9), Japan 28 slight check in 1903 owing to the high prices per cent., Italy 25 per cent., and all other prevailing in the world's markets, again re- countries 20 cent.; China Silk, moreover owing sumed its forward march, and shipments in- to its now inferior quality, has not even the increased by 60 per cent., to 1,228,588 piculs. fluence due to its quantity. Though the export of white silk from China in 904 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 silk- worm is by nature the best in the world, produc- ing 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 re- medial measures, with the result that the disease does not exist there, and with the further result that there silk is now superior to Chinese. Japan, for example, now obtains for her fila- ture silk as much as is given for that from Shanghai; and while from 1899 to 19 4 the export of Chinese white silk fell from 09,279 to 81,511 piculs, in the same five years the ex; ort from Japan increased from 59,069 to 96,586 picnls. The Chinese methods of breeding the silkworm
were excellent so long as there were no scientific methods available; the ex-
Sugar was again moderate in amount, 365,906 posure to the frost and snow was effective iu eliminating the weaklings from the eggs, and piculs for all kinds, Skins and furs, feathers, leaving only the strong to hatch out, consume hides, nankeens, oils (expressed and essential), leaf, and spin silk, but only on condition that and opium are the principal other commodities
increase. to show much
The most marked there was no disease. Against this the surgeon
oil seeds (cotton, rape, is the only effective agent. The result of the decrease is in
the weather which gave failure of China to adapt microscopic examina-sesamum); tion of eggs is that, while of ',000 healthy eggs abundant crops of rice appears not to have selected by such examination, perhaps 700 may been so good for these seeds, and the sharp rise survive through all the stages of development in exchange doubtless lowered exporter's value and spin strong cocoons, from 1,000 of the eggs below that at which producers would sell. of to-day in the Shanghai country not over 300 Matting was exported to America in dimini:hed will arrive at the spinning stage-the other 400 quantity, owing to disputes, resulting in will have eaten leaf to waste, and even the strike, between workmen and jobbers; the troubles were settled before the end of the year, surviving 300 will spin an undersized cocoon. As has been said, to make a picul of silk and 1905 should show better results. Opiam was exported to Tonkin to the amount of 3,179 once took three to four piculs of
four to six picals. piculs. and
takes now
entered and Everyone knows this; but what is everyone's business is no one's business, and it is possible that, as with tea, so also with silk, the guilds and merchants interested will allow matters to drift
Cocoons
Among other exports will be found some articles which are in this issue separately enumerated for the first time, such as eggs,
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Prices followed those ruling elsewhere, and, when quotations dropped, those of Chinese cotton dropped also, leaving large stocks in the hands of producers and middlemen, who held in the hope of still obtaining the prices of the previous year, while spinners and exporters were in a better position to judge the future. Holders who had postponed the watering of their cotton until they found a prospective stated, buyer were fortunate; but these, it were few, and the action of Yangtze water on stocks may produce better results in the future A special reason than any legal enactments.
for the increase in China's export to Japan is doubtless to be found in the withdrawal of Japanese steamers from the Japan-Bombay line.
Among minerals antimony, ore and regu- lus, coming mainly from the fields of Hunan, fell off a sixth, while tin entirely the product of Yunnan, gave a satisfactory increase to 50,391 picals. Pig iron, an infant industry, gives good promise, having risen from 1,483 piculs in 1903 to 201,848 piculs (12,000 tons) in 1904
and
such
Shipping. The tonnage cleared was 63,774,706 tons, an increase of Of this increase, Chinese 6,484,317 tons. Native-type shipping accounted for 4,588,241 tons, due to the inclusion in the table for the first time of the tonnage entered at certain offices which contributed to the value of trade and to the revenue collected from it, but had
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not hitherto reported the tonnage which carried that trade; of these offices, Kowloon and Lappa alone now report 3,735,516 tons, carrying trade valued at Hk. Tĺs. 61,506,698, contributing Hk. Tls. 701,052 to the revenue. The re mainder of the increase, nearly two million tons, - is the normal increase of vessels under the Foreign flag. Of the total, the British tonnage rose from 49 to 511 per cent.; this, except for the Chinese flag, is the only increase in per centage and the only considerable increase in tonnage, probably caused by the temporary substitution of British ships for those of the two belligerents, and partly by the tonnage required for the conveyance of 18,552 indentured abourers from Chinwangtao and Chefoo to South Africa. German tonnage, about the same in amount as in 1903, fell in percentage from 13 to 12. Japanese tonnage fell, by the witl.drawal of much of the ocean shipping, to tut little more than half of 1903 figures, but was maintained at 4,290,350 tons by vessels under that flag employed solely within the neutral waters of China; the percentage fell from 14 to 6. The Russian flag contribu'ed 56,279 tons, presumably in the fist month of the year, against 569,903 tons in 1903. other flags, the French and Norwegian remained at two per cent. each, and the American rose to 14 per cent. An analysis of the last named is possible and presents a characteristic phase of the carrying trade of the Chinese ports: the total entries of American ships at four coast ports averaged 2,490 tons, and the total at four riverine ports averaged 14 tons, the figures being for the former 199 ships, of 495,609 tons register, and for the latter 27,407 ships, of 393,078 tons.
Of
Treasure. The amount of Treasure im- ported was Hk. Tls. 34,119,801, and of the ex- port, Hk. Tls. 38,672,972, giving on the balance a net export of Hk. Tīs. 4,553,171, a5 shown by the table n page 18. It must not be forgotten, however, the gold is, for finance purposes in Chins as much merchandise as copper ingots, and the gold coin imported from Japan to the value of Hk. Tls. 9,677,152 (say, £1,400,000) must, from that point of view, be so considered, thereby increasing the not export of Treasure on balance to about Bk. Tis. 14,000,000. Of this goid coin, imported into Shanghai, two-thirds are still there in the shape of bars, lying like an incubus over the exchange market, awaiting a purchaser and forming no part of the liquid assets of the market, but available at any time to replace bills of exchange. It may be notel that at the close of the year and for some time in 1905 exchange rates (silver expressed in terms of gold) were from two to three per cent. below the parity of exchange based on the price of bar silver. Uncoined gold from the mines in the north, originating mainly in Tientsin and Che- 1,379,714; but there is no recorded movement foo, was exported to the value of Hk. Tis.
of Gold from Szechwan.
serves
of the
Silver shows' a movement of Hk. Tla. 23,518,638 imported and Hk. Tls. 37,128,368 exported, two-thirds of the import coming from Hongkong, while Hongkong took three-fifths and Japan one-third of the export. Shanghai received Hk. Tls. 13,136,711, and sent away Hk. Tls. 17,147,542. The southern ports received Hk. Tls. 7,802,565 from, and shipped Hk. Tis. 19,563,795 to, their financial centre, Hongkong, both amounts being in coin; this constitutes the most serious drain on the banking re-
but no Empire,
published statistics exist to give the further movement of the funds: this drain is, however, counter- balanced by the coin brought in by return- ing emigrants, estimated at Hk. Tls. 10,000,000. was almost nil, a mere Hk. Tla 230,000 to The recorded movement from Nowchwang Chinese ports, while imports at that port, from Chefoo and Shanghai, were Hk. Tls. 620,200 in. sycee and Hk. Tls. 941,643 in coin, : Tientsin received Hk. Tls. 554,951 in coin from Hong- kong, and Hk. Tls. 3,926,956 in_syces and Hk. Tls. 2,604,667 in coin from Chefoo and Shanghai, while shipments to the latter ports were Hk. Tis. 5,891,049, almost all syoen. It is to be noted that the ordinary requirements of trade in the North call for syoss and not- coiu. Piastres de commerce to a value of Hk. Tls 1,160,071 were imported from Tonkin into Mengtss, presumably for railway sön tion.