82
WHAT IT AMOUNTS TO.
**
CHINA'S EXPORTS.
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[August 11, 1908,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
title-deeds. The Chinese, supposing they | in alphabetical order naturally throw a good: do prefer dishonest native officials to honest deal more light on the foregoing figures, (Daily Press, 6th August.) foreign ones, have received a great con- Beancake, a commodity in which Europs We have been greatly struck by the letter cession, for in spite of the three hundred has no interest, materially awells Japan's.. of "a Long-Gowned Chinaman which we odd millions referred to, events have bill, with over six million taels. In fact, to-day reproduce from the columns of our occurred in the past which would have been out of a total export of 2,897,948 piculs, Shanghai contemporary, the N.-C. Daily quite sufficient excuse for the substitution Japan took 2,891,600 picula. Another of News. It is an exceedingly clever letter, as of foreign officials everywhere, even on the Japan's bigger items is beans, of which she will become at once apparent to any Throne at Peking. For reasons that they also took the bulk of the supply. It is foreigner who will read it with the assump. do not boast about, the foreigners preferred perhaps worth noting that in 1905 Great tion that he is, personally, called upon to to accept Chinese promises (contained in Britain, which had previously bought answer it. With the remarks that happened the Treaties), and no man, not even a small lots, took none at all. Of Tls. 363,868 to evoke it, we have no concern. It is Chinaman, has a right to break his pro| worth of camphor exported, America_took evident that the letter, with scarcely any mises. This is where the foreigner finds Tls. 1,557 worth, and Hongkong and Great modification, would fit almost any of the his right to urge reforms, in view of unful Britain all the rest. Most of it was shipped modern foreign comments on China appear-filled pledges. The appeal of the lamb, to at Foochow and southern ports. These ing in the foreign press. The Chinaman, the wolf's sense of justice, was wasted on tables offer occasional surprises, as when whose long gown indicates his social the latter, though it moved old Æsor to we find that China is actually exporting position, observes to begin with that there pity. What Esor would have thought if cigarettes. Korea is her best customer. is something Pharisaic about the criticisms the lamb had offered the provocation of a with British India a good second. These by the average foreigner of things Chinese. kick, is just what the foreign critics of are not foreign cigarettes re-exported, All critics expose themselves to this charge, | China have been saying all along. China either. Coal is an export that seems to of course, since to point out real or imagined is too weak to play the wolf (as in ancient have fallen off in the last two years. Of defects in others implies some sort of times), and much too wicked to pose as the raw cotton, of which 789,278 piculs, worth assumption that the critic is personally lamb.
Tis, 12,029,326, were jexported, Japan was above such defocts. Yet if the foreigner
by far the largest consumer, taking_740,271 occasionally airs his superiority in the
piculs, worth Tla. 11,284,892. Germany presence of the Chinese, it is not just to
was the next biggest consumer, taking say that he claims for himself or his nation
nearly five times as much as Great Britain. a character without blemish. Our long-
Koren took more than half the output of gowned friend, to judge by his moderation
grasscloth. China hemp went mostly to of language, would readily admit that the
Japan, though Belgium and Hongkong foreign faults he hints at were first detected
were good bidders. Italy takes about and denounced by foreigners. The "squeeze
twenty-five per cent. of China's output of pidjin" de ected in South Africa, in connec
hides, the small amount tanned into leather tion with British army stores, enjoyed this
going to Hongkong and Macao. There is difference from Chinese official squeeze. It
a growing output of raw iron, of which was not brazen. The British official is not
Japan takes the lion's share, 409,241 piculs taught to regard "perquisites as proper
out of 413,209 piculs, Another of the things. He must not only avoid dishonesty,
surprises before alluded to, of the "coals but he must avoid even the appearance of
to Newcastle' order, is an export of ten dishonesty. A British Judge announces in
piculs of opium to British India. French the course of a legal application to which
Indo-China took 3,101 piculs out of a total there is no opposition that he holds shares
opium export of 3,209 piculs. China went in a trading firm concerned. He dreads the
out over three and a half inillion taels worth faintest appearance of a possibility of bias. |
of paper, the bulk of which was absorbed In China, où the other hand, a great deal of
by Hongkong, Singapore, and Indo-Chinn. #queeze is regarded as customary and
Real pearls worth Tls. 125,975 were It is not considered dishonest.
exported, mostly to Iudia. America was The oriental point of view is that it is
the largest buyer of white raw silk, taking unfair to muzzle the ox. According to
nearly tour million tuels worth out of their lights, perhaps the officials whom this
total of Tls. 13,524,010. France took Tls. long-gowned 'Chinaman admits to be
3,757,286 worth, and Italy Tis. 8,115,589. corrupt, are 110 worse than anybody else.
The yellow variety (altogether Tis. 3,866,402 Whereas the British officer who pocketed
worth) went mostly to India (Tis. 1,493,086) cheques for commission knew, whether he
with Italy, France, and Britain respectable admitted it or not, that he was a rogue.
purchasers. France led in other forms, He knew also what his fellows would say if
except cocoons, of which Japan took nearly he were caught. That there are rogues and
half. Poverty stricken Korea was the honest men on both sides is instantly
biggest consumer of silk piece goods (Tis. admitted: that foreigners set a higher
717,694 out of a total of Tis. 8,897 627). standard for their officialdom to live up to
France favoured pongees, 48 usual. Britain than the Chinese do is a not unreasonable
jumps into prominence as a buyer of straw statement for the foreign critic to make.
braid, with scarcely a rival. The export of It is when the gentleman of the long robe
this has been growing rapidly. Britain alan comes to the question of "China for the
maintains its eminence as a tea-buyer, some Chinese" that he is difficult to answer in
figures for "black" being Britain, Tls. terme of equity. "The Chinose officials
5,216,073; Russia (overland) Tls. 1,564,025; in their duties are accountable", he says,
and America, Tls. 1,251,884. Total 597,045 "to the Emperor of China and to the
picula valued at Tis. 12,721,213. people of China, and not to foreigners. If the Emperor of China and Chinese people prefer to have dishonest inefficient Chinese officials to manage their Customs and railways, that is their business; and foreigners, it seems to me, have no right to interfere. It is rather a poser, but fortunately the logician himself offers a loophole. As to the rights conveyed by the Treaties, he remarks, the three hundred odd million human beings in China-
proper.
¥
will rise up one day and perhaps even come to Shanghai to ask-Who invested those Treaties with divine right?" "That's just it. There is no China for the Chinese, because it belongs by right of conquest to the foreigner, and those Treaties are his
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(Daily Press, 7th August.) China's exports are analysed in a second volume of part III., just received from the Statistical Department at Shanghai; and the tables being arranged in the same order as those recently dealing with imports, comparisons and cross-references are facili tated. It is immediately observable that China's exports have been a much more variable factor than her imports, although the table showing the values of produce sent to foreign countries since 1896 shows that they have almost doubled in the decade. Beginning with 131 million taels, the exports last year were valued at The 227,888,197. The highest amount reached was in 1904, when the total exports were valued at Tis. 239,486,083. The table showing the direct export of Chinese produce to each country
somewhat Changes the precedence of the nations as given in connection with imports. Great Britain, which sold China more products than any other, ranks only fourth as a buyer. China's best customer in 1905 was Japan, with purchases worth Tls. 35,464,963. America came next, with Tls. 27,030,772, figures which go some way to explain the comparative failure of the boycott. The Chinese boycotter doesn't mind refusing to buy, but to refuse to sell to a good bid ter must be a painful matter to him. France (with her overwhelming silk purchases) comes third, buying 118. 18,872,233 worth, to Great Britain's Tis. 18,064,270. Germany was a comparatively poor customer, in view of her sales to Chins, and imported produce worth only Tis. 5,377,649. Macao was less than a million short of that (Tls. 4,828,695), while Italy, which we did not even mention as a salesman, beat her easily with purchases to the tunc of Tis. 8,170,304. The direct export to Hongkong is put down at Tls. 81,452,643, and there is still the doubt as to whether that should be divided and apportioned to other countries, or whether it embraces the other figures. Presumably the former, in which case Great Britain would be found to have bought more than France, and perhaps some others. Direct exports to British colonies are thus set forth: Siugapore, Straits, &c. Tis. 3,803,481; British India, Tls. 2,720,540; Cacada, Tls. 406,391 (the Dominion is pushing her sales, but not improving as a buyer) ; Australia, New Zealand, &c., Tls. 71,928; and South Africa (including Mauritius), Tls. 55,252. The tables which take the items of produce
"
"
In
green America easily lands, taking Tis. 8,671,650, while Russia (European ports) takes Tls, 2,205,952, and Britain Tla. 1,329,672. Total export, 242,128 picule, worth Tis. 8,292,474.
GARBLED HISTORY.
(Daily Press, 8th August.)
It is over a dangerous as well as thankless -- task for a stranger in blood to attempt to criticise the finer details of policy of another nation. Mr. OSCAR TERRY CROSBY, an American traveller of acumen and intimato. knowledge of external conditions, has been seeking to amend the policy of Great Britain in Central Asia, and her intimate relations
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