!
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Shipping.
One of the most important departments of the Chinese Eastern Railway is the shipping. The Company owns a fleet of twenty-three steamers, with a total horse power of about 8,000, fifty-eight barges, and three junks. With these a regular service is maintained on sections 1 and 2 of the Sungari, and occasional services in other parts as well, as on the Amur and the Ussuri.
In addition to the shipping department of the railway the following Steam-ship Companies are in existence :-
The Amur Steam-ship Company, with a head office at St. Petersburgh and a main office at Blagovestchensk. This Company until recently received a subsidy. It has now, however, been transferred to a new concern, the Ainur Steam-ship Trading Company. The Amur Steam-ship Company has a fleet of seventeen steamers and forty-four lighters.
Two Chinese Companies: one at Harbin with a fleet of junks, drawn by tugs, which ply along the lower waters of the Sungari, Amur, and Ussuri; one at Hulan, with a fleet of two steamers and four lighters.
There is a growing tendency for enterprises of this kind to fall into the hands of the Chinese.
The Chinese Eastern Railway Steam-ship Department alone has fixed charges for cargo. They vary, in accordance with the class of goods, from 0267 kopecks to
0446 kopecks per poud per verst.
No statistics are obtainable of the Chinese shipping along the river; but it is estimated that there must be from 1,200 to 1,600 junks. It is doubtful if they will increase, because the river is not suitable for this kind of ship. It takes them anything from a week to three weeks to sail down from Kilin to Petune; to sail up, twice that time.
(Translation.)
Concluding Remarks.
Although in this Report I have dealt fully with the conditions of agriculture and industry in North Manchuria as far as they have come under my notice, the area of my investigations has been confined more particularly to the regions of the Sungari River. Further, the scope of my inquiries did not extend beyond agriculture, com- merce, industries, and communications. Lumber, mining, fisheries, &c., even now full of promise, will be more so in the future; but to deal with them would bare necessitated my travelling over the whole of the territory to investigate actual conditions, and this, I was unable to do.
North Manchuria is the latest of the regions of the Far East to come under development. Every year sees such progress that it is impossible to foretell the future or to endeavour to deduce from the conditions of to-day those of to-morrow. My examination, therefore, is concerned solely with the conditions, commercial, and industrial, actually in existence; for the perfect results we can only wait on the future. Nevertheless, my inquiries have convinced me that this territory is not only extremely fertile and productive, but also that it contains vast areas capable of cultivation still undeveloped and virtually uninhabited. There is, therefore, no lack of industries which await bringing into existence. It is further my opinion that Japan is destined by her position economically to have in the future the very closest relations with North Manchuria.
Careful consideration of industrial conditions in Japan shows that of late years agriculture has simultaneously with the rise of other industries fallen somewhat into desuetude and that even developed lands have not escaped the incursions of outside forces. Year by year the import from abroad of materials used in agriculture, cattle- raising, &c., increases, and that these articles enjoy a practically unlimited sale in our markets no one will pretend to deny.
In North Mancliuria agriculture is at the present moment entirely in the hands of the Chinese. Every year witnesses an increase in their production of cereals. At the present moment it is over 35,000,000 koku (about 177,000,000 bushels), and when local demands have been satisfied there still remains in the market a vast surplus (about 97,000,000 bushels). A small quantity of this surplus finds its way to Japan;
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but it is the Russians who are the chief purchasers. The reason for this is the poor productive power, owing to climatic and other conditions, of the soil in the Russian territories and the resulting insufficiency of the crops raised to meet local demands. In consequence of this Russian policy centres itself in an energetic fostering of the natural productions of North Manchuria, the object of Russia being to base on the security of these foundations her own economic position in this part of the world. Thus it is that Russian mechanical industries have sprung into existence in Manchuria and attained in the course of a very few years to an extraordinary stage of develop- ment. Particularly is this the case with the manufacture of flour, the output of which is so enormous that the Manchurian mills alone could easily supply the entire demand of Japan. The vastness of the prospect thus revealed compels an involuntary exclamation of astonishment, and it is because of the enormous production of cereals that the prospects for flour and other industries connected with agriculture are so promising, what we have to bear in mind is that sooner or later Japan, which is separated from these regions by a narrow strip of sea only, must by the mere force of circumstances become an important customer of theirs and that from the point of view of commerce alone a destiny lies before our countrymen in North Manchuria.
Let us consider next the relationship of North and South Manchuria. The latter is the great bean district. It is, nevertheless, with the exception of the country round the River Liao a strong region and one deficient in agricultural products, not for a moment to be compared with the fertile districts of the north. At the same time, the output of coal in the South is very great, and the coal itself is of good quality. Nothing of the kind exists in North Manchuria; so that if attempts were made to extend the sale of South Manchurian coal there they would probably meet with success. Unfortunately, conditions at present are such that it is only in the south itself that this commodity is sold, the object being apparently competition in the markets with that coming from Japan. It is difficult to conceive anything more shortsighted.
In my opinion, the first thing to bear in mind, is that the economic development of the south of Manchuria must wait on that of the north. And, if we wish the commercial relations of the two to develop harmoniously, we must, of necessity, not forget the advisability of taking advantage of the products of North Manchuria in the encouragement of our own industries. If we do this we shall be able to obtain cheap raw material direct; while indirectly we shall spread the sale of our goods in the markets of that territory.
It is clear then that a good field offers for the Japanese in mechanical industries in North Manchuria. The native system of agriculture has not yet emerged from its primitive stage and the future will offer many opportunities for the introduction of improvements. At the same time to transport immediately to those regions our own people with intent to make them engage in farming is a course which is fated to end in disaster. The best thing we can do is to rely on these northern territories for the raw materials for use in the manufactures which are our own particular field. The Russians have emigrated to the districts adjacent to the railway and have tried farming; but no success has apparently attended their efforts. In mechanical industries, on the other hand, they have already secured an excellent position. is a fact we should carefully bear in mind.
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