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BRITONS V. GERMANS IN CHINA
us, however, to consolidate and even extend the position and influence we have so far attaired in China. With her 400,000,000 souls the possibilities of trade are enor- mous. But the Chinese are not to be hustled, and the development of China will come as much from within as from out- side influence. The more Chinese are helped the less energy they seem to apply to the object in view, and if they are left pretty much to their own resources they show more inclination to rise to the occasion. Many hustling schemes have fallen very flat in China, whereas in other countries they have attained much success.
It will be well to keep in view the
pos- sibility of our trade developing in the direc- tion of supplying raw materials to China, or, the other extreme, in our being able to supply only certain highly specialised manu,
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factures such as Typewriters, Dyes, Motor Cars, etc. The Americans have given us a lead in this, and, in spite of the high wages ruling in the United States, their position in many highly developed and specialised trades is already unassailable. These and kindred subjects can only be lightly touched upon here.
Above all it is absolutely necessary that British firms in China pull together better than they have done in the past. It was only with great difficulty that Hongkong merch- ants agreed not to give any more credit to Chinese for piecegoods. The scheme for the establishment of a British Chamber of Commerce at Tientsin was seriously delayed owing to conflicting interests among the British merchants themselves. There is much unwarranted jealousy which must be over- come, and merchants, both great and small, must combine in order to take full advant-
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