742
British
1907 pieces 8,224,951
American.
"
Japanese Indian
"
19
Total........
19
CHINA
1908
1909 8,93,534 10,691,448 578,647 1,586,989 3,856,231 840,401 986,982
1910
1911
6,511,126 11,317,630
1,385,819
1,988,061
1,396,297
2,38 1,693
2,832,625
67,905
141,312
13 1,855
147,952
21,935
16,160,251
9,711,904 11,708,817 16,077,81 10,434,590
The grand promise of the trade during the first three-quarters of the year is well illustrated in the above table, showing as it does an increase of 5.7 million pieces as compared with the 1910 figures, to which must be added the large stocks of piece goods imported in 1911 in bond and therefore not yet included in the Customs returns. The net importation o cotton yarn, however, has failen off as compared with that of 1910 by some 422,346 piculs, chiefly in the Indian variety. Japanese yarn has also been im- ported in decreased quantity, viz., 767,345 piculs, as against 937,908 piculs in 1910, a result that was only to be expected in view of the disturbed state of her chief markets in China. No doubt, too, the competition of China-spun yarn is beginning to tell. Mehr licht would seem to be the watchword of the new conditions of things in China, if one may judge by the figures of the kerosene oil imported. They have always been large, but this year are enormous and constitute a best on record, 235,898,240 gallons, or an increase of 74,508,657 gallans as compared with 1910. The largest gain is to America, viz., some 61 million gallons. Borneo and Sumatra come next, with an in- crease of over 6 millions apiece, with Russia, a long way behind, it is true, but still showing a slight increase as compared with 1910. It must be remembered, however, that Maikop is still in its infancy, and that Baku no longer produces so profusely as before. The competition of those Titans of this industry, the Standard Oil Company and the Royal Dutch-Shell combination, has been largely instrumental in bringing about the decline in price, which in its turn has led to an increased use of this illumin- ant in the towns and villages of China. The import of sugar shows little improvement on the 1910 figures, which is not to be wondered at. The consumption of sugar in China goes up and down with the prosperity or the reverse of the teeming millions of her inhabitants; and 1911 has been no year for lux ries. That food was scarce in the land is demonstrated by the facts that the import of rice from abroad, although 4 million piculs less than in 1910, was still over 5 million piculs; while the import of flour rose to 2,183,042 piculs, as against 740,841 piculs in 1916.
Exports. The silk crop of the season of 1911 was reported superior in quantity ba- inferior in quality to that of 1910. Prices declined in sympathy with the state of un- rest in the country, which tended to induce holders to part with their stocks. Shipt ments abroad of Chefoo pongees have again fallen off; and it is feared that, if easily remediable defects in the genuine article are not attended to, it will have to yield place in European markets to infinitely inferior imitation makes. Shipments of filatures were 55,416 piculs, as compared with 63.969 piculs in 1910. The tea crop was good, and exports of black tea show an increase of 100,655 piculs as compared with 1910. Black tea from China seems to be one more coming into favour in Great Britain, if we may judg from the statement in a London newspaper, that during the first eight months of 1911 the deliveries of China tea in the United Kingdom increased by nearly 3 million pounds as compared with the corresponding period of 1910. With regard to green tea, the operation of the Pure Food enactment in the United States will prevent much of the coloured tea of China from entering that market; but as modifications in the pre- paration of similar teas have been successfully undertaken by growers in Formosa, Japan, and Ceylon, with a view to gaining admission for their teas to the American market, there is little doubt that a si i ilar procedure, with similar results, will ere long recommend itself to Chinese cultivators. Meanwhile, other markets are opening up for the green tea of China, notably in Batoum. The consumption of Chinese and other teas in Great Britain during 1911, as compared with the consumption during previous years, was as follows:
From all sources
China
"
>"
Per cent....
1907 piculs 2,054,925 72,966 3.43
1911
1908
1909
1910 2,065,614 2,131,951 2,157,549 2,2 0,000 66,906 61,583 77,3:0 107,320
2.88
3.58
4.83
3.14
The bean crop in Manchuria was not quite so good as in 1910, but nevertheless, the total export abroad under the cognizance of the Maritime Customs has slightly increas- ed as compared with 1910. The figures are, for 1911, 11,038,340 piculs, valued at Hk. Tls. 26,585,543, and for 1910, 10,925,451 piculs, valued at Hk. Tls. 21,472,821, a result
Digitized by
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.