198 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



goods are transshipped from Hongkong to Japan, the Philippine 

 Islands, Siam and other parts of the Orient, yet at least three-quarters 

 of all goods (of American probably a higher proportion) received there 

 find their final market in China; so to determine approximately the ex- 

 ports from the United States, or from any other country to China, the 

 only way is to add to the direct exports three-quarters of the shipments 

 to Hongkong. And to determine the relative standing of the trade of 

 several nations, we should deduct the Hongkong trade from China's 

 total as shown by the returns of the Imperial Maritime Customs, and 

 then compare the reported direct imports or exports. This last calcu- 

 lation will not yield the actual amount of trade by about one-half, but 

 it will show with fair closeness the percentage of trade secured and the 

 rate of increase. I have in this manner obtained the figures for the 

 year 1893, the period just previous to the Japanese War; those of 1883 

 and 1873, respectively the tenth and the twentieth year preceding 1893; 

 and those for 1898, the fifth year following, and also for 1899, the Last 

 complete year of normal trade conditions existing before the Boxer 

 revolution. This table shows the import trade of China exclusive of 

 Hongkong and the relative standing of the leading commercial powers, 

 the actual trade of which is not as stated, for the table does not include 

 shipments through Hongkong. 



DIRECT EXPORTS TO CHINA. 



1875. 1883. 1893. 189S. 1899. 



Total, except Hong- Hk. Tis. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. Hk. Tls. 



kong 44,202,000 45.863,000 72,435,922 116,737,079 146,652,248 



Great Britain 20,991,000 16,930,000 28,156,077 34,962,474 40,161,115 



India 16,709,000 17,154,000 16,739,588 19,135,546 31,911,214 



Japan 3,207,000 3,738,000 7,852,068 22,581,812 31,414,362 



Continent of Europe.. 662,000 2,385,000 5,920,363 10,852,073 13,405,637 



United States 244,000 2,708,000 5,443,569 17,161,312 22,2h8,745 



In the above table all the Continental powers of Europe are grouped 

 as one. From this it will be seen that the export trade of the United 

 States, an insignificant amount in 1873, has now outstripped the com- 

 bined exports from the whole Continent of Europe, and will be soon 

 contesting for second place with India and Japan. Had it not been for 

 sudden increased shipments in 1899 of certain special articles like coal 

 on the part of these countries, which articles China can and -should 

 produce, the United States would have passed the Indian trade and be 

 close on to that of Japan. In point of exports from China the United 

 States trade in 1899 had reached a point surpassing that of any other 

 country except Great Britain. 



But along what lines have these increases been made? Do they rep- 

 resent only a greater outturning of raw material — the direct products 

 of the soil — or of manufactured articles, carrying with them the results 

 of American ingenuity and American labor, a form of export trade 

 always the most desirable? 



