Timber Trade of Chinese Empire. 657 



Naturally, the figures for native timber are more or less 

 guesses, as no information worthy of the name could be 

 had. For the foreign timbers, the reports of the Imperial Mari- 

 time Customs, while accurate, are not so grouped as to make one 

 sure of the species, etc., but are quite valuable in connection with 

 a study on the ground. The results of their table elaborated a 

 little by such local studies are given above. 



Roughly, this would correspond to an annual consumption of 

 about 2,400,000,000 board feet of lumber, worth $32,800,000 gold. 

 For a population of 400,000,000, based on the industrial organi- 

 zation of such an economical wood using country as Germany, 

 there would be needed at least 30,000,000,000 board feet of lumber 

 a year. Assuming that by extra economies and a development of 

 substitutes, China, after developing along modern industrial lines, 

 could get along with half that amount, or 15,000,000,000 board 

 feet, even this, at an average value of $17 per thousand, would 

 amount to $265,000,000; and of this, about 13,000,000,000 board 

 feet, worth $221,000,000, would have to be imported. 



Without any extraordinary development, it may be figured con- 

 servatively that by 19 15 China will require imports in forest pro- 

 ducts of not less than $10,000,000 gold per year, and that by 1925 

 the demand will be for $25 to $50,000,000 (gold) worth of forest 

 products imported each year. 



In connection with the growth in demand for wood in China 

 the most important feature is entirely new development in 

 railroads, mines, and modern industrial establishments; and 

 another factor is the change from the old-type one-story building, 

 the prevailing type all over China in the past, to the building of 

 modern three-story and higher buildings. The building of houses 

 of more than one story conflicted with the old religious belief, and 

 so very few many-storied houses were built. In the one-story 

 house the floor was of tile, walls of brick, and roofs of mud or 

 tile, hence very little wood was used. This type of building is 

 now very commonly displaced by large and many-storied buildings 

 requiring very considerable amounts of wood for flooring, window- 

 sashes, etc. — at least this is true for all the principal ports, and 

 undoubtedly will spread rapidly elsewhere. Just how much dif- 

 ference it will make is hard to estimate. 



In figuring, however, on the needs of the Chinese Empire for 



