92 AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 



DUTY. 



The duty on importations of wood, except those destined for Gov- 

 ernment enterprises, which are duty free, is 5 per cent ad valorem. 

 This is not, however, the only charge that a cargo of lumber has to 

 bear. The bar at the mouth of the river Peiho, which vessels drawing 

 more than 11J to 12 feet cannot get over, necessitates lighterage. 

 Lighterage charges are heavy, being 2.75 taels *($2.10) per 1,000 super- 

 ficial feet, from outside the bar, and 1.75 taels ($1.34) per 1,000 super- 

 ficial feet from inside the bar to the foreign settlement at Tientsin. 



Tientsin is situated 27 miles in a straight line from the mouth of the 

 Peiho Eiver, where there is a small settlement called Taku. The Peiho 

 is a narrow, shallow, muddy river, and the distance from Tientsin to 

 its mouth, by its meandering course, is about 50 miles. Tientsin is 

 closed to navigation during the months of December, January, and 

 February on account of the ice, which blocks the entrance to the Peiho 

 during these months. 



PRICES. 



If entire cargoes are taken, the prices are naturally cheaper than 

 those given below, which are current for lumber now on hand. It 

 should also be borne in mind that, owing to the recent heavy drop 

 in exchange, shipments made now can not compete by at least 30 per 

 with the stock on hand. Oregon pine 10 by 10 to 20 by 20 inches by 30 

 to 50 feet can be obtained for 37.50 to 38 taels ($28.69 to $29; tongned 

 and grooved Oregon pine planking is now quoted at 31 taels ($23.72) 

 per 1,000 superficial feet. Vladivostock hardwood is quoted at 23 

 cents per cubic foot; Borneo hard wood, 65 cents per cubic foot; 

 Philippine hardwood, 84 cents per cubic foot; Koean soft wood, 15.3 

 cents per cubic foot; Japanese planks, 9 to 10 cents each. Borneo :ind 

 Philippine hard wood, in sizes over 12 inches square, bring more accord- 

 ing to size than the prices above given. 



CLIMATE. 



Tientsin has a cold, dry winter, the thermometer falling frequently 

 to zero. The summers are extremely hot, with frequent intervals <t 

 heavy rains, accompanied by great humidity, and the thermometer lias 

 been known to register in the shade as high as 110 F. The spring 

 and autumn months are agreeable in temperature, the transition from 

 winter to summer and vice versa being gradual. The climate is con- 

 sidered a fairly healthful one. 



SHIPPING AND EXCHANGE FACILITIES. 



As a means of developing the lumber trade of the United States with 

 this section of China, attention should be given to what might be called 

 "useful tonnage." 



*Uaikwan (customs) taels = 76.5 cents U. S. Treasury valuation on April 1, 1894. 



