Commercial Prize of the Orient 



4'5 



From "An American Engineer in China," by William Barclay Parsons 

 Copyright, 1900, McClure, Phillips & Co. 



A Group of Chinese Watching an American Railway Engineer 



Japan and India, when compared with 

 that of other Oriental countries having 

 practically no railways, is at least sug- 

 gestive as to the effect of railways upon 

 commercial development. 



The three great countries of the Orient 

 are China, India, and Japan. They 

 have about nine- tenths of the popula- 

 tion of what is generally known as the 

 Orient, and the relative development 

 of commerce among these three great 

 groups of Oriental people which are or 

 are not supplied with railways should 

 be at least suggestive as to the effect 

 of railways upon commerce and com- 

 mercial growth. Railway construction 

 in India began about 1853, but did not 

 make rapid development until more re- 

 cent years. In Japan railway- building 

 began about 1872, but most of the de- 

 velopment has occurred during the past 

 decade. In China nearly all of the rail- 

 way now existing has been constructed 



since 1900, and under circumstances 

 which have not permitted its develop- 

 ment as a system which would have 

 material effect upon commerce. We 

 may, then, fairly compare the growth of 

 commerce in these three great Oriental 

 countries, two of them with young but 

 rapidly developing railway systems, the 

 other with practically none. 



The foreign commerce of China, with 

 its 400 million industrious people, but 

 no railways, has grown but 160 million 

 dollars since 1870 ; that of India, with 

 300 millions of people and a system of 

 railways, has grown 258 millions, and 

 that of Japan, with only 45 millions and 

 a system of railways, has grown 215 

 millions. The Chinaman is known by 

 those familiar with the conditions in the 

 Orient as a natural trader and business 

 man. A large share of the trade in the 

 Orient is in the hands of the Chinese, 

 and the positions of trust in the great 



