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it. For us it has only an academic interest; our climate forbids 
any competition. Indeed, from inquiries which I have made it 
would appear that even the best Europe-grown Bamboos are 
rejected by our artisans ; only those canes which have been 
ripened and toughened by the burning sun, and nourished by the 
torrential rains of the Far East, will serve their purpose. 
If statistics as to the Bamboo commerce in France are with¬ 
held, in England they may be said to be non-existent. In the 
Board of Trade Returns Bamboos are lumped together with 
canes and rattans in such a way as to render it impossible to 
obtain any accurate general information. I have undertaken a 
voyage of discovery into the depths of the Borough without 
much result. The Bamboo importers, though most courteous 
and ready to supply any information at their command, can of 
course only speak each one as to his own particular business. 
Indeed, some of the statements made to me were contradictory ; 
for instance, one great dealer assured me that Bamboos only 
come over as ballast and are sold by public auction ; another 
pooh-poohed this, and showed me his bills of lading, proving that 
he had paid 9 d. per foot cube on his importations. I will not 
weary you with the difficulties and disappointments by which I was 
met in my endeavours to give you some account of the Bamboo 
trade. Suffice it to say that the latest edition of the Post Office 
Directory shows that there are now in London alone no fewer 
than six firms of Bamboo importers ; probably there are others 
at the seaports. There are also in London six firms of Bamboo 
cane-workers, and thirty of Bamboo furniture makers. A busi¬ 
ness giving employment to such numbers of people seems to me 
to deserve some notice. I hope that before long our very 
active Department of Trade will see the advisability of getting 
together reliable statistics in regard to a branch of commerce 
which is not unlikely to be of considerable and growing impor¬ 
tance. At present China and Japan are the only source of 
supply of the Bamboos which our traders require. For the 
Indian species, with the exception of Deiidrocalamus strictus 
which our warriors require, there is no demand. The war 
between China and Japan sent up the prices of Bamboos some 
30 or 40 per cent. Why should not some of our Colonies 
possessing the requisite soil and climate enter into competition 
with those astute Easterns ? 
