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“...that as regards the better class of goods (for which every-
thing points to an increasing demand in China) the Japanese are still,
in spite of a marked improvement in quality, far behind British
manufacturers, and are likely to remain so ; the second factor, that
as regards the cheaper lines of cotton goods they are faced with the
growing competition of Chinese mills. According to a recent report
there are now 33 cotton mills operating in China, and the number of
spindles has risen from 780,000 at the end of 1909 to 903,000 at the
end of 1910, with 3,808 looms. Owing to the high price and poor
quality of native cotton, the local mills did not do well last year,
but they are credited nevertheless with an output of 272,000,000 lbs.
of yam and 45,600,000 yards of drills and sheetings.
A feature of the 1910 piece-goods trade in Shanghai was the con-
tinued success of the auctions held at regular intervals by certain
British firms. The total percentage of the gross deliveries of cotton
goods disposed...”
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“...India—over '12,000,000 lbs.—was due to
special purchases by the Shanghai mills necessitated by the deteriora-
tion in quality of the native article, owing to excessive " watering "
by the native growers above referred to.
Sundries. Rice.—Although the 1910 rice crop, taking China as
a whole, was probably above the average, the partial failure of the
spring crop in South China and the high prices demanded by the
Yangtze dealers forced Canton and the southern ports to turn to Indo-
China, Siam and Burmah for their supplies, with the result that the
returns show an unusually heavy import of 560,000 tons, valued at
4,217,OOOL, an increase of 334,000 tons as compared with the 1909
figures.
Flour.—The continued decrease in the import of foreign flour noted
in recent reports was arrested last year owing to a poor wheat harvest
in the Yangtze Valley, which in the latter part of the year crippled
the production of the Shanghai mills. The import of foreign flour,
chiefly American, rose from 710,449 to...”
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“...14
china.
of Chinese mills, weaving and knitting factories, not to mention the
leather factories which already turn out large quantities of crudeiy
made but serviceable boots and shoes.
The total value of foreign clothing, hosiery, haberdashery, boots
and shoes imported in 1910 was 675,169?.
Trade-marks.—No trade-mark convention has yet been concluded
between the United Kingdom and China, but the Chinese authorities
are usually willing to punish those of their subjects who can be proved
to have fraudulently imitated British trade-marks. They will not,
however, extend this protection to patents, holding that the imitation
of an article, unless the copy bears marks intended to lead people to
believe that it is the original article, is not an offence.
British manufacturers may deposit copies of their trade-marks
with His Majesty's Consui-General and the Commissioner of Customs
at Shanghai for the purposes of record.
Building construction.—The sum of 1,203,004?. spent by China
last year...”
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“...obtained a concession or permit
from the Government. The only thing they can offer as security for a
loan is a mortgage on the property, and as this involves expert valuation
and investigation of titles, not to mention the necessity in the case
of landed property of obtaining the Government's sanction to the
mortgage, all matters requiring careful handling by an experienced
man on the spot.
A classified list of some 500 manufactories in China, in which are
included cotton, oil, paper and flour mills ; cement, gas, glass, iron
and steel, railway, smelting, electric light and water works ; candle,
soap, match, leather, nail, rope, tea, tobacco and woollen factories ;
docks, shipbuilding and engineering works ; silk filatures, sugar re-
fineries, mints and arsenals, &c., has been drawn up in this office and
will be furnished to British firms interested in supplying British
goods on application to the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the
Board of Trade, 73, Basinghall Street, London, If.C.
...”
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