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“...Marquess of Salisbury.
(Received at Foreign Office, August 3, 1897.)
My Lord^^wivj
I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship
a Report on the Trade of China for the year 189(3, drawn up
by Mr. Grosvenor.
I have, &c.
(Signed) CLAUDE M. MACDONALD.
Report on the Trade of China for the Year 1896.
Table of Contents.
Page
■General—
Trade of China with British Empire and other foreign countries com
pared 4
Table 4
Railways 6
Japanese commercial treaty ., .. .. .. .. 7
Shanghai cotton mills 1
U ew ports .. .. .. .. . • 9
Transit passes.. .. •• •• •• •• <• 9
Import trade confined to Shanghai and Hong-Kong 10
Summary of imports end exports—
Imports— 11
12
12
13
14
14
Exports— 14,
IS
19
19
20
20
(18) A 2...”
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“...last, which confers on Japan, without reciprocity, commercial
most favoured nation treatment, and the right of extra territorial tl'caty'
jurisdiction, beyond confirming the commercial stipulations of the
Treaty of Shimoneseki, does not, excepting the creation of the
right to establish bonded warehouses at the treaty ports, contain
any provisions differing from those of the treaties with western
Powers.
It had been hoped by those interested in the cotton mills, Shanghai
which, when the right to import machinery and to establish c°tton mills.,
factories had at last been conceded by the Treaty of Shimoneseki,
were started forthwith at Hankow, at Ningpo, and more notably at
Shanghai, that the commercial treaty above referred to would...”
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“...to these mills, in order to maintain the monopoly
hitherto enjoyed by the Chinese mills, in favour of which the
prohibition against the importation of spindles and looms was
formerly enforced by the Chinese Government.
Indications so far go to prove that such differential taxation
of raw material is not intended, and the present foreign owned
mills should, from their position in the centre of the district from
which they draw their supplies, and at the door of an almost
inexhai.: tible market, have a good future before them.
The Chinese owned factories afford no indication of what their
profits may be, as not only is there no reliable information
available as to the business which they do, but the peculiar
methods of administration common to all institutions conducted
by officials in China, are calculated to absorb any profits which
they might otherwise make.
The cotton-spinning factories are, at present, only turning out
the coarser kinds of yarn, and compete with the mills of Japan...”
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“...china.
13
development after the war. The unusually heavy consignments
of American drills, sheetings, and cotton flannels are explained, by
the very low prices at which the American mills were obliged to
sell during the summer months, in consequence of the badness
of domestic trade. The great increase in the import of American
cotton goods is also explained,by the fact that they, being heavy
goods, are more especially taken by Manchuria and. the north of
China, in consequence of the cold winter climate of those regions.
The districts in question were most affected bv the war, during
which the amount of these goods imported was very small. This
fact accounts for the extraordinary drop in the imports from America
in the statistics of 1895, and the great increase of 1896 is only
the natural result of the decrease in the preceding year. With
regard to the large importation of English sheetings it seems that
stocks at the end of 1895 were light, while too much was expected,
from the re-opening...”
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“...-14
china.
There was an increased import of nearly all kinds of metals,
especially nail-rod, iron, mild steel, and old iron, the importation
of which doubles the figures of 1895.
There was a slight falling-off in the import of machinery
for the year under review, but the high figures of the preceding
year were due to the shipments required to start the European-
owned cotton mills at Shanghai and other ports, which began to
be established in that year under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and a
maintenance of those high figures can hardly be expected for the
present, although much may be hoped from the construction of
the projected railways.
The items in sundries of western origin which attract attention
are candles, cigars and cigarettes, clocks and watches, dyes, flour
(of which a third goes to Canton), glass, morphia, needles, kerosene
oil and soap; while in articles of Asiatic origin in which there has
been a marked increase the most noteworthy are coal, raw cotton,
ginseng, matches...”
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