The great intorest"in Asiatic commerce which other nations as well as the United States are now feeling, is illustrated in a recent subsidy agreement made by the German sovernipent by which it proposes to pay more than @ million dollars " year for 4 fifteen-year term for the establishment of steam-ship lines to ply. betwoew ite_ ports and those of Japan, China, and Austeslasis and certain ports of Oveonica. That the German government and those of its citizens Participating in its commerce should feel 8 special interest in the trade of the Orient is not surprising in view of the fuct that its exports to that part of the world have quadrupled during the past decade.
A copy of the contract between man government and the Lloyd afoam-ship Tine'for the estabtiviment and maintanauce. of postal and commercial communication between Germany and eastern Asia und Aovtraiasia tay" reached the Treasury Borean of Statistics. It shows that the Lloyd Company agrees to maintain: for a epsce of fifteen yours, steam-ship lines running from Bromerhafen or Hamburg, Germany by way of " Belgian or Dutch port through Genos, Naples, Port Seid, Suez, Aden, Colombo, Singapore and Hongkong to Shanghai, China, and back by the same route; a second main line through the same ports to Yokohama, Jupan; also a-rusin line through the same ports to Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sidney. Australia; also branch lines from Hongkong to Shanghai "ud from Singapore to German new Guineas, and other ports in Four steamers are under this contract to be built for the Chinese and Japnnere service to be of not less that 6,000 tons {nnd equal to those of foreign nations i every r, their plans to be approved by driralty, and to be rouping respectively by October 1, 1809, January 1, September 1, and November 1, 1900. The steamers to be constructed for the Avstralian line are to be not lews than 5,300 tons and also equal to those of foreign nations in every respect and subject to the approval of the Admiralty.
yards and German material is to he used Al the ships are to be buile in German Jas far as possible, all Admiralty require. ments to be carried oat in them, putting: them into condition in which they on readily be utilised for war purposes when necessary. The agreement provides that in cases of mobilising the foo the Chancellor can purchase the vessels on fall payment of their value, or can hire them.
torma_of the contract also provide that only German coxl is to be taken on board at German, Belgian or Dutch ports OE call, except by the special assent of the Imperial Chancellor; that in cases of German and foreign-goods being simultaneously offered for dispatch, the German goods if neccesary, to have the preference, ynd that the Chancellor may prohibit the importation by German, Belgian or Dutch ports of such agriciMtural products as may compete with those of German agriculture, The agreement provides that the Ger. man government shall pay to the Lloyd Company 5,590,000 marks per year, payable monthly. (Value of mark 23.8 conta.) Thin contract extends from April. 180 for term of fifteen yeara; the regular plan of nailing on the Japanese line must begin Toast in April, 1899. It is also an-pounced that a Bremen firm intends to establish with steamers now being built for that purpose a steam-ship line on the Shanghai and Haokow. By the sid of Yangta ig in China, to ply between these lines, which will connect with tha sabsidived lines ronning from Hamburg Shanghai, German dealers and German interesta will be in direct communication not only with Shanghai, which has two-thirds of the import trade -of China, but also with Hankow, one of the most important commercial cities of China, and having @ population of about 1,000-000. It is now being connected with Peking by railroad. "Hankow is probably the most important of the distributing centres of interior China, being splendidly situated in the very heart of the country, surrounded by & network of rivers and Iskes, and reached by the largest ocean steamers, and when to this is added the railway system uow under construction, its importance distributing point for interior China is very great.—N.¥, Maritime Register.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.