Japanese commerce which, of Into years, has made such sati progress for the Land of the Rising Suu,"" has, with special regard to the export to China, me creased in tremendous proportions. "The statistics, which are annually published by the Japanese Customs Administration (Annual Returns of the Empire of Japan), show for the last 5 years the following ures Chinese Treaty Ports. Hongkong.
Yen.
1804—8,813,987.38 1895—9,135,108.66 1896—13, 893,843.67, 1897—21,325,065.42 sures for the treaty ports, years show an increase of more than 230% and for Hongkong nearly 100%. The question involuntarily arises whether, consid ing the tenacious clinging of the Chinese merchants to old custom—what is called "unfair competition" does not ply an important rule in the matter.
We are far from discrediting the progress which Japanese industry has achieved in the last five years, but, after all, there is something different in producing large quantities of merchandise and finding a market for then specially in China. 'China, as everybody knows, is the land chops," that is to say' of acknowledged trademarks.
With incredible tenacity the Chinese merchants stick to their old chops.
The rapid increase of Japanese goods sold to China, however, is in direct' contradiction to this idea." The question is
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.