November 29.
Tae fourth and penultimate volume of Port Trade Statistics and Reports issued by the Imperial Maritime Customs deals with the Southern Coast Ports from Santoao to Pakhoi, In the aggreguto the year 1909 was favourable to the districts covered by this volume, but as in the rest of China we have the same story told of splendid possibilities squandered or altogether ignored. A perusal of these Customs Reports cannot fail to bring home the enormous potentialities of the country, when once a wave of national enlizbtenment has washed away the ignorance and apathy that now keep China's masses enthralled. If the tea trade i doomed, the fault exn only be at the door of the Chinese people for no efforts are being spared to secure for it favourable markets. "It is easy to comprehend," writes the Commissioner at Fooshow. "that our staple export, tea, grown as it is on old-fashioned principles and extravagantly and wastefully prepared, cannot compete in price with the scientifically grown and economically manufactured leaf of India and Ceylon." But in common with others he is at a loss to understand why the inhabitants are content year after year to watch diminishing trade returns and make no effort to help themselves, "In a district like this, where nature has been ¢o exceptionally bountiful it would be thought that "some new product, some fresh me dustry would come forward to take the place of the gradually disappearing tea." From Canton comes a note of warning in regard inal from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.