Feb, 10.
The address delivered on November 2 last by Mr. T. M. Ainscough, ¥.8.G.8., to members) of the London Chamber of Com-, merce and the China Association is rich in interest, and it is to be hoped that steps will be taken to distribute copies among all British firms concerned in the China trade. Mr. Ainsoough is well qualified to speak on such a subject. After taking a full course of administration and commerce) at Manchester University and, passing in Chinese, he spent sev-! eral years in mercantile work both at Home and in China More recently he has travelled over most of the great trade routes of China, visiting eighteen of her twenty-one provinces} and duri the past two years has been vestigating and reporting on ternal affairs as Special Commissioner of the Board of Trade. The: recommendations that he urges} for the premotion of British trade) in China are neither light nor easy, involving as they do the radical reformation of all '"'ole custom." But it must be recognized that Mr. Ainscough looks no less far ahead than Britain's competitors have done, and the reforms he advocates can show in their hands the proved success of fifteen years' working. "The day of the small merchant) importing for Chinese dealers on a commission basis is past, and) the market requires to be handled ith the same care, energy and) foresight and improved methods as European markets are handled." That is the kernel of the whole affair.
Down to the Boxer year British firms may be said to have had things all their own way in China. They dealt with a small circle of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.