He referred to the customs surveys conducted in China, and said that these had recently been Improved to a very large extent, and compared Very favourably with those of other Countries. The most up-to-date machines with perforated cards were ised to assemble. facts relating, to China's trade. and these now fesued very promptly. Looking back upon these "figures, some very incresting. developments could he noted, He could write a very in-Teresting book on China, from the customs. slatisties alone, 'They went back before the beginnings of the present century, when China's ports were very easy to calculate, there were so few items 'The bulk of China's exports consisted of silky and tea, On the imports side, the majority' of items were made up of opium, cotton goods, woollen goods, and' very lite else." The total of exports In 1864 amounted to about twenty cents per capita, but they now stood at from fifteen to twenty times that amount. Developments had been such that of Chinese Imports opium had been wiped out, cotton goods Were declining, and instead several hundred important. items had taken their place. Over one hundred of these brought in $1,000.00 a year, silk and tea now occupied com= paratively unimportant places. in Ching's exports. As regards. im= ports, such Hems as cars, telephones, Fadios. toilet articles, chemicals and dyes, paints, building materials, felentiNe Instruments, and various inner of machinery. were included, Und. the "people were becoming mechanized. Expors were expand-ug, wood all being an important item, paint varnish was being manu= fnetared, a valuable type of vegelfable all wax being produced, and such Horns as carpet wool, feathers, and colton were being exported to America. In the tea trade, however, China had Tost. very badly, as other rations had marketed it in a very practical way.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.