WATERWAYS IN CHINA

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4407, 13 July 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

WATERWAYS IN CHINA

AN UNEXPLOITED SOURCE OF WEALTH. - It seems almost forgotten that the right to trade upon the waterways of C'niua has been duly conceded to Great -Britain for over two years, although this great concession was unfortunately modilied by impossible conditions being afterwards added-to it. Wore this concession only worked for all it is worth, it wonld prove a veritable gold mine to merchants, manufacturers, and ship-own-ers, This, because China s highways are all waterways; she has next to no roads, the great hulk of her trade being conducted by water. Every great, and small river, every arm of the sea, every lake, canal, and big ditch even, is utilised for goods, and passenger traffic. On the banks of the rivers are to be found China’s greatest commercial centres. 'As the navigable waterways of China are now, so far as the right fo trade upon them goes, -at cur disposal, let us enforce that right, and set to work in earnest and at once to develop the trade to the utmost. 1 But suitable light draught cruisers and gunboats will need to bo placed upon them to secure our hold. As we .are here on our own element, wo should ’be supreme in trade or war. At any rate, if w 0 would take this opurse. we can cease to worry about the railway question. For the Chinese people, being what they are, it goes without saying that they will never change t,heir conservative customs, the growth of many centuries, unless absolute necessity compels them to do so. Now, “to earn rice” is the one and only necessity in the average Chinaman’s belief. Put sufficient steamers of suitable type on all his waterways, protect him from pirates while using them, carrv him and his belongings, bo they goods, personal property, treasure, or wives and family, and ho will snap his fingers at the ‘•Railway Devil’” as he politely designates the “iron horse,” and small blame to him either, for. he is ’cute enough to know that the railway cannot compete with the ste'amboat in the maid point to him always, cheapness. Moreover, to travel at eighteen miles an hour in a roomy and fair, jy cool river steamer is far better for him than to do so a? one of a penued-in mass of perspiring humanity, hot, dusty, i cramped,’ and thirsty, in order to reach his destination two hours sooner, say, in an eight hours’ journey. “Time is hot. money” to the ordinary Chinaman!

The writer agrees with “John” hero, top, f°r travelling fejr a first-class river steamer in China is enjoyable even in the heat of summer, while travelling first-.oiass by a fast train is like taking a stroll in the dogs days of Aden, a something to be religiously avoided, if possible. Given a Government that, will protect and not surrender British rights, and merchants would quickly cover these waterways at least to the extent of some 20,000'miles or so with- the red eus,ign. Qf course, the while one must be there as well, or our legitimate claim when pegged out will once again he jumped. The late Dr. Dudgeon, who probably knew more about China than any other European ever did, when asked the value of a waterways concession at once declared that it was the most valuable one ever obtained from the Dragon Throne since the days of the Manchu conquest—if only, as he shrewdly added, our at home were not afraid to enforce its due observance. It should mean a veritable stronghold of British influence and trade wherever there is water enough tcvfloat a powerful light draught gunboat—i.e., about 42in.! The great basin of the “B'ue River, 1 ’ with its tributaries, occupies pearly onehalf of China proper, while its navigable waterways flow through some of the richest land in the world, haying boundless material resources of every kind, especially vast coal treasures, and great stores of unexplored mineral wealth, while a thriving, industrious and orderly population, the real backbone of China, is to he found within reach of them. To secure onr hold on these waterways at once i,s our real policy. In this course of action, suitable vessels are needed to hack our faithful friends and. allies, the Yangtse Viceroys—the last hope of China. The little river gunboats sent out two years ago are not suitable fo r the purpose, being really only steam police patrol boats of some eighty tens displacement, carrying a couple of 6-pounders, and having a crew of- twelve or eighteen. bluejackets. One went down in harbour in a typhoon lately, while our little old ones draw to much water and are oven slower still, though more heavily armed. When trouble has broken out at a distant settlement, it has happened that . either they could make no headway against the strong river currents, or if they got to their destination they were stuck in the mud till the river rose the next year! Bather awkward this, if they happened to be wanted elsewhere! Bast year a new river steamer, Mr Tittle's Pioneer, while engaged in trying to open up trade on the Upper Yangtse, was "commandeered” by the British Government, and turned into a gunboat to protect the lives and property of Europeans. This act of the British authorities was, no doubt, a very laudable one, but of those who benefited by it, probably it was appreciated most by the Germans, who promptly procured another steamer and sent it up to appropriate the trade opening the Pioneer had made!