THE CONSERVATIVE BRITON.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16042, 1 February 1923, Page 5

THE CONSERVATIVE BRITON.

trade; with the east. “You Britons are nice but our business is not your birthright. You must .work for it. Thei Germans are so keen that they will charter a special steamer to obtain a singlet sample if they can see the-trade.” Such, was the statement made to a Daily Mail correspondent by one of the largest Chinese merchants in,Canton. He voiced! an opinion which is regrettably common throughout the East. With tens of millions of prospective customers in the Orient Germany is fighting to win the peace in Asia, “You English,” said a Japanese merchant of Nagasaki, ‘think you knoiw better what is good) for us than wei db ourselves. You say: ‘You should, take this!’ Yet if you insisted I 'on selling a 'man a size 7 shoe though he wanted a size- 8 you would! not blame him if lie complained of the pinch.” For tiliis view I found many snupporlers. A Chinese importer quoted a case which was small iu itself but significant. Egg-cups are coming into favor -in China, and l thereis a big demand: for them. The Chines© hen, however, lays a very small egg—so smnll that it- is lost in the cup of the usual European pattern. The merchant eallodi upon the representative, of an English firm and 1 explained his needs. He was told! that they did not care to quote for a special size. “I went to-a German firm,” he said 1 . “The requirements were cabled! home, and 1 the first shipment arrived within, three months; Why should! I not--deal with-them?”