Russians in Manchuria.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 26, 1 February 1904, Page 4

Russians in Manchuria.

ItAHD LF.VF.LOI'Mf'.N'T OF THE country. Heater's representative lias hail an interview with Mr J. M. rnv elsoti, United States lon,it. at Formosa, w.'ao.lias just arrived in l-'.nglai.-l. after a- four months' tour in .'-lam auria and Korea. 'I lie journey, which was undertaken primarily for the purpose of studying ihe Si ian. Ua,,ch.,rian, Kou-iiinii.il Chinese railway -ystem, was of :l most important, ci.uructer. ■• There are," lie said, m reply lo questions, " many misconceptions about Manchuria, and while much »-as he. n wiitun ahout the Manchuria of a few years ago, there has heen so far liule opportunity lor the public to k"..w lie- leal lacts connected with l!ie Manciiuna 01 to-day. ]t has heen said that Manchuria could not oi itself support an army of occupation. 'MI as a fad the dedusiries has'... en so rapid ll'.atwilllin a very shoil time the country will he independent of all outside sources loi Loth liour an.l heel. Anr other mis-staleiiicl.t is that the Itussians are c.-eriitu permanent huihlir.us in Placs away Mom the rail- „, la a i Iliad I M.iiml hul One huild-ilm-M/.. the R1..v.,-l l.iliese LtallU al T.silsikar-whicl, couM at all be r. gaid.-d as a per.i.aiieiit strttcKORF.A. THK NAT! ItAL ill TLF.T l-cil! .1 \l \\l Sl-:

Asked a.- to 1M5.,,;,'.-, po-ition 11ilanchu.ia. Mr Havi.b.m said :- ■■ ( ~,11.-1 keep away fr.."i politics. and can only -ay tin-, thai the general impre.-siol, I gathered was thai Russia would give .lapan a live hand in Kona in return for sin,ilar privileges in Manchuria- There is an idea that the natural outlet for Japanese surplus population is Formosa, but t.hi>. can never be. Formosa is a tropical com,irv. and the large t hmese poimlatioii i.s supported eiitbely l>y agriculture. Japanese are uliable to work m the Ileitis exposed to the tropical sun. and the fact is that durine the <''g llt . Vl ' nrs ul J aP am ' stl occupation the Japane-e population has grown but little, there being at present, exclusive of the military, only some lii,oPo subjects of the Mikado in the w-yjle island, and there is very little likelihood of this number increasing. On tl.e other hand. Korea is the natural outlet for Japanese surplus population, for two reasons. The climate is more like that of Japan, and the dullness mid comparative stupid***' of '"» average Korean enables the Japanese to compete more favourably with him than with the keen and industrious Chinar.iau oi Formosa. The result is that even at present more Japanese are in Korea than there are in Formosa. RUSSIA'S STRKXfJTII IN .MANCHURIA. •' Regarding Russia's strength iu Manchuria, every place of importance on and oil' t, .v railroad is held by troops, whose nuiuij:-r, including the garrison of Vladivostok, is not less than 200,(1(111. •• It is a fact that the Russians are occupying every cliy of even ih» most trilling importance in Manchuria, but except for a few immigrant* who have commenced farming tin a very small scale near llailar. the old Mongolian capiial in Northern Manchuria, there is no evidence of any attempt to bring immigrants into Manchuria for the purpose of Hi* occupation of agricultural lands. There is a spirit of commercial unrest as to the future of the ruiKitr.v. 1 found ia the remoter cities iliat the Russian shopkeepers w.-re vrry doubtfu! as to the duration of ihe occupation, so miic'i so that they lefiwed to invest heavily in cominei'cial eiiterpiis, s. The Russian position alor.'g the line of railway is. h-.i-.ev.-,-. quite another mailer, and splendid cities an- springing up alolm tl.e track. From a cmm.-i rial standpoint Harbin is Hi.- .'or.-most. Hut three wars old, this place has a Russia .palatum ,-xc.-, ilinif Ui.-im". and in its rapid growih and e.-n-ral soiial cm.btio, - n- en,!, .-- very cb.selv a "boom" minim.' 1..v u in America. With its I.MV-- Hour mil's and important wholesale ~ial.lishllients. it ha- a stability vvhii h will make it in a few years not only the grente..! market of Manchuria, but in my opinion one of the most important t-it it.- of ihe Far Fast. lb-re an administrative building is being erected at a cost of LI lii.tioii. There is a commercial school costing .Cod, Odd, a tec uiical school ....ling j:2.->, unit.' ami eight other schools for teaching Clunc.-e Russian, and Russians Chinese. Harbin will he the great railway ccMi'e for all Manchuria, and engine-shops costing £°.oT. 000 are in course of erection. A hospital, open to all nationalities, is being built for X,I2.iM)D. RORT ARTHUR'S ATTRACTIONS. "The new town of I'ort Arthur is being constructed on lines wi.'ich will make it the most attractive residential city in China. The (iovcrnnicnt Board requires that every building erected shall have architectural beauty, and the Chinese are not permitted to live or build in the new town. The result is that the city, which already has a poimlatioii of lIO.HOO, is one if exceptional 1.-auty. It has often b-i-n reported that Admiral AlexielT favoun-l I'ort. Arthur, and that Malay would therefore lose its sommercial importance. On this point the Russian Viceroy himself told me that he had encouraged the construction of retail shops in I'ort Arthur, so that the soldiers might be able lo buy in a ch-ap market. It. was. however, his intention that Rainy should be the great commercial and manufacturing city, ar.-d all applicants who wished to erect factories in Port Arthur were always told that they must be built at Rainy. One point that will favour the eventual success and prosperity of Rainy is that tihe Custom House will lie established there or close by, and that while the Oovernmeiit can at. anytime close I'ort Arthur to all foreign shippim.'. the assurance ha:,- been given that Rainy will always remain open. RKOSI'I-XTS OF ISRiTiSII AND AMI-iRICAN TR Mil-'.. Turning to the outlook for liritish ami American trade in .Manchuria, the Consul said : •■The occupation of Manchuria l-y Russia will not so seriously affect Itritish trade as American 'trade, for the reason that the products at present shipped into Manchuria from TOii'gland are not largely produced in Russia, whereas, in the case oi American goods, the four principal items are those of which Russia is a natural a.i.l large producer. These items are keio-.-ue. oil, cotton g Is. Hour and lumb -r. The Russo-Chiii-/■se Hank lias l ah, tl as nivuri for all Manchuria for Ru-sian oil. and as there aie branches it. all the principal riti..- which pracii.-allv control the banking business ~f Manchuria., they are naturally able t,, eivemore favourable t i-,,t'u.--n-: t,, th.-ir ru--1 outers. "The pio.hirtion oi v. ii--.it in Manchuria :- i, creasing lo a pl-,-„o: : ,-..,al degree Ii ;- much c',-ap.-r titan 111Wheal ol \iiierica or Rus.-iu pro.i-r. vi-rv proliia'.le : consequently CoMrmills are .-,.. ;„■ ing up everywhere. and the .ny of I la. bin alone will from ilie 1. -issii!" ..: Ibo I j,:-.,,!■<-■.-SIHI.IIIIMIb ol if.nit- daily America to develop bet trade along entirely new lines. The occup.,; ion of Manchuria has created a market lor machinery nisi stor.-s, which can 1,-e suppli.il t„ advanlage from America. The Russians will un-do'ibb-dly teach lie Chinese the use of mod. in agricultural m..cliiiiery, und there must then arise a great .demand for -agricultural machinery which America should l«- able lo supply. " One trade create.! by the Russian <•Triii.iitif.il is the beer trade. This i only American beer is consumed In Manchuria." .