sent by Germany; while France, in second place, sent only 177,612,458 francs ($34,279,309). Since 1894, German exports thither have gone up more than 62,000,000 francs ($11,966,000)—in 1896, alone, as compared with preceding year, 31,000,000 francs ($5,983,000). This increase gives evidence of permanency; the more so, since Germany's purchases from Switzerland have grown steadily larger. In 1894, Germany took Swiss goods to the value of 157, 109, 689 francs ($30,722,230); in 1895, 164,411,253 francs ($31,731,323); in 1896, 172,260,751 francs ($33,246,373), or one-fourth of the total exports. England took second place as a buyer, with 147,008,247 francs ($28,372,544); France third place, with purchases amounting to 61,016,009 francs ($11,776,088). The principal articles exported to Germany were clocks, textiles, and yarns. It must follow as the night the day that the only way to do business is to go out and "hustle." An American house sent machines to Berlin, put them together, advertised an exhibition, and began sales, which have gone on successfully. Another firm, better known, with a world-wide reputation, sent machines to London, but only sent an English-speaking agent with English catalogues to Chemnitz and other German centers. machines to Berlin; show them. them working, and no amount of see the machines work." What was he told? "Bring your We won't buy machines till we see talk will change us. We want to I believe there is a big field here for high-class machines, but they must be shown doing the work they are expected or sold to do. This one idea ought to be dinned into the ears of merchants and manufacturers till the folly of sending circulars in English and agents who can not speak the language of the land to which they go is understood and given up. Berlin is a big city, easily reached, not only from all parts of this Empire, but from all parts of this continent; its rents are not unreasonably high; power is almost everywhere obtainable; exhibitions are always well patronized, especially by interested parties. It will pay, and pay well, to exhibit highclass special machines. No exhibition, exposition, or fair should be allowed to pass without an exhibit of our best machines. London may be all right for England and her colonies; it is not the place to exhibit in if you want Germans to buy. Berlin is a hundred fold better. CHEMNITZ, November 9, 1897 J. C. MONAGHAN, Consul. RAILWAYS AND RAILWAY EMPLOYMENT IN CHINA. By every mail, I receive letters from railway employees in the United States asking about the prospects of obtaining employment on the railways in China. I am also daily importuned by railway men who have come here looking for employment, and have found none, and are without money, and have no means of returning to the United States. In order that no more men may waste money and time in coming here, only to be disappointed, I transmit herewith a statement of the railways now being operated and those under construction in China. There are two railways now being operated: From Tientsin to Peking, 79.68 miles in length, and from Tientsin to Chung-hon-so, 213.85 miles. I have no means of stating the exact tonnage of freight or number of passengers carried, but the amount of business can be fairly estimated by the facts following: From Tientsin to Peking, one passenger and one mixed train are run daily in each direction. On the other road, one passenger train is run daily each way. While five mixed trains are run in each direction daily, each train only covers part of the distance. No mixed train is run the entire length of this road. Twenty-seven foreigners are said to be employed on these two roads, of whom four are locomotive engineers, and the others are managers, division superintendents, and in other leading places. The operatives are practically all Chinese. A foreigner can not compete with them. The highest salaried natives on the railways are the telegraph operators, who are paid $40 ($17.80 gold) per month. Locomotive engineers receive $20 to $30 Mexican ($8.90 to $13.38 gold) per month. The brakemen, section hands, laborers, etc., receive from $6 to $10 Mexican ($2.68 to $4.46 gold) per month. The fare from Tientsin to Peking, practically 80 miles, is 2,420 cash, or approximately 31⁄2 Mexican cents (1.55 cents gold) per mile. On the other road, the fare is 21⁄2 cents Mexican (1.1 cents gold) per mile. The volume of business is so large and the operating expense relatively so small that this railway has paid at the rate of 15 per cent per annum since it was opened to traffic. There is now under construction a railway from Shanghai to Woosung, 14 miles. This work is being done entirely by Chinese labor and has been under way a little more than a year. is almost finished, but no ties or rails have been laid. The grade To-day, as I write, the first sod is being turned at Hankow, on the HankowPeking Railway. The further prosecution of this line at this time depends on the success of the Belgian syndicate in floating the proposed loan for its construction. The above two lines, aggregating 293.53 miles, are the only ones being operated; and the Shanghai-Woosung line, 14 miles, is the only one on which work is actually being done. On these, there is now no chance for employment for American labor, skilled or unskilled. The plan of His Excellency Sheng, director-general of the Imperial Chinese railway administration for railway building, is a very comprehensive one, comprising a trunk line from Peking to Canton, about 1,500 miles; a line from Shanghai up the Yangtze Valley, about 2,500 miles; and a line west from Canton, about 1,500 miles. These lines at present are "in the air." They will only be built as money can be borrowed outside of China for their construction. Sheng proposes to couple with these railway loans a Government loan of $80,000,000, the amount necessary to pay the balance of the Japanese indemnity. His idea is twofold: to give the parties making this loan to the Government, as an inducement and bonus, the option to build all the railways in China on a specified plan; to interest foreign Governments in favoring this loan by giving the parties who build these railways the right to furnish all materials and skilled labor. Should his plans succeed, there will be no market for American railway materials and labor, unless Americans furnish the money to build the roads. Under these circumstances, I must advise United States railway employees that there is at present no market for their labor in China. Should more roads be constructed, there will only be a market for their labor if these roads are built by Americans. An American only invites starvation who comes here without a definite contract of employment with some reputable firm, made before he leaves America. JOHN GOODNOW, Consul-General. SHANGHAI, November 10, 1897. EXPORTS FROM NUREMBERG TO THE UNITED STATES. It may be interesting to note how little the exports from this consular district to the United States have been affected by the new United States tariff which took effect on July 24, 1897; indeed, at the present time, a large increase in the amount of exports is noticeable. It is true that the past September quarter, whose exports amounted to $321,831.84, showed a decrease of $44,417.84, compared with the No. 209-8. corresponding quarter in 1896, which latter amounted to $366, 249.68; but the reasons for this falling off are obvious. The German exporters, anticipating a higher tariff bill, had been shipping such large quantities of goods before the passing of the new tariff bill that the warehouses in the United States became overstocked. ing figures show this clearly: June quarter, 1895...... June quarter, 1896........ The follow $279, 699. 15 295, 440. 92 344, 985.95 As a consequence, there was a decrease of exports in the following quarter. I even find, upon closer examination, that the aforementioned decrease of $44,417.84 in the past September quarter occurred in the months of July and August only, while the month of September came up to last year's figures; and the coming December quarter will undoubtedly show quite an extraordinary increase. The month of October, 1897, alone shows an increase of $33,007.10 over the same month in 1896. The following figures show the exports of the month of October for the past five years: The considerable increase in 1894 was caused chiefly by the excellent hop crop in that season, while this year's increase is due to the larger exportation of not only hops (although they pay a higher duty this year than last year, and although price, quality, and quantity of this year's crop are affirmed to be about the same as last year), but also bronze powder, lead pencils, beer, etc. It is therefore fair to presume that this increased exportation to the United States is at the same time an indication of the general prospering of trade in our country. NUREMBERG, November 26, 1897. GUSTAV C. E. WEBER, Consul. PREPAYMENT GAS METERS IN BRUSSELS. A company manufacturing prepayment meters, as well as other materials and fixtures used in gas works, has recently established workshops at No. 155 Rue des Palais, Schaerbeek, Brussels. The company states that more than 15,000 prepayment meters have been accepted by gas companies in England, and in nearly every city in France the use of the prepayment meter has been adopted by gas companies, numerous factories, and by thousands of private individuals. The success obtained in these two countries encouraged them to try operations in Belgium, where more than two thousand of their meters have already been accepted by gas companies in various parts of the country. The director stated that the number would have greatly exceeded this amount, if, in the beginning, they had not been hindered by the bureau of weights and measures. When a request for a prepayment meter is received, the company places the meter without any expense to the consumer. The price of the gas, however, is increased, according to the requirements of the case, from 2 to 5 centimes (3 to 9 mills) per cubic meter (35.316 cubic feet), which extra sum is devoted to the payment of yearly rent of meter and redemption fund. The rent is generally reckoned at 8 to 10 per cent of the cost of placing, and amounts to 12 or 15 francs ($2.31 to $2.89) per year. In basing calculations on an annual consumption of 300 meters, the price of gas is increased from 4 to 5 centimes (7 to 9 mills) per cubic meter. The system of prepayment meter has been recognized as incontestably advantageous and convenient to the working classes. The majority of subscribers are found among small shopkeepers and artisans in Brussels, where the demand for prepayment meters has exceeded the output, owing, in part, to difficulty in securing a competent working force in the factory. In many families among the classes mentioned, the ordinary daily cooking is performed on a kerosene-lamp stove, and not infrequently the only manner of heating their rooms and shops is by means of a kerosene-oil lamp table. Kerosene oil retails in this city at 13 centimes (21⁄2 cents) per liter (1.05 quarts). From data communicated by a director of an important gas company, it is shown that it costs a workingman's family 2 francs (38.6 cents) per week, or 104 francs ($20.07) per year, for gas for cooking purposes. The same family using a prepayment meter would have sufficient gas for both. cooking and lighting for 90 francs ($17.37) per year. Objections as to fraud or difficulty as to receipts have been recognized as having no practical importance. To simplify accounts, it has been found advisable to leave in the money receptacle a number of 10-centime (1.9 cents) nickel pieces, equivalent to the quantity of gas remaining for consumption. By this method, the register of gas consumed and remaining to be consumed always agree. The control of receipts is easily verified by any employee of the gas company who compares the figures in the consumer's memorandum book with those on the dial registering coins deposited and also the quantity of gas registered by cubic-meter dial. By the aid of ingeniously |