In considering the possibility of selling American goods in Shantung Province one important fact should be borne in mind, and that is that the United States purchases a large percentage of the partly or wholly manufactured foreign exports of the Province, which annually total a considerable sum. These goods are mainly bought through foreign firms in the treaty ports that have had the foresight to establish themselves for that purpose. These firms purchase Shantung products to sell to America and purchase non-American products to sell to the natives of the Province. Obviously a strong importing and exporting house, with the necessary financial backing and connections and with competent men in charge of the main departments, would be in a position not only to supply the United States with the required Shantung products but also to sell directly to the Chinese through native agencies located in the main trade centers. This would practically amount to barter, and the profits to the concern undertaking the business (profits that now go abroad and that amount to considerable sums) would remain in American hands. In addition, American goods would be in a most favorable position in the Province. That the direct marketing of American goods pays in China has been amply demonstrated, and if, in addition to selling, a firm is in a position to buy, there is every inducement for the Chinese to deal with that concern.

The lack of jobbers and wholesalers in this district who are in a position to carry stocks makes it extremely difficult for American merchants to place their goods before Shantung buyers. At present the Standard Oil Co. is about the only concern importing goods directly from the United States. In other places where American goods are on sale one finds that they are supplied from Shanghai or Hongkong or some such large neighboring trade center and, after passing through several hands, finally reach the market. Naturally, under such circumstances, the price has greatly increased and great difficulty is experienced in trying to meet competition.

The past four years have been most favorable for the introduction of American goods. The former sources of supply of foreign articles have either been cut off or the production seriously curtailed, and in daily greater degree China has looked to Japan and the United States for many necessities. The former country has many natural advantages and because of the energy of its people is proving a serious competitor. The trade that has gone to the United States has in the main been in lines that Japan could not supply and is not noticeably due to the enterprise of American exporters. While it is true that a number of American firms have established branches in Shanghai, their activities have seldom been directed toward trade through other treaty ports with the vast interior. In this respect they have made but one short step to overcome pre-war handicaps, since, to reach the actual consuming markets, they are still mainly dependent upon foreign firms just as they were formerly dependent upon foreign firms to introduce American goods into the Shanghai market. Many lines of American exports are finding a ready sale in China to-day as substitutes for goods that are no longer procurable. Whether or not their sale is to continue upon the reestablishment of normal conditions depends mainly upon the American exporter's seizing the present favorable moment to market his own goods not alone in Shanghai but also in the Provinces where the goods are actually used.

CHUNGKING CONSULAR DISTRICT.

by Consul M. S. Myers.

LOCATION AND AREA.

The Chungking consular district comprises the Province of Szechwan and Tibet except the Kokonor region. As these two regions are so different and as the latter is relatively unknown, it will be dealt with separately.

Szechwan is one of China's western Provinces and lies between latitude 26° and 34° north and longitude 98° and 110° east. Its latitude corresponds to that of Texas. It is bordered on the north by the Provinces of Kansu and Shensi, on the east by Hupeh and Hunan, on the south by Kweichow and Yunnan, and on the west by Tibet.

This Province is the largest in China. Its area is 218,533 square miles, or nearly four and a half times the size of the State of New York. Texas, with its area of 265,896 square miles, is the only American State that is larger.

POPULATION.

As elsewhere in China, no reliable census has ever been taken. The population is variously estimated at between 45,000,000 and 71,248,600, the latter being the estimate of the Maritime Customs. Richard gives the population as 68,724,800, but considers this figure too high. This population is confined almost entirely to eastern Szechwan, or, roughly, that part of the Province east of the Min River, which comprises less than half of the total area, or about 100,000 square miles. As 50,000,000 may be considered a conservative estimate of the population of this part of the Province, its density may be regarded as approximately 500 persons to the square mile. This figure is exceeded by several other Provinces. The population of western Szechwan is very sparse and comprises aborigines, such as Tibetans, Lolos, and others, among which are independent tribes, as well as Chinese. The Chinese are found mostly in the towns, where they are either in official employment or engaged in trade.

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

Szechwan is mountainous and hilly. From the Min River west to the borders of Tibet there is a succession of mountain ranges running north and south-separated by deep gorges-which at many places reach a height of 16,000 to 19,000 feet. In eastern Szechwan hills and mountains are numerous, but in no case do they reach a great height. Running east and west on its northern border is a range that reaches a height of 8,000 feet but the mountains to the east and south are not so high. Inclosed within these mountains, which form its rim, is a table-land of red sandstone commonly called the "Red Basin." The Chengtu plain is the only important plain.

As described by Richthofen, the limits of the "Red Basin" correspond with those of eastern Szechwan.

The principal river of this district and, in fact, of China 2 Yangtze. From its source in the Kokonor, or Ching Hai, the g direction of its course is south until latitude 26.5° north, in T Province, is reached, whence its general direction is east. I upper reaches it is known as the River of Golden Sand," a western watershed marks the western boundary of Szechwan important afluents in this Province, beginning in the west, Yalung, Min. Lu, and Chialing Rivers, flowing south, and the 5 Tan River, flowing north. The affluents that flow south havet. tributaries, the more important of which will be mentioned "Waterway."

CLIMATE.

The c

In mountainous western Szechwan, generally speaking, the c is dry, and the winters are cold and the summers warm. is considered healthful. In eastern Szechwan, except in the tainous rim of the "Red Basin," the climate is mild. The chantemperature are rapid, fogs are of frequent occurrence, and tes is usually overeast. The rainy season occurs during the su when the humidity is the highest. At Chengtu the temperat summer rarely exceeds 100° F. in the shade, and in winter the only a short period when the mercury drops below freezing. Along the Yangtze River the climate is semitropical. At C king the extremes of temperature are, of an average year, 2 35° and 106° F. in winter and summer, respectively. The winter mean temperature ranges between 46° and 53° F. The mers are hot and, because of the extreme humidity, are very tr Fortunately the foreign population can escape to the near-by and obtain some relief from the heat. In spring and autumn s and marked changes are frequent. During the autumn and months the sun rarely makes its appearance through the bluishatmosphere that obscures the sky. The average annual rainfa about 50 inches. From April to October is the season of great rainfall.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.

The hsien or district is the fundamental subdivision of the P ince. There are 141 hsien in Szechwan. Each hsien is presided o by a chih shih or magistrate. He is the authority who comes in c tact with the people. His powers are comprehensive and his du manifold, the more important being (1) administrative; (2) jud (in a few important places courts-shen p'an t'ing-have been est lished and are now responsible for much of the judicial work: supervision of education; (4) preservation of order.

There are four tao or intendencies in the Province. Each ta presided over by a taoyin or intendant. These are civil officia directly under the governor, the highest civil authority of the Proince. Their principal duty is to superintend the many district mag trates within their respective jurisdictions.

There are two other officers of whom mention might be made. though they are not vested with administrative powers. They the commissioner for foreign affairs at Chungking, who is also super intendent of customs, and the special delegate for foreign affairs

Chengtu. These officers are directly controlled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Peking, but are subject to the supervision of the governor. The superintendent of customs, in respect to his duties as such, is directly under the Shui Wu Ch'u, at Peking.

EDUCATION.

The years 1905 to 1910 may be regarded as the period of transition from the old educational methods to the new. The change was necessarily slow, for a number of reasons, of which the more important were lack of adequate funds, lack of trained teachers, and the attitude of many officials, which may be attributed in part to the regulation requiring officials of the rank of magistrate and below to take a course in law. By about 1910 schools for the old learning had disappeared.

According to the latest official report on education in Szechwan Province published by the authorities (that for 1914), the total school attendance in the Province in both Government and private schools was 364,205. Of these, 5,739 students were in schools for higher education (mostly law schools), 9,827 in middle schools, 2,031 in industrial schools, and 345,121 in the 10,891 primary schools. Education in the primary grade is to a great extent provided by private schools, but above this grade very largely by the Government. The chief educational center of the Province is Chengtu, the capital. It has a provincial college, a foreign-language school, a normal school, and a technical school, connected with which there are a number of foreign teachers. Of other schools above the middle-school grade there are the Normal School for Girls, the Business School, the School of Law and Politics, the School of Jurisprudence, the School of Sericulture, the Preparatory School for Students Going Abroad, the Girls Industrial School, the Trade School for Girls, and the School for Kindergarten Teachers. The above are Government schools and, in addition, there are several private law schools. There are no native medical schools or hospitals, except, in the case of the latter, military ones.

The educational work of the Protestant missions has been coordinated by the formation of the West China Christian Educational Union, established in 1906. The following_missions in Szechwan are members of the Union: American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, Canadian Methodist Mission, China Inland Mission (Eastern and Western Districts), Church Missionary Society, Foreign Christian Mission, Friends' Foreign Mission Association, and Methodist Episcopal Mission. According to the statistical report of the Union for 1915, the missions maintained 444 junior primary schools with 13.997 pupils, 40 senior primary schools with 879 pupils, 12 middle schools with 565 students, 4 colleges with 59 students (the university), and 5 theological and 6 women's training schools having student bodies of 45 and 104, respectively. There are 707 teachers in all grades. The university is situated at Chengtu. A German mission society supports a girls' school at Shunching in which there are about 40 pupils.

The Catholic missions also maintain many elementary schools, there being 350 parish schools in this part of the Province, with more than 6,000 pupils. They have 3 colleges in the Province (2 in Chungking and 1 in Chengtu), 10 seminaries, and 5 boarding schools for girls. Two of the colleges are now closed as a result of the war.

There is only one foreign secular school in the Province. It is the Deutsch-Chinesische Schule at Chengtu, which is now attended by about 80 students. It is of the middle-school grade. There are two German in-tructors in the school, which, it is understood, has received support from Berlin.

The Protestant missions support 24 hospitals and 34 dispensaries in Szechwan (report of 1915) and the Catholic missions 5 hospitals and 7 di-pensaries. The German Government has supported a hospital at Chungking, which has been in charge of an army doctor. The name of this hospital is the Deutsche Poliklinik für Chinesen. So far no market has existed for modern school supplies and the prospects are not promising.

As regards hospital equipment, a certain amount is in use by the hospitals above mentioned. The supplies and equipment are, generally speaking, obtained either from the home countries supporting the missions or from Shanghai. There is no prospective increase in the demand for such equipment.

AGRICULTURE.

Agriculture is the principal occupation of the people of Szechwan. Rice is the most important crop and is generally cultivated throughout the "Red Basin." The crop year is from April to August. Forty-five bushels per acre from fields continually covered with water is said to be a fair yield. Rice is the chief foodstuff.

Other crops of lesser importance are wheat, rape, beans, sweet potatoes, maize, hemp, tobacco, and sugar cane.

Wheat is one of the principal winter crops, its harvest falling in May. Twenty-five bushels to the acre is claimed to be an ordinary yield, but as much as 50 is harvested. Wheat is exported to other parts of China..

Rape is grown extensively for oil for cooking purposes. It is harvested in May also.

The soya bean is very generally cultivated, chiefly as an article of food. The crop is sown in April and harvested in August. A variety of other beans as winter and summer crops are also grown as articles of diet.

Sweet potatoes are very widely cultivated as an article of food. Maize is generally cultivated throughout Szechwan. It is planted in April and harvested in June. Forty bushels per acre is regarded as a good yield, but the average is about 30, as the crop is usually raised on poor soil. Maize is grown principally for food purposes.

Hemp, Cannabis sativa and abutilon, is grown to a large extent. The crop season of the former is February to June and of the latter April to August. The latter is the more largely exported.

Tobacco is a large crop of the Chengtu plain. Tobacco shoots are transplanted in March and the harvest is gathered in June. Tobacco leaves are exported to other Provinces.

Two kinds of sugar cane are grown-the red, for chewing purposes only, and the white or yellow for manufacture into sugar. The cane is ripe in November. Brown and white sugar is exported for consumption in other parts of China.

Among the above products, hemp is the only one that is sent road, where it is largely used in the manufacture of carpets.