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On the 24th of May, 1917, I
got a rude awakening by receiving a cable from the British Commodore in
Hong Kong informing us that he had commandeered all our steamers and
asking when and where we would deliver them. I replied asking if it
would be of any use my going to see him with a view to modifying his
order. He replied he would be glad to see me any time but gave no
indications as to what he would do. The Bessie Dollar was ready to sail
from Shanghai, so I went with her, and on arrival in Hong Kong
immediately went to see the Commodore. I asked him if he was at liberty
to tell me what he intended doing with the vessels. He was very nice
about it and told me frankly that he wanted our vessels to carry coolies
from North China to Vancouver for transportation to France.
I asked, "Would it be
satisfactory to you to allow me to do the work for you, and use the
space in the ships not otherwise needed?" He said such an arrangement
would be entirely satisfactory, but that I had overlooked a very
important part, and that was the compensation. I then dictated a letter
to him reciting what I had agreed to do, and stating that I would leave
the compensation entirely to the Admiralty in London. He was a very much
surprised man, and asked, "What if they pay $1.00 for each ship?" I
replied that this was war time, and I would stand by my offer. The
following day he sent for me and said he had a reply from London, and
that in justice to me he had cabled my entire letter. Their reply was
entirely satisfactory, in fact, was considerably more than I would have
asked.
In the meantime I had
turned over the Bessie Dollar to them, and they were rapidly
transforming her mto a troopship. The business went so satisfactory to
the British Government that at the close of the war the Admiralty ift
London sent 11s as nice a letter as they could write, thanking us for
the
service and
congratulating us for the very satisfactory manner m which we carried
out our part of the agreement to its fulfillment. We also carried a lot
of coolies hack from France and Vancouver on the termination of the war.
This business, along with the freight which we carried, was most
satisfactory to us as well as to them. No prospect could have been more
dismal than the loss of all our ships, with the resultant total
paralysis of all our Far Eastern business, so I repeat the old sayings;
"The darkest cloud has often a silver lining," and "all is well that
ends well."
The weather was intensely
hot and the difficulty of successfully carrying on the business at this
time was very great, so I had anything but a picnic. However, the
ultimate success well repaid me for all the hard work and harder
thinking. I visited Manila to endeavor to work up more business; bought
a lot on which to build a house for the manager. I found it difficult to
increase the business, but we must keep right after it.
We seem to have far
better success in China than in the Philippines, but I do not know why
this is, although I believe that if the Philippines are properly
developed they will become a great country. It has always been my claim
that Java is the most fertile island in the world; and although it is
small, it supports over thirty-five millions of people. If Luzon had the
population and they worked like the Javanese, it would produce more, as
I think it has more arable rich land than in Java. Then there are the
other islands having millions of acres of rich uncultivated land. The
Hollanders compelled the natives to work, which has given them
industrious habits, that the Filipinos lack, and which the American
Government did not instill in them, but spoiled them by paying higher
wages than are paid in any of the East Indian countries, and at least
double, if not three times more than in any nearby country. This caused
idleness, as they could earn enough in one or two days to keep them a
week, and as the mass of them only work to keep body and soul together
they only work-about one-quarter of their time. The early educators did
not teach them that no nation can become truly great except by frugality
and hard work, but allowed them to believe that when they got a
smattering of education and wore shoes, the world owed them a superior
living and that they did not have to work.
I visited the fine large
school at Capiz on the island of Panay, and was surprised to find that
no effort had been made to encourage industry. Sometime after this I
learned that the educational authorities had thoroughly awakened to the
mistake that was made, and have adopted a system whereby the boys are
taught that no success in life can be assured with out industry, and
that it is not dishonorable to work, but highly honorable. To our youth
at home this advice is unnecessary, but it has to lie pounded into the
Malay mind. I understand far better results are now obtained. The
Chinese are the merchants of the Philippines, brought about by their
industry and intense, hard work. At this time the cost of stevedoring
was nearly three times as large in Manila as in Hong Kong, and about
half as fast. This has since been changed, but not altogether, as there
is still plenty of room for improvement, both in the cost as well as in
the rapid handling of cargo.
I was in Shanghai on the
fourth of July and attended a reception at the Consulate, and an
inspection of marines and sailors by the Admiral and the Consul General,
viewing the parade from the reviewing stand. This is the first time in
Shanghai that all nations joined heartily with the Americans in
celebrating their national holiday. I was real glad to see it, as it was
a demonstration of friendship and a puling together brought about to a
great extent by the European War. I hope this feeling may continue,
especially with the English speaking countries, as I believe a
co-operation and an under standing between us will have the same effect
as the league of Nations would have had, if it had been possible to have
successfully put it through.
We went up the river to
Hankow, where we thoroughly investigated our business, which I found to
be in an excellent condition. I visited the Wuchang Y. M. C. A., which
is now under the management of a secretary paid by the Robert Dollar
Company also investigated the necessity of a building for this work.
It being July, the
weather was intensely hot, but I managed to meet all whom it was
necessary to see and made sufficient investigations into business
conditions to satisfy myself as to how it was conducted. We then went to
Peking, but many of those I wanted to see were out of town at summer
resorts to avoid the intense heat. However, I saw all there were in
Peking who were interested in our business. Thence we went to Tientsin
and found our business in excellent shape and very prosperous. At
Tientsin we own two half city blocks of improved land, but buildings
have gone up around us to such an extent that the land has become too
valuable to use for a lumber yard, so in anticipation of increasing
values, we purchased a block just across the river Pei Ho, in the
Russian Concession, which will suit us just as well for a lumber yard
and we can ultimately dispose of our present yard for building sites.
While in Shanghai I drove
around the city trying to get a correct understanding of its growth
since I first saw it, less than twenty years ago. I located the
boundaries at that time and noticed the growth and the expansion that
has taken place since then; and unless I had obtained that correct
viewpoint, I never would have believed that the growth had been so
great, it was easily 30% to 35%. This was particularly true along the
river front, where there has been built wharves, factories and public
works of many descriptions. One of the biggest changes has taken place
in Nantoa, between the walled city and the Bund. Good and permanent
building has been done by reclaiming the fore shore. Many permanent
improvements have also been made at Pootung, across the river as far up
as our wharf, which is now practically at the head of deep water
navigation.
Amongst many others, the
Young Men's Christian Association has developed from nothing to a
tremendous power in the city. This institution is crowded to its utmost
capacity both day and night, and its religious work has also increased
correspondingly. While at Pootung I witnessed a most remarkable bad
storm. The hail stones were so large they went right through the tiling
of roofs, and made round holes similar to bullet holes. The destruction
of glass was so great that a sufficient quantity to repair the damage
could not be obtained for weeks. The sizes of the stones I measured were
six inches in circumference and two inches in diameter. Fortunately the
storm did not last long. On the 5th of August we sailed for home after a
few mouths of real hard work and of great pleasure in being able to
accomplish it. |
