COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. 95
through all the treaty ports. “They are closely allied with the
Hongkong &amp; Shanghai Banking Corporation, and with that bank
are the representatives in China of the British &amp; Chinese Corporation,
 so largely interested in the railway and other loans, acting as
purchasing agents of these railways under their loan agreements, and
at the same time tendering on purchase requirements from these lines;
maintaining at Shanghai alone an establishment with an office force
of about a hundred; with extensive import, export, and engineering
staffs; serving as general managers for cotton mills, silk mills, ete.;
operating coast and riverine steamer lines, and agents of the Royal
Mail Steam Packet Co. and the Indra Line; agents of the Russian
Bank for Foreign Trade, Petrograd, and the Mercantile Bank of
India; agents of extensive wharves and warehouses, of marine and
fire insurance companies; engaging in the past in the opium trade;
and holding a great share of the British enginering and railway
business in China, besides being large importers and exporters of
all character of foreign and native goods.”?
Jardine, Matheson &amp; Co. may be taken as typical of a large class
of British firms, though few have reached so great a development.
Several operate in China, and many others in other fields. In the
River Plate region,sfor instance, Agar, Cross &amp; Co. (Ltd.) is very
prominent. This was a private concern up to 1913. but is now inzorporated
 with a capital of £750,000.
Export CompIinaTiONS.—In various industries producers have
gone directly into export trade without utilizing the medium of
export commission houses, brokers, or merchants. In some instances
this has been done by large combinations within a particular industry,
 such as J. &amp; P. Coats (Litd.), the Fine Cotton Spinners’ &amp;
Doublers’ Association, the Cambrian coal combination, the British
Electrical &amp; Allied Manufacturers’ Association, etc. Some of these
are discussed later in connection with the international competitive
conditions in the industries affected. (Chap. V.) More recently
British manufacturers of noncompeting but complementary products
have been forming organizations for the handling of their export
business. This was brought about largely by the inroads of corbinations
 of German manufacturers on British trade.
As long ago as 1906, there were two large organizations engaged
in promoting British engineering interests in Egypt. One is the
British Engineering Co., of Egypt, composed of five firms banded
together for this particular purpose only. The other is the Egyptian
Engineering Co. (Ltd.), an alliance of 24 British engineering firms
representing every branch of the trade in Egypt and the Sudan.
These two were practically the only organizations for foreign trade
’ 1 Special report of Consul in Charge. ¢. HH. Gauss. Shanghai. Pt. II. p. 218.