The herald., 1894-10-08
JAPAN'S AMBITION.
is THE CHINESE WAR A CONNER
CIAL SCHEME?
The Empire of the Little Brown Man
Arpirss to Pose as the Great
Britain OF the Ori.
entail Seas.

to be news is continually being sent from
the Orient regarding the war between
China and Japan, it is of 80 oontrsdio-
tory a nature that it is interesting when
one who has spent some years in the
east speaks from actual knowledge.
Mr.. Charles 3. Scott. who is return
ing to his homo in Indiana after an ab-
sence of seven years, most OF which
have been spent in Japan, spoke inter-
estingly yesterday on one phase OF the
present difficulty.
''It appears to me-" he remarked.
that western people, with the pugnac-
ity of the Anglo-Saxon race, desire to
see the Japanese win in the fight, not
so much, or indeed at all, because that
nation is fundamentally right in the
quarrel, but because it will increase
trade and enable America to exploit the
Chinese markets. l am convinced my
self that it is not out OF any abstract
love OF justice, nor yet out OF sympathy
with the tax-burdened Corcans that the
Japanese have involved themselves in
war. They sre wise with the wiedom OF
the west. Their boast is that Japan ia
to be the Great Britain OF the Orient.
Napoleon called the English "a nation
of shopkeepers." IL is the came with
the Japanese today. Commercial greed
is consuming them. The progress they
have made is phenomenal. AS an illus
tration, there were only four spinning
mills in 1880 in all the kingdom of Japan.
In 1890 there were 49, Three years later
360,0 spindles were at work, and by
the end OF this year there will be
zoo, 900. The factories at Osaka are
equipped with electric lights and run
two shifts OF IL hours each. The raw
cotton imports have increased from
4,000,000 eight years ago to 105 100000
pounds at present. The net earnings
of these mills have been about $3.50 per
spindle. The operatives work for an
average OF 16 cents a day for men and
cents for women, both working for IL
hours.
al have noticed" continued Mr..
Scott, that the press has, possibly un.
Willingly, given currency to statements
that are untrue regarding the enormous
resources OF japan 40 far as coal is con-
cerned. 1t being intended, OF course,
to show that manufacturing industries
will flourish, for good coal is the key to
the manufacturing situation. Now, the
Japanese government some time ago
published report made by their own
experts that showed that the coal de-
poBits would be exhausted in % years
and 10 months, to be exact. The yearly
yield from 1882 to 1891, according to
the STATISTICAL returns, gave an sverag s
OF IL ,453, 800 tons as an annual average
yield. 1t was then calculated that the
proportional annual increase of yield,
the average OF which was taken at 13
per cent. would give in 1901 yield of
10l, $40, ,27S tons and in 1911 at 303, ,347,-
$50 tons. The expert who made the
calculations arrived at the conclusion
that the total yield for 25 years to come,
computed from current years, will be
given by the state department fix the
capacity of the Japan mines roughly at
759, 100000 tons and the proportion
available for practical purposes being,
according to weatern experience. three
quarters of the total capacity, it follows
that the actual result which the mines
will yield for use is 1853, 100000 tons. II
from this amount be deducted the an.
nual minings in 20 years. reckoned from
1891, there remains only %, ,237 ,674 tons.
Or, to put it plainly, in January, 1916.
there will remain in Japan only l0-
months supply of coal.
"Oh, yes" answered Mr.. Scott in re-
ply to an inquiry; very probably meth
DDS OF utilizing oil in the place of coal
may be devised by that time. AS it is
in America you have little idea to what
extent oil is used in Russia. At several
points in the east depota are being
erected for oil storage by the Roths-
childs. and also Noble, OF giant powder
fame, and they are not establishing
themselves in this way before some sort
of demand has ariasn."