The San Francisco call., 1895-12-30
RAW COTTON FOR JAPAN,
Shipments Made From This City
Instead of by the Suez
Canal.
Southern Pacific Officials Say Ex
portations Have Not Largely
Increased.

General Traffic Manager Stubbs of the
Southern Pacific says there is no cause for
alarm concerning the quantity of raw cot
ton now being shipped from this port to
Japan. 1t was thought that this increased
shipment presaged an equal increase in
the manufactured output of Japan. This,
of course, would mean the placing on the
market of products manufactured by such
cheap LABOR that American made. goods
could not hope to compete with them.
Mr.. Stubbs says, however, that the ship
ments are bat increasing in locality and
not in quantity. Heretofore most of the
cotton shipments to Japan have gone by
way of the Suez canal. The fact that a
larger share of these shipments are now
being made from San Francisco, if Mr..
Stubbs' view of the situation be correct, is
rather a cause for congratulation to this
coast than otherwise.
In an interview last evening Mr.. Stubbs
said:
While it is quite true that the expectation of
cotton to Japan from this port has increased
very recently, and the Southern Pacific Com
pany has handled larger amount of it
than before, it is also true that japan is not
ceiving any more cotton than the ordinary de-
velopment OF manufacturing industries in that
country requires. Japan has imported cotton
in considerable quantities Tor years. Nearly
all of it was sent from the gulf ports to London,
and thence to Japan by way of the Suez canal.
This method of importation was expensive, and
| for one reason - becaue the material was
ordinarily secured through English brokers'
Within the last half year the japanese have
| evidently awakened to the fact that there are
| cheaper channels of importation and they are
| now beginning to put their theory into prae-
| tice. The increase in impoTtations from the
| Pacific ports merely indicates change in the
method of supplying the Japanese mills. |
am quite certain that the demand for increased
| facilities means nothing more than that
As far as the reports about inadequate facili-
| ties are concerned, there is very satisfactory
explanation Recently there has been not
| able increase in flour expectations, and the
| steamship hines have had all they could do to
! meet the demands for cargo room.
Moreover, the steamers have not taxed their
| carrying capacity to any large extent, and
when the cotton began coming this way in
! large quantities there was nothing to do but
| handle it slowly until additional facilities
could be had. Now that there is reason to ex-
| pect considerable quantities of raw cotton for
| expectation, arrangements will be made as
early as possible to meetall requirements.
| All of the raw cotton shipped from the Pacific
! side has gone from this port 1t is a fact that
| the cotton sent by the Canadian steamers was
not the raw material. 1t was received from
| the New England mills, and while the term
"bae" might be supposed to mean raw cotton,
| it was invariably in the fabric condition.
You may be assured that the cotton we
| handle now is large part of the cotton for
| merly handled by London brokers or agents
| and sent to Japan through the canal. We
| have tried to secure the business and we have
| been fairly successful. There need be no alarm
| cotton goods manufacture The whole thing
simply means desirable extension of busi-
ness. and it cannot but conduce to the general
well being of the Western country.