The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-11
ORIENTAL LABOR QUESTION.
THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS
COMMITTEE MAKES A RE-
PORT THEREON.
INVASION Of AMERICAN MARKETS.
Sudden Industrial Awakening of Japan
Threatens to Flood This Country
With Cheap Products, So Say
the Republican Committee.

mittee today made a report on the men
ace to American manufacturers by the
| threatened invasion of the cheap products
of Oriental labor and upon the effects
of the difference of exchange between
gold standard and silver standard cOun-
tries upon United States manufacturing
and agriculture, these questions having
been investigated by the committee. The
report says the sudden awakening of ia
pan from the Oriental slumber of centu-
ries is being followed by an equally rapid
westernizing of her methods of industry;
that while japanese do not have the in
ventive faculty of Americans or even of
Europeans, their initiative faculties are
great and their standard of living would
be regarded as practically starvation by
the workmen of the United States, and
their hours of labor average twelve a
day. Such skilled wOrkmen as black
| smiths, carpenters, masOns, cOmpOsitOrs,
tailOrs and plasterers receive in Japanese
cities only from % to 26 cents, and fac
tory Operatives 5 to 20 cents per day
in our money and nearly double those
| sums in Japanese silver money. while
| farm hands receive $1.55 per month.
| Europeans. says Mr.. Dingey, are rec
ognizing the profitable field afforded for
investments and factories and adds:
| "SiXty-One cotton mills, controlled os-
tensibly by Japanese companies, but pro-
| NOTED by Europeans and several small
silk factories are in operation with some
| thing like half million spindles. Japan
is making most Of the cotton goods re-
quired to supply the narrow wants of her
| own people and is beginning to export
cheap silk fabrics and handkerchiefs.
Recently watch factory with Amer
| lean machinery was established by
Americans; also the stock is held in the
names of Japanese, as foreigners will not
be permitted to carry ON business in their
own names until 1899, and the progress
made indicates that the enterprise will
prove success.
"While your committee have not found
that any articles of Importance made by
the factory methods III Japan outside of
cheap silks mattings, rugs, ETC., have
as yet invaded the markets of the United
States it is probable that the rapid in
PRODUCTION of machinery in Japan WILL
within few years, make Japanese fac
| tory products. especially fine cottons
silks and other articles in which the labor
| cost here is an important element in pro-
| ductlOn, more serious competitor in
our markets than the products of Great
Britain, France and Germany have been,
| simply for the reason that Japanese
wages are lower than European wages
and japanese labor likely soon to become
as effective with machinery as European
labor is.
"This result will be counteracted
somewhat by the inevitable tendency of
contact with civilization to improve the
| standard of living and consequently the
|
According to Mr.. Dingley. the competi-
ton will differ, not in kind. but in degree
from European competition.
The committee reports that it knows
no remedy outside of the absolute pro-
hibitiOn enforced against convict labor
goods, except the imposition of duties
on competing goods equivalent to the
difference of cost and distribution
An argument for this policy is made.
it being said to accomplish a double
purpose, the collection of revenue to sup
port the government and the placing of
| competition in our markets on the basis
of our higher wages. This is said to be
not for the benefit of the manufacturer
i'll this country, for the manufacturer has
only to go to England or Japan to place
himself on the same basis as he is placed
here under duties on competing imports
equivalent to the difference of wages
|
people the benefits which come from
home rather than foreign production.
Mr. Dingley says:
CLEARLY the clothing manufacture in
Japan is i'll this respect at disadvantage
for his cotton comes largely from the
United States and he must pay not only
the freight but an additional charge for
the risk of fluctuations of exchange re-
sulting from the fact that Japan does not
hpu fhn rfnnn natn s,f Il ,,1 nc&
mercial world. Manufacturing wages in
the United States are % per cent higher
in purchasing power than a quarter of
century ago. in consequence of which the
labor cost of production in japan is large
ly diminished. while the labor cost of
production in the United States has been
| increased, except as cOunteracted by a
larger use of labor-saving devices.
1t is claimed that notwithstanding the
| wages of the japanese labOrer have not
| risen as the silver yen of Japan has de-
preciated, as compared with gold. vet
that his wages will still buy as many ia
panese products as they would twenty
| three years ago, it is evident that so far
as the Japanese people consume foreign
products they must pay nearly twice as
| much for them. either in their own pro-
duction or in their own money, as they
| would pay if they were not on a silver
| bdSls, IL ldtt WHICH cledTly ulmlnlSneS
| the purchasing power of japanese wages
one half so far as the Japanese consumes
foreign products"
! The report continues: "Silver stand
ard countries, like Japan and Mexico,
in which. it is claimed, the prices of do
| mestic products estimated in silver re-
mains the same as in 1873, are put to
disadvantage in the trade with foreign
countries on gold standard in that the
latter countries are able to use silver,
which costs nearly 30 per cent less than
it did in 1873, in payment for the pro-
ducts Of silver standard countries. prac-
tically paying only half as much in their
money for products of silver standard
countries as they paid in 1873, while the
silver standard countries pay, or at least
paid in 1872 80 per cent more in silver
and only 10 per cent in gold for the pro-