The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-10
Report Of the House Committee
on Ways and Means.
OUR MANUFACTURES MENAcED.
No Remedy Except Imposition OF
Daty on Competing Goods.
The Silver Standard a Disadvantase 70
the japanese When They Buy Ma
terial Abroad-The Gold standard
Countries at an Advantage In Pur-
chasing From the japanese.

Washington City June s-chairnan
Dingley, OF the house ways and means
committee. made report on the menace
| 10 American manufactures By the threat
/ ened Invasion Of the cheap products %
/ Oriental labor. and upon the effect OF the
/ standard ard silver standard countries
/ upon United States manufacturing and
| agriculture. these questions having been
/ investigated by the committee.
The report says the Sudden awakening
! OF Japan from the Oriental sluElher Of
centuries is being followed by an equally
I rapid Westerniz-ng of her methods OF IN
| dustry; that while the Japanese do not
I have the inventive faculty OF Americans.
or even of Europeans. their initiative
/ faculties are wonderful. Their standard
/ OF living would be regarded as pracucai
starvation by the work.ngmen OF the
I United States. and their hours OF labor
average twelve a day. Such workmen ss
| blacksmiths. carpenters. masons. compost
/ tors, taiiors and plasterers receive in
I japanese cities onlv from aS 10 Ss cents.
and factory operatives from 10 . cents
per day in our money. and nearly double
/ those sums in japanese silver money,
while farmhands receive sl4l per month
Europeans and Americans. says MIR.
| Dingiey, recognize the profitable field az
forcea for investments and factories. ana
| he adds. s'Sixty-one cotton mills. con-
| trolled ostensibly by Japanese companies,
but promoted by Europeans. and seYerai
| small silk factories are in operation. with
/ something over half a million sp.Hdles
! Japan is making most OF the cotton goods
| required 10 supply the narrow wants OF
| her own people, and is beginning to export
| cheap silk fabrics and handkerc
! Gently a watch factory with American
machinery was established by Americans.
although the stock Is held In the names
| Of japanese. as foreigners will not be
permitted 10 carry on manufactures IN
their own names until 1899. and the prog
ress made indicates that the enterprise
viii prove a success
.W bile your committee have not found
that any articles of Importance made oy
the factory methods in Japan, outside or
cheap silks, handkerchiefs, matunss
rugs. etc. have as yet invaded the mar
kets OF the United States. IL is probable
| that the rapid introduction OF machinery
| into Japan viii within few years make
| Japanese factory products and probably
| fine cottons, silks and other articles In
which the labor cost is an important ele-
ment in production. more serious COM
| petitor 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 This result viii be coun-
| teracted somewhat by the inevitable ten
| dency Of contact with civilization. 10 inn
prove the standard of living and conse-
| quentIy the wages OF the Japanese work
men, According TO Mr.. Dingiey. the com
petition viii differ not In kind, but In de-
gree from European competition
The committee reports that IL knows no
| remedy. outside of the absolute prohibit
! ton enforced against convict labor goods,
Z Of .lsV8F
peting goods equivalent to the difference
| of cost and distribution. An argument
/ for this policy is made. IL being said TO
! accomplish double purpose, the eoliec-
| ton Of revenue 10 support the govern
| ment and the placing OF competition in
| our markets on the basis OF higher wages.
| This il said TO be not for the benefit of the
manufacturers in this country. for the
| manufacturer has only to go to England
or Japan TO place himself on the same
basis as he Is placed under duties on COM
| peting imports equivalent 10 the differ
ence OF wages here and there. but TO Sc
cure TO all the people the benefits which
come from home. rather than foreign pro-
duction.
As TO whether the fact that one dollar
Of this country or the silver purchased by
. this dollar win exchange for nearly two
japanese yen (dollarsl gives TIE tnanufac-
turer OF cotton, for example, an advsnt-
age additional to that caused ny the con-
ditions already discussed. in the markets
OF this country. Mr.. Dingley says: Clear
" the manufacturer IN Japan IS IN this
| respect at a disadvantage. for his cotton
| comes largely from the United States and
he must paw not only the freight. bat an
! additional charge for risks OF the fuetua-
| tlons OF exchange resulting from the fact
that Japan does not have the monetary
standard OF the commercial world. He OBJ
I - H. t.E-
| in the terms OF more valuable currency.
hut, on the contrary. loses something by
| this brokerage.
The only way In which he can obtain
any advantage must b. through the fall
urs sf the wages or labor in japan 10 rise
| as much "a the yen has deprecated In its
relative vaiue 10 gold since is3S. while
wages in the United States since Isss have
doubled as estimated in silver. and have
even risen = per cent. as estimated IN
gold Manufacturing wages In the United
states are = Der cent. higher in purchax-
ing power than a quarter OF century
ago. in consequence Of which the labor
! cost of production In Japan II largely d.
rnfnashed. while the labor cost 81 proa9c-
tian IA the Unsted states has been ineTsas-
81 exeeut as countsrscted by a larger Use
of Iabar-savinE devices Il IS claimed that.
however. Notwithstanding that the wages
OF tne japanese laboFer have not risen
a. the silver yen Of japan has bsen de5sre-
/ cfated As counpare1 with gold, yet that MS
Nazes viii stin bay as many japanese
r,rtssFefs "a they would twenfy~three years
ara II i svIdsat that 80 FAR ss the Jap
sresa xs4sp1e canxgns foreign pros1uef -
tnev must pay nearly as much fsr tasrl
either IN their own production or N t8saF
own money. as they would Pay y taey
80 nat IN A silver baSs--a fact which
clearly Hirsiulshes the purchasing powsf q
IsrarAse wages oue-hslf. - far as re
Jananese consGrne s1Te4sa Ps"-~ ~sts~ A@@0
report continues.
$500 ssansar4 countries Ike japan
ga Nexsea IN which as IL Is claimed. ire
r~fre~ of domestic products estlFnAte te2 n
silver remain the same s& IN ~. are put
/ 20 q sEEssvartAxs n their traGe Elta for-
/ e1r-r countries or geld standard. - that
,ss fatter countries are ssle 70 Use silver
whs-0 costs nearly - per ce1t- Jess than
4 ais n $50. tn payment for she pFo1'leis
~ silver standard countries pFscs2catsy
xsav..rr only half 50 nsncA ln thEir noz@y
80 - rrssp~ts ef silver standard coz11-
srses - they paid r Esl1. while the silver
4 efsvsa~8 countries pay. or AZ t@sst paid y
80 = per cent more n silver sna = rfr
cert les n gcld f0r Ths pgO40cis q gos1
standard countries thA5 Trey did 81 6ss&
The advantages tn foreign tsa2e % ar
4 tF@-a cal vasrsEaFg standard zr@ snoTz.
Aass n CO. si4srarg ere probabilities of @r~
Fss5nz sss raxuEtaEtErsng countries q sss~
raps IL az anter1atiaaai agreement for a
exea cslrage rzsi9 betwee1 Eet2 Snd xta-
/ var. * = sad tie lezzlag European cosiz-
] tries. especially Great Britain. s~st De tas