The advocate., 1896-10-07
oR1ENTAL COMPETITION.


tions in the United States, is much more
formidable than most persons believe.
Wheat and cotton culture have been
enormously stimulated within the last
twenty years in India, Egypt, Russia and
South America American farmers have
felt the effects Of this late expansion in
the growth Of two of our staple crops.
AS to manufacturers in Japan and
China, the cotton spinning and weaving
industry is rapidly developing, and coarse
woolens, such as carpets and heavy
cloths, is getting well established.
The London Eng.l Times had an in
teresting article on this subject nearly
year ago, and we here reproduceit for the
information and study of our readers.
They will see how fast our Asistic COM
petitors are following us in the produc-
ton Of manufactured articles from raw
materials of which we are large grow
ers:
The results already achieved are undOubt-
edly calculated to strike the imagination At
frst sight with astonishment and alarm. The
most conspicuous of these results are those
connected with the cotton industry.
In 1885, Japan imported only SSOOOOO'worth Of
raw cotton; in 1894 she imported $l9,5OO,OOO
worth, or more than tour and twenty times as
much. At the beginning OF 1885 there were
nineteen spinning mills, with about $4,000
spindles in Japan, and at the end Of 1898 there
were forty with about 100000 spindles
The result was, Of course, inevitable. The
lower grade yarns, formerly imported from
abroad, have practically disappeared from the
Japanese market. the importation Of middle
grades is rapidly declining, and only the higher
grades, which Japan has not yet set herself to
produce, still maintain their footing. The i'm
portatlon Of cotton yarns reached Its high
water mark in 1885, when the growing supply
from the native mills had not yet overtsken
the growing demand arising out Of general
increase Of national prosperity and activity.
In that year cotton yarns were imported from
Great Britain and India, in about equal pro-
portions, to the total amount Of 62,S60,00O
pounds. six years later lin 1S94) the importa'
tions from the same countries amounted to
only 2l,241OOO pounds, or barely one-third OF
the former figure.
II the pinch has not yet been more severely
felt in England, 1t is due to the fact that the
loss has so far fallen much more heavily on
Bombay than upon Lancashire. for, while the
imports from the latter have been reduced 40
per cent, those from the former have suffered
to the extent Of 80 per cent Nor is this all ;
not only at the present rate Of progress Is the
time within sight when Japan will cease alto
gether to import goods Of this category, but
last year, for the first time, she actually ap-
peared an exporter, and for the respectable
figure OF 4,5OOOOO pounds, sent chiefly to China.
While ninety-three spinning companies in
Lancashire were working at q loss, the cotton
mills of Japan were paying, in 1894, dividends
of 16 and 20 per cent, and even more. These
are results which may we'll provoke jealousy
and apprehension among European msnuiac-
turers and importers Of cotton goods, and,
though not in the same degree, similar results
may be already noted in connection with many
Other branches ofindustFy Ready-mAde cloth
Ing, boots and shoes, hats and caps, umbrellas,
paper Of every quality, beer and matches, are
all represented by annually diminishing fig
ures in the import columns Of Japanese trade
returns, while the corresponding figures in the
export columns are rising every year.
silk manufactures exported from Japan
have increased in value from S5l,457 in 1885 to
$S4OOOOO in 1894 The annexation Of Formosa
may be expected to give an immense tmpOtus
to the sugar industry by securing to Japan .
field of almost unlimited capacity for the pro-
ductlon of raw sugar. Japanese coal, the ex-
ports Of which have risen in valuefrom under
S2OOOOOO in 1885 to over $65OOOOO in 1894, is rap