The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-06-10
MANUFACTURES
JAPAN
Report Of Chairman DinOIey on the
Menace to American Goods BY
Japanese Labor.
no MORE sEcTARIAN scnooLs
The kord -Iadian" Strieksa From the BILL
Silver Standard Countries and Their
Disadvantage in Trading
With Outsiders.

Washington, June 9.-chalrrnan Dingiey
Of the house ways and means committee,
has made a report on the menace TO
American manufactures BY the threaien-
cd invasion OF cheap products Of Oriental
labor. and upon the effects OF the dlfrer-
ence OF exchange between gold standard
and silver standard countries upou the
United States agriculture and fnanufac-
ture questions having been investigated
BY the committee. The report says the
sudden awakening OF Japan iron. the
Oriental slumber OF centuries is being
followed by equally rapid westernizlng Of
her method Of industry: that while the
Japanese do not have the inventive ia
Guilty OF the Americans. or even OF Euro
peans, theii initiative faculties are won-
derfuL Their standard Of living would
be regarded as practical starvation BIZ
the worhngmen Of the United States,
and their hours OF labor svsraSc tssc!S=
day. Such workmen as blacksmIths.
carpenters, ulasons, composltors, talIora.
and plasterars receive In Japanese cities
only from % TO % cents, and factory
operatives 5 TO % cents per day IN our
money, and nearly double those sums IN
Japanese silver money, while farm hands
receive H-a per month
Europeans and Americans, says Ding
ley. recognize the profitable field Afforded
for Investments and factories, and he
adds:
"Sixty-one cotton mills. controlled os-
tensibly by Japan companies, but pro-
NOTED by Europeans. and several small
silk factories. are In operation at some
thing over a million spindles. Japan Is
making most Of the cotton goods required
70 supply the narrow wants or her own
people, and is beginning to export cheap
fabrics and handkerchiefs. II Is feared
the rapid Introduction OF machinerey into
Japan will. within a few years, make an
Japanese factory products. and probably
fne eottons. silks and other articles, IN
which the labor cost here is an important
element in the production, a more serious
competitor in or markets than the pro-
ducts Of Great Britain. France and Ger
many have been. simply for the reason
that Japanese wages are lower than Eu-
ropean wages and japanese labor Is Ike
ly soon to become as effective with ma
chinery as European labor
The committee reports that 1t knows no
remedy outside OF the absolute prohibit
tion enforced against convict labor goods,
except the imposition Of duties on COM
peting goods equivalent to the differences
Of cost and distribution. The argument
for this policy is made. It IS being said.
to accomplish a double purpose. the col
lection OF revenue to support the govern
nent, and the placing Of competition Ia
our markets on the basis Of higher wages.
IL is evident that so far as Japanese peo-
pie consume foreign products. they must
pay nearly twice as much for them either
in their own production or in their own
money as they would pay II they were
not on silver basis-a fact which clearly
diminishes the purchasing power OF Jap
anese wages one-half SO far as Japanese
consume foreign products. The report
continues:
Silver standard countries like Japan
and Mexico in which. as 1t is claimed, the
prices Of domestic products estimated in
silver. remain the same as in 1873. are put
to disadvantage In their trade with for
eign countries on gold standard In
that the latter countries are aDle to use
silver, which costs nearly fifty per cent
less than 1t did in 1873. in payment for
the products Of silver standard countries,
practically paying only half as much In
their money for the products OF silver
STANDARD countries as they paid in 1873,
while silver standard countries pay-or
at least paid in 1S92-S5 per cent more in
silver and 10 per cent less i'm gold for the
products of gold standard countries than
they did in 1873.