The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-27
THE MISTAKE OF CONsUL-GEN-
ERAL.

The United States consul-general at
Shanghai unconsciously enlivens the
dreariness of the consular report of jan
nary by an article on Labor and
Wages in China He begins his essay
with few well-known statements TO
the effect that the Chinese laborer will
save money on wages that would be
hardly sufficient to supply the absolute
necessities Of an American laborer." He
goes on to say that because Chinese Ia
Dor Is cheap ii does not follow that "the
product of that labor is inferior" While
the Japanese, with little higher wages,
is the superior Of the Chinese in enter
prise and artistic sense, the silks Of
China are favorably known all over the
world. The consul-general, Mr.. Jerni-
gan, also tells the limited number that
will read his report that the Japanese
and Chinese are nothing but imitators,
and consequently cannot become the
rivals of the Western nations. Japan has
already become a rival in many direc-
tons, and the writer believes that the
hour of China's awakening is not far
distant. The United States, he goes on
to say. should not be far away when
this awakening of 40O,QO0,OOO of people
| comes. in order to secure a share of the
| valuable trade which will spring up be-
| tween the aroused millions and the
| Western nations.
There is much more of this, but the
| consul-general concludes with the sig
nificant statement that his observations
ma w 10 nUi N
| table showing the price of Chinese la
bor." He then proceeds to give the
wages of Chinese at Shanghai last Sep
| TENDER. reduced to American currency.
| The blacksmith is paid 13 cents day,
with food. the barber cents. the boot
maker 10 cents, the bricklayer 10 cents,
the carpenter IL, the tailor TO- the cotton
mill machinist IL to % cents a day with
out food. cotton factory hands IS cents
a day, without food, and so on.
Just what the consul-general at
Shanghai has in his mind by presenting
these prices of labor in connection with
his remarks about the industrial progress
in Japan, showing its capacity to be a
| rival Of Western nations and the early
awakening Of China to such rivalry, it is
not proper to positively assert, but if it
means anything to others 1t is that the
| United States should lose no time in get
| ting in close commercial relations witn
a country whose hundreds of millions of
| people will soon wake up to become RI
walls in producing the very goods which
| Japanese skill and enterprise with ma
chinery is pushing into San Francisco
and selling at from 80 to 40 per cent
lower than they can be produced here
The consul-general seems to have given
these low rates Of wages as an induce
ment to hasten to China and purchase
in the cheapest market, sure that the
! cheapest market must be where wages
are. on the average. one-tenth of those
which prevailed here before the Cleve-
| land assault was made upon the pro-
tective policy.
The Journal does not know Consul
general Jernigan. but it assumes that
he is of that party which has demanded
the privilege of purchasing in the cheap.
est market and feels called upon to ad-
vertise where the cheapest market will
be. But since Mr.. Jernigan became q
resident of far away Shanghai the mass
of the American people have changed
their minds about the cheapest market
They have learned that the cheapest
market is where wages are the lowest
and the rewards of labor in living are
the most meager. Consequently, the
American people are against that sort
i of cheapness which puts them in com
petition with the low wages of the
Chinese which the consul-general has
quoted.