The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-29
Progress In Japan.

A comprehensive and careful report on
the industries OF Japan, prepared by the
British ice-Consul at Toxic, has Just been
published by the British Foreign Office.
The facts brought out In this report are OF
interest TO American as we'll as British
manufacturers.
IL Is well known hat when Japan was
thrown open to trade with foreign coun-
tries her exports, with the exception OF
some works of art, were confined to aRricul-
tural and other raw products. Her output
OF such staples Is now far larger than It
was then, and, in addition. she has become
q great exporter of MANUFACTURED articles
and q great importer Of raw materials, espe-
cially Of sugar and cotton, the former COM
modify being derived exclusively from
Asiatic countries and the latter mainly
from China and India. OF the imports
from the Western world the most impor-
tant are metals and machinery. Hith-
erto most of the steel rails have
como from England, but Germany and
the United States are beginning to compete
with her. or the 440 locomotives now ut
work in Japan 75 per cent. are OF English
origin, about 8 per cent. are German, and
all the rest are American. Over a hundred
American locomotives have been ordered
within the last five years. The Japanese
themselves have begun to build locomotives,
and they can undersell the foreign makers,
but they are far from being able to keep
pace with the demand. Owing to the extra
ordinary development Of railways, Japan
for many years to come will offer a
market for steel rails and locomotives.
Tbora aea noun yaor1u Q00 rni1aa ~ Gtata
railways and $50 miles OF railways owned
by companies in operation. The construc-
ton Of 1,15O miles Of additional line is
under way. and now companies are seeking
authority for the construction Of 5000
miles more. The mercantile marine is also
undergoing rapid expansion through liberal
subsidies, but England seems at present to
have a monopoly in supplying the large
steamships ordered by the Japanese for
ocean traffic.
Tho enlarged mercantile marine IN in
tended to further the competition of the
Japanese manufacturer for the markets of
the far East. 1t is principally Is q purveyor
Of cotton cloths that Japan has shown her,
self a formidable rival to England. owing to
the %cheapness Of her coal and the cheapness
Of her labor. There has been, We learn, .
considerable rise of wages in the last year or
two. but it is improbable that the pay of
labor will ever reach the level which pre-
walls in England and tho United States.
Some statistics cited in the report I'M
der review enable us to measure the
amazing growth Of the cotton in
dustry during the last seven years.
In 1888 Japan possessed "a cotton
factories, with $4,000 spindles; in 1895
she had 90 factories, with Ss9, 900 spindles,
and IS Of these factories produced over
100, 00o, 900 pounds of yarn. OF the miscel-
laneous manufactures Of Japan the British
Vioe-Consul at Toxic has a poor opinion.
The matches, for instance, though they are
80 cheap that they rave driven the European
out of the far Eastern markets,
are Of very inferior quality. You can buy
in Toxic a packet of ten boxes for a cent and
q half; but not more than a third Of the
will ignite. and with these the
generally goes out before it can be
utilized.
From this report American manufacture
ers will draw the inference that the articles
which 1t will best repay them to send to
Japan are the special commodities required
by the Government and the great Transport
tation and industrial companies, including
particularly railway plant and electric and
sugar machinery.