The San Francisco call., 1896-01-17
NEW FACTORIES IN JAPAN,
Nearly Forty Have Been Built
IN Osaka the Past Few
Years.
BIG SLEEVES AND IMPORTS
More of the Investigating Committee
Reports on Facilities for Trans.
portation.

The japanese investigating co n4mittee
met again yesterday at the Office of the
Manufacturers Association. The report
of the committee on transportation faclli-
ties was received, ana the committee on
imports stated that they would be ready
to report at the next meeting.
A letter from Congressman Grove L.
Johnson to Mr.. Craig was read in which
the representative thanked him for some
newspaper clippings and other matter sent
on, and said:
They VIII be Of assistance to me IN endeavor-
ing 10 awaken the people of the East TO the
danger TO our manufacturers and people of the
unfair competition OF japanese cheapllabor. l
received your telegram and have also noticed
IN the san Franciseopapers the good work tnat
you nave been doing in the matter.
There were present Hugh Craig (the
chairman), w. b. Curtis J. 2. Currier,
George II. Collins, Julian SOnntag and A.
Soarbora OF the committee.
Hugh Craig stated that an agent of his
company at Yokohama, while passing
through the other day, had said that the
exports OF piece silk from Japan in 1855
were valued al $500 600, while in 1895 they
had increased to $11 600, 600.
Mr.. Collins said that he would like to
know what had been the export for 1898 -94
). Z. Currier replied that the importation
and sale in this country of Japanese silk
had fallen off, he had been informed,
largely owing to the demand for stiff silk
Tor the big sleeves that are now the
fashion, and the japanese made only soft
silk.
Mr.. Craig remarked that the price of q
good quality of silk in Japan was only 10
cents yard, and that to compete against
this there could be only one possible solu-
tlon, and that was tariff high enough to
enable American wOrkmen to live as they
had been used TO living and compete with
the cheap labor of Japan.
Professor George Davidson called in to
suggest that the committee employ Horace
ID. Dunn, who had for many years been
Nlce-Consul for Japan st this port, and
who Is familiar with the questions before
the committee, to gather statistics. The
professor was asked TO speak of what he
had seen while IN Japan some years ago.
u had a very good opportunity 10 see
everything, as the Japanese Government
placed some officers IN our party" He
said, The japanese are not at all inven.
tive. Their machinery is all imported,
and there Is little danger that they will do
anything IN the line OF inventions. There
were only two articles they were shipping
to any eXtent-tea and silk. Even the
watches they were making were made
with American machinery"
Mr.. Craig said that the point impressed
on the committee was that the Japanese
could take our American machinery, buy
American cotton or other raw material
and go into the English market where
labor IS lower than it is here and compete
Professor Davidson said that Colonel
Fred Crocker, who had lately visited Ja-
pan, had told him that IN Osaka there were
thlrty-dve or thirty-seven factories which
were not there when the professor visited
that city. He suggested that Colonel
CrOcker be asked to address the committee,
as he had made a study of these OuestIOOS
The committee accepted the suggestion.
The report of the committee on trans
portatlon was presented as follows:
SAN Francisco, Cal, Jan. 10, 1896.
Mr.. Hugh Craig, Chairman: Your committee
on rates aud facilities OF transportation be-