The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-08
The Cotton Industry in China and Japan.
WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS ABOUT
III.

The Rapid Progress i'm Japan is At
tracing Attention-The Mills i'm
China are Slowly Increasing.
Alfred b. ~Shepperson, New York.
The cotton manufacturing industry
OF Japan has attained considerable
Importance, and its rapid progress is
attracting attention., not 80 much on
account OF what has already been &C
complished as for the further develop
ment which may be expected. The
Japanese have until recently chiefly
depended upon Europe and India for
cotton goods n yarns but it seems
evident that before many years they
will not only manufacture all the cloth
and yarns needed for their own use but
will be formidable competitors with
England and Indie for the trade of
China and other eastern countries.
They possess no special advantages
Tor cotton manufacturing except u
good climate and cheap and efficient
labor. The mills are equipped with
the most modern of European machin.
cry, the duty on which is only 3 per
cent. There is now no duty on raw
cotton, as h previous duty Of 5 per
cent. was removed in April, 1896. The
duty on cotton cloth and yarns is . per
cent.
II Jrr~ 1923 thcro were in Japan
oniy Llh.Leen vuLL.n ....l-, "'th 3d.
3G0 spindles. In 1890, tneru we're
t~wcnty-four mills, with 100000 spin
dies, and theiroconsumption of cptton
was equal to 8S,473 hales (of 500 p. unds
next) On May 81, 1896, there " re at
work 'siXty-three mills, with 6G3 900
spindles and 1905 looms, employing
42,3SS operatives Including da, and
night hands
-Four new mills, with 50, 900 sritdles,
were projected, and it was proposed
to add 1858 600 spipdles to the sixty
three mills. Within a few months,
therefore, there will probably be l, 000,-
COO spindles ut work.
During the year ending December
81 1888, the Japanese mills consumed
tne equivalent of 1854, coo bales (of 500
pounds metz of cotton OF the following
grOwths, VIZ: Japanese, ATOP bales ;
Chinese, lG2,S0S bales East Indian,
143, $40 bales American, 81, lO6 bales
Korean, etc, S ,50S balEs.
he wages paid to thb operatives are
very low, averaging II sen equal TO II
cents in silver) per dpy for men and
boys, and 8 sen per day for womcu and
girls. Men received % to 35 sen wo-
men, 10 to 20 sen boys and girls, 5 to
10 sen per day Of II actual working
hours. One hundred sen make u yen
which is equal to ST in silver or about
80 cents in United States money.
The mills run day and night and are
in operation % hours each day. There
are two sets of handsome for day and
the other for night work.
Besides putting aside something for
q reserve fund, the mill devidends for
the year 1893 are reported as ayeraG-
ing Ii per cent.
| do not a~pprchencd any interference
with u domestic or export trade
from the competition Of Japanese mills
In coarse goods such as are made il
Japan the cost Of the raw material is
so much greater than The cost of it,
manufacture hat the cheaper and bet.
ter cotton which our mills have viii.
compensate for the niger wages whict
they pay.
Some cotton is grown in Japan, but
it has d coarse, short staple, and is III,
ierlor to CHR csc and Indian cotton
1t Is grown in small patches by many
farmers, but never as a clrief crop
me last crop was equivalent to ahou'
80, 600 bales (of 500 poundS), while the
crop of 1887 was l04 900 bales. Ny
Japanese friends tell me the cultiva
ton will continue to diminish, as the
lnlllS use Japanese cottOn to a very
limited extent and factory made yarn.
and cloth will gradually displacc thos,
made in their homes by hand machines
Much OF the native cotton is manu-
featured into cotton batting for lining
winter Sarmeht!, etc. 1t Is also uscC
for Jugs and coarse cloth. The small
quantity used in the mills is for mix
ing with foreign cotton of better
quality.
In China there are now eight cottor
mills in operation, with 50, 700 spindlcs
Six mills are at Shanghai and two n
Hong Kong. 1t is proposed to adj
l6S, 700 spindles to these mills and tt
erect at Ninpo q mill with 1900 spin
dies. A small mill is being erected u
Hang Chow and several more mills ar,
projected at Shanghai. A recent con
suiar report states That the highes'
average wages paid to mill operative.
ia Shanghai is equal to 20 cents II
silver per day.