The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-10

Dingley, of the House ways and means
committee, made report on the men
ace to American manufacturers by
the threatened invasion of the cheap
products OF Oriental labor. and upon
the effects of the difference of ex-
change between gold and silver stand
ard countries upon United States
manufacturing and agriculture. these
questions having been investigated
by the committee. The report says
the sudden awakening of Japan from
the oriental slumber of centuries is
being followed by an equally rapid
westernizing of her methods of indus
try; that while the japanese do not
have the inventive faculty of Ameri-
cans, or even of Europeans, -tllei1 ini-
tative faculties are wonderful. Their
standard of living would be regarde
as
PRACTICAL STARVATION
by the working men of the United
States, and their hours of labor aver
age twelve daily. Such workmen as
blacksmiths, carpenters. masons, COM
posptors, tailors, plaslterers, receive in
japanese cities only from 26 to 80 cents
and factory operatives five to twenty
cents per day day in our money, and
nearly double those sums in Japanese
silver money, while farm hands re-
ceive S1.44 per month. Europeans and
Americans, says Mr.. Dingley. recognize
| the profitable field afforded for invest
ments and factories, and he ADDS:
"Sixty-one cotton mills controlled
ostensibly by Japanese companies. but
| promoted by Europeans, and several
with something over
HALF A MILLION SPINDLES
Japan is making most of the cotton
goods required to supply the narrow
wants of her own people, and is be-
/ ginning to export cheap silk fabrics
| and handkerchiefs.
Recently watch factory with Amer
/ lean machinery was established by
Americans, although the stock is held
/ in the names OF Japanese, as foreign
| ers will not be permitted to carry on
manufacturing in their own names I'M
/ til S99, and the progress made indi-
/ Gates that the enterprises will prove
/ q. success.
/ while your committee have not
found any articles Of Importance made
! by the factory methods q Japan, out
side of cheap silks. handkerchief, mat
! tings, rugs. etc, have as yet invaded
the markets of the United States, it is
profitable the rapid Introduction of
machinery into Japan will, within a.
few years. make Japanese factory pro-
ducts, and probably fine coteons, silks
and other articles in which the labor
cost here is an important element I'M
production,
A MORE SERIOUS COMPETITOR
in our markets than the products of
/ Greet Britain, France and Germany
have been. simply for the reason the
Japanese wages are lower than Euro
pean wages and Japan labor will likely
soon become as effective with ma
chinery, as European labor
This result will be counteracted
somewhat by the inevitable tendency
and contact with civilization, to i'm
prove the standard of living and con-
sequently the wages of the japanese
workmen.''
According to Mr.. Dingley, the COM
petition will differ, not in kind. but
in degree, from European competition.
The committee reports that it knows
no remedy outside of the absolute pro-
hfbition enforced against convict labor
goods except the imposition Of duties
on competing goods equivalent TO the
difference of cost and distribution An
argument for this policy is made, it
being said to
ACCOMPLISH A DOUBLE PUR-
POSE,
the collection of revenue to support
the government and the placing of
competition in our markets on the
basis of higher wages. This is said
to be not for the benefit of the manu-
facturers in this country for the manu-
facturer has only to go to England or
! Japan to place himself on the same
basis as he is placed here under duties
on competing imports equivalent to
the difference of wages here and there.
but to secure to all the people the bene-
fits which come from home, rather
than foreign production. AS to
whether the fact that one dollar of
this country or the silver purchased
by this dollar will exchange for near
ly two Japanese yen (dollars) gives
the manufacturer Of cotton, for eX-
ample, in Japan, an advantage adj
ditional to that caused by the copdi-
tions already discussed in the markets
of this country, Mr.. Dingley says:
Clearly, the manufacturer in Japan
is in this respect
AT A DISADVANTAGE,
t for his cotton comes largely from the
United States and he must pay not
only the freight but additional charge
risks of the fluctuations of exchange
resulting from the fact that Japan does
not have the monetary standard Of
the commercial world. He obtains Mt
: advantage by the sale of his goods in
: the terms of more valuable currency
t but on the contrary, loses something
: by this brokerage.
: The only way in which he can OBJ
t tain any advantage must be through
y the failure of the wages of labor il
Japan to rise as much as the yen ha.
. deprecated in its relative value to gols
since 1873; while wages in the Unite'
States since 1878 have doubled as esti