The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-06-13
MENACE is DECLARED
CHEAP PRODUCTS FROM THE ORR
ENTAIL COUNTRIES.
Chairman DinRIey Makes an EInbor-
ate Address to Congress on
the Subject.

made request on the menace to Amer
lean manufacturers by the threatened in
vasion of cheap products of Oriental la
bor and upon the effects of the differ
ence of exchange between gold stand
ard and silver standard countries upon
United States manufacturing and agri-
culture these questions having been in
vestigated 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 industry;
that while the Japanese do not have the
inventive faculty of Americans. or even
of Europeans, their initiative faculties
are wonderful. Their standard of living
would be regarded as practical starvd-
ton by the worlxingmen of the United
States and their hours of labor average
u day. Such workmen as blacksmiths,
carpenters, masons, cOmpositors. tdilo.s
and plasterers receive in Japanese cities
only from 26 to 80 cents, and factory OPP
eratives from to 20 cents per day in our
money and nearly double those sums
in Japanese silver money, while farm
hands receive $1.4 per month.
Europeans and Americans, says Mr..
Dingley, recognize the profitable field af-
forded for investments and factories,
and he adds: "Sixty-one cotton mills,
controlled ostensibly by Japanese COM
panies, but promoted by Europeans, and
several small silk factories are in opera
ton with something over half million
spindles. Japan is making most of the
cotton goods required to supply the mar
row wants of her own people and Is be-
ginning to export cheap silk fabrics and
handkerchiefs. While your committee
have not found that any articles of i'm
portance made by the factory methods in
Japan outside of cheap silks, handker-
| pb OF a
invaded the market of the United States
it is probable the rapid introduction of
machinery into Japan will within few
years make Japanese factory products,
and probably fine cottons silks and other
articles in which the labor cost here is
an important element in production,
more serious competitor in our markets
than the products of Great Britain,
France and Germany have been, sim
ply for the reason the Japanese wages
are lower than European wages and
Japanese labor likely soon to become as
effective with machinery as European
labor"
The committee reports that it knows
no remedy outside of the absolute prohi-
biton enforced against convict labor
goods, except the imposition of duties on
| competing goods equivalent to the differ
| ence of cost and distribution. An argl-
ment for this policy is made, it being
/
| collection of revenue to support the gov
eminent and the placing of competition
| in our markets on the basis of higher
wages. AS to whether the fact that one
dollar of this country or the silver pur-
| chased by this dollar will exchange for
nearly two Japanese yen dollars, gives
| the manufacturer of cotton, for example
| in Japan an advantage additional to
| that caused by the conditions already
| discussed in the markets of this coun-
| try Mr.. Dingley says:
CLEARLY the manufacturer in Japan is
! in this respect at a disadvantage, for his
| cotton comes largely from the United
| States and he must pay not only the
| freight but additional charge risks Of
| the fluctuation of exchange resulting
| from the fact that Japan does not have
| monetary standard of the commercial
world he obtains no advantage by the
sale of his goods. in the terms of more
va,-cS,c currency, but, on The contrary'
loses something by this brokerage. The
only way in which he can obtain any ad-
vantage must be through the failure of
the wages of labor in Japan to rise as
| much as the yen has deprecated in It's
relative value to gold since 1872 while
wages in the United States since 1919
| have doubled as estimated in silver ana
| have risen Is per cent as estimated IN
| gold Manufacturing wages in the Unit
! chasing power than a quarter of cent
| urv ago, in consequence of which the
| labor cost of production in Japan is
| largely diminished, while the labor cost
| of production in the United States has
| been increased, except as counterac-sd
by larger use of labor-saving devices.
| 1t is claimed that. however, notwita-
| standing the wages of Japanese labor
! C~s have nos risen as the silver yen of
| Japan has been deprecated as compared
| with gold. yet that his wages will still
buy a many Japanese products as they
would % years ago.
The report continues: "Silver-standafd
countries. ike Japan and Mexico, in
| which as it is claimed, the prices of do
| nestle products estimated i'm silver re-
main the same as in 1873 are put to a
| disadvantage in their trade with for
| eign countries on a gold standard in that
the latter countries are able to use sill
yer which costs nearly 80 per cent less
| than il did in 1873 in payment for the
products of silver standard countries
practically paying only half as much
in their money for products of silver
standard countries as they paid in 1873
while the silver standard countries pay
or at least paid in 1892, So per cent more
in silver and Is per cent less in gold fol-
the products of gold standard countries
than they did in 1873"
The advantages in foreign trade of an
identical monetary standard are shown
and considering the probabilities of en-
listing the manufacturing countries OF
Europe in an international agreement for
fixed coinage ratio between gold and
silver. it is said the leading EurOpean
countries especially Great Britain, must
be the first 10 feel the competition OF
Japan and other Oriental countries.
HEAVY TORNADO IN ALABAMA