Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-06-02
THE ADVANCE OF JAPAN
CHEAPNEss OF COST OF JAPA.
NEsE MANUFACTURES
Enormous Production ofGoOds- Rspid
Growth OF the japanese
Merchant Marine.

lhe Foreign and Colonial I'm
porter (London), in its May
number, gives its fourth and final
article on 1.-The Advance Of
Japan" Extracts and alb. tracts
from the article are given be-
low:
''In the first of these articles we
pointed out that the Japanese
were bound TO become keen com
petitors of other industrial nations
in the Eastern markets. and, per-
haps, before long in the markets
of the world. We have shown
that in the other leading features
OF her national economy she is
capable of holding her own in a
formidable manner; that her po-
litical position is strong, her i'm
port and export trade rapidly in
creasing, and labor cheap. The
cheapness Of her labor is of course
the essence of her competition.
In our last article we gave an ap-
proximate idea of the wage earn
able, under the best employers, in
the country. We carefully stated
at the time that we had probably
somewhat overstated the figures,
and have since been in
formed that the margin
we gave was a wide one.
But even at the liberal figures
recorded by us, japanese wages
show reduction on those earn
able in Europe and America of
nearly 30 per cent. and, allowing
that we placed the approximate
wage 10 per cent. too high, we
find that articles can be made in
Japan, so far as labor is concern
ed, at one third the cost of the
European article. TO say, there
fore, that Japanese manufactures
can be put upon the market at
what seems absurd prices is al
most a superfuous statement.
Calico is to be bought at the
equivalent of 4 cents a yard, or
under I'd. in English money, and
flannelette at very little more;
good cotton and merino socks are
sold at the equivalent to sd. per
pair; best strung tennis racquets
at Is. Cd. tooth. brushes at Is. Cd.
a dozen; good quality hempen
door mats at Is. Cd. each. and so
on through all the articles in
domestic use. Boots and shoes of
European pattern are obtainable
at 5s. per pair, and good felt hats
at IS. We are not quoting the prices
for the lowest type Of article, far
from it. Even at these prices the
manufacturers make no mean pro-
fit on their productions. 1t will
at once be seen, therefore, that
when Japan has had time to
organize her export connections
severe competition must follow in
those markets where such articles
as these fetch double the price.
The volume of goods of this class
now being turned out by her is
enormous, and is rapidly increas-
ing, and, allowing for the newt
able advance in wages and conse-
quent cost Of production, which is,
indeed, already coming about, the
margin left for a competing trade
is enormous, and already she has
flooded the Eastern markets with
cotton goods of cheap nature.
This part of our subject could be
prolonged far beyond the space
which we have to devote to it, but |
We have said enough to support |
our prediction that a vast indus
trial power is gradually confront
ing the older industrial peoples,
the commercial consequences of
which cannot yet be properly
The Importer goes on to show
the enormous increase within
the last few years in the
mercantile marine. In
1870 the total number of ships of
European form, both steam and
sailing, was 46 with registered
tonnage of 1882 tons. There
we're in 1885 566 vessels of an
aggregate tonnage of l02,075. Ten
years after in 1894 the number of
steamships was 469 and of sailing
vessels 1876, the total tonnage being