The San Francisco call., 1896-05-13
JAPAN'S MIND UNSETTLED
Her Navy Is Considered
Large Enough for
the Present.
The American Ship-BuilderS
Return Home Greatly
Disappointed.
The OREGON and INDIANA COMP AIRED
General Williams Of Cramps Makes
Excuses for the Eastern
Ship.

General George B. Williams, represent
ing the Cramps in negotiations with the
Jananese Government for the building of
naval ships, arrived on the China yester-
day and is stopping at the Palace.
.Japan has not made up her mind in the
matter of a navy" said General Williams
last evening. at was understood that she
contemplated big equipment in ships of
war, but that does not seem to be true
The Japanese have either changed or not
fully made up their mind about it. at
any rate they indicated to US that they
were not prepared to enter into any con-
tracts in the matter. All we have done,
therefore, was to represent to the authori-
ties having to do with the matter what we
could do for tn EN- in case they do at some
| time want to increase their navy. I have
| been over there some two months. Mr..
Dickev, representing the Union Iron
| Works of San Francisco, was there at the
same time on the same mission, and came
back by the same ship, with, l believe, the
same report.
Speaking about his observations in
Japan, General Williams said: "The
! Japanese people are not at all inflated owe +
their great success i'll the recent war. A
| great many persons have asked me if the
people were not disposed TO be 'cocky as
a result 1t was to have been expected
but the fact is that it has had the opposite
effect. 1t has made them thoughtful. ALI
the notables l came in contact with
| seemed to ieeI q new and SOLDERING sense
of responsibility in their relationship to
the world. The intellectual and CONNER
cial awakening OF Japan has been wonder
full. l visited the country twenty years
ago. There was then scarcely an engine
| in the country. Now there are smoke
stacks everywhere and the whirr OF ma
chinery, toeether with quite a system OF
railways. The people are studying philo-
sophy and science, and are reasonably
| abreast in these things. The spread OF
their progress has been wonderful
Chow about the much talked of Japanese
invasion of manufactures in this coun-
try2"
''Well a good deal OF that is rot. Japan
will be manufacturing more and more OF
what she needs as time goes. She will
| import less and so Europe will suffer in
the matter of trade with her. She does
not buy much of US as it is. and so we will
not be injured. l do not think we have
anything to fear from her as a competitor
in our markets. Yes, she builds ships OF
her own, too, of q certain class, and very
gooQ ones"
Then General Williams was asked if he
had heard of the recent performances OF
considerable interest as to tie trial trip
if it had taken place to-day as scheduled
He had heard OF her sixteen knots on the
way to Santa Barbara.
"Put to her best, she will probably dc
much better than that" he said. "Oul
ship, the Indiana? She made something
above fifteen knots on her trial trip. The
Oregon, however, has just been trimmed
up, had her bottom scraped and is in the
best possible condition. The Indiana wa.
very foul at the time of her trial.
But why was she allowed to make the
test in that condition.
well, there was no drydock anywhere
available at the time
1.-THE Cramps have none about thei
works?''
mo. She was slid off the stays into tht
water and never came out of it again befor,
the test. Besides, the water of the Pacifi,
is much more favorable for speed than i
the Atlantic. l think the Indiana woulC
have done fully half knot better if tn,
conditions had all been right. Altogether
the Oregon has several material advantage
over the Indiana in their respective trials.
General Williams is accompanied by hi
wife, and will go East in day or two.