The San Francisco call., 1896-03-27
An Important Bill Providing for
the Appointment Of a
Commission.
EVILS THAT REQUIRE REMEDY.
Danger of an Invasion of Manufac-
tured Articles From japan
Pointed Out.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March 26.-By
direction of the Committee on Education
and Labor Senator Perkins to-day re-
ported to the Senate Till authorizing the
appointment of non-partisan commits
sion to collate information and consider
and recommend legislation to meet the
problem presented by labor, agriculture
and capital. The bill provides that the COM
mission shall be composed of twenty
one members; that ''the five men,
bers representing labor shall be ap-
pointed by the President from those
nominated by labor organizations
which are National in character, having
the largest number of members and being
ical strength to be considered, and not
more than one person shall be appointed
from the organization; that of five mem
bers to report on agriculture, three shall
be appointed on the recommendation of
the National Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union and two on the recommen-
dation of the National Grange and Patrons
of Husbandry"
The report accompanying the bill says:
''The universal dependence upon trans
portation companies is fact or question
of prosperity or lack of prosperity of agri-
culturists which demands attention. In
some States, as in California, this factor is
of supreme importance. In others less.
The fact that oranges from Spain
and Italy compete successfully with
oranges from California in the great
markets of the country is wide bear
ing. The cost of transportation Of
California fruit to market is 80 to 81 per
box while foreign fruit pays 80 cents. In
less than carload lots it now costs about
50 box to lay down California fruit in
New York. Spanish oranges pay 90 cents
a case, but the case is twice as large as
that containing fruit with which it COM
petes. These facts tend to show one of the
principal causes of complaint that is now
being made by very important industry
of great State and the present case would
fairly come before such commission as is
proposed. g
Lower freight rates and measure of
protection by tariff from domestic fruit
would revive the now languishing branch
of horticulture, and the facts stated above
are emphasized by the report of United
States Consul Seymour of Palermo, that
during the year 1894 there were exported
from that port eight times as many lemons
and oranges to the United States as the
entire expectation to all other foreign
countries during the same period. Cali
fornia and Florida suffer from this compe-
tition of fruit raised on the shores OF the
Mediterranean, and the prosperity of two
great States Of the Union is disastrously
effected to the benefit of the people OF
another race, country and hemisphere.
s'And trivial indeed will some of them
appear when we shall be face to face with
that industrial competition which is
being forced upon US by Japan. It is but
few years ago that this remarkable
nation began to establish manufactures to
supply goods which it had hitherto pur.
chased abroad, yet even now there has
arisen alarm in England, Germany and
our own country regarding the influence
which Japanese manufactures will have
upon their prosperity. And this
alarm is not without cause. The
grave importance of the question
raised by the marvellous development of
Japanese manufactures has been fully
recognized by the National Association of
Manufacturers of the United States, which
has requested Congress to appoint COM
mission to inquire as to the invas sion of
our own home markets by Japan. The
Manufacturers and Producers Associa-
ton of California in February called q
meeting to discuss the Japanese indus
trial question, at which Julian Sonntag
called attention to the TACT that it is
dangerous iallacy to contend that the
Japanese can never compete successfully
with America and England in commerce
and manufactures. To-day, he said, one
cannot go into dry-goods store and tell
French and Japanese silks apart. Carpets
from Osaka rival those of Egypt, Turkey
and Persia and are being exported to
America in large quantities. The great
newspapers of the country have recognized
the importance of the industrial re volu-
ton in Japan and are discussing it se-
rlously. Writers of magazines devoted to
economics are giving the matter their
attention. In March number of Canton s
Magazine appears the following:
There is no country in which economic
changes are likely to create SO much industrial
surprise if not disiocation in the next quarter
of century as Japan. During the last quar-
ter of q centery japan has been rapidly west
ernizing her civilization. and is now rapidly
westernizing her methods of industry At the
present rate she is progressing it may not take
her more than q decade to get factory sys-
tenn, with its modern equipments. Although
this will be sure to act upon her
laborers, raising their standard and increasing
their cost of living, it will probably
take half a century before her wages approx
mate the wage standbrd of the United
States, or even of England. To the extent to
which she increases her factory methods faster
than she raises her wage standard will she be-
come a successful competitor with Western
producers and will demonstrate the economic
soundness OF protection as permanent princi-
pie in national statesmanship. All the world
should rejoice at Japanese progress, but it win
| be q calamity for mankind if Japan Should be
| permitted to destroy, or even lessen, the rate
OF progress in this country or in Europe.
OF GENERAL COAST INTEREST.
MGtters at the Capital That Concern Calf
forMto and Vscisstty.
WASHINGTON n n March oc A.