The San Francisco call., 1896-01-24
How They Learn by Looking
At the Operatives of
Other Nations.
THREE YEARS MATCH EXPORTS
The Japanese Cotton. Goods Exporters
Driving English Products Out
of Asia.

! Cham ber of Commerce met yesterday IN
the Mills building to consider the Japan
ese cheap-goods question. There were
present: Hugh Craig (chairman). Fred II.
Dinge (secretarv), Julian Sonntag, Pro-
fessor George Davidson, Wakefield Baker,
w. F, Bowers. George H. Collins, w. B.
! Curtis William Rutherford and A. Sbar-
! boro.
| The following report was received from
| Wakefield Baker of the firm of Baker d
Hamilton, relative to the metal products
of Japan:
With the limited means of information at
| hand 1t would seem as though they had an
| ample supply of coal, iron and copper. Their
| wire, however, is not in the most desirable
! shape for working, and from the fact that
freight forms such high percentage on goods
of this class it may safely be relied upon for the
| present. at least that no shipments of prod
ucts OF iron will be made to this country.
| In this connection it may be positively
stated that Notwithstanding their present
cheap labor nearly all the by-products OF
| iron which they are at present using are i'm
| ported into that country, and while they may
! sumption, there is but little fear from their
present resources that they will enter this
market, especially after considering the
| present protective duties.
Native copper has always been sold so
| cheaply there that it would seem as though it
might be possible for the products OF this
! they may have machinery to make such COM
modities economically.
| 1t has not been possible to obtain figures as
| to the possible output of native copper, but 1t
| is known that there is and has been an over
/ supply rather than q scarcity.
They are very large producers of coal, and
| from the best information at hand it would
seem as though the average price of this for
local consumption would not exceed the cost
of similar Goals in this and other cheap coal
| producing countries.
This committee has not gone further into
/ their general resources metals from the
| fact that freights and import duties as at pres
ent existing would make imports from that
| country almost if not absolutely prohibiting,
and, further, because labor in the manufac-
| ture OF metals forms such small percentage
OF the cost. WAKEFIELD BAKER,
For the committee.
w. F. Bowers, for the committee, re-
ported upon the manufacture OF Japanese
rubber goods as follows:
Your committee is unable to learn that they
are operating any rubber factories at present,
but they doubtless viii be at early day, be-
cause they are already making the cotton
duck which Is large factor III the production
OF mechanical rubber. They can easily obtain
crude gum direct from the rubber forests of
India and machinery from this country. With
such low priced material and labor they could
easily undersell the American manufacturer if
their product was allowed to enter this coun-
try free. W. f. BOWERS.
Horace J. Dunn, who was formerly con-
service, and who bad been requested by
the committee to give some Information
upon the labor status of that country, was
present He said that the daily wages of
iaborers had lately gone up in the empire
on all average of from 10 TO IT sen, or from
6 to 8 cents, their value here. In 1872
Japan exported 9, ,242 035 gross of boxes of
matches, valued at 2,202, ,041 silver yen Ia
yen is about 81 cents, United States coin
here). In 1893 the export was 13. .541, ,287
gross boxes, at 3,537,974 silver yen, and in
1894 the match export was 13, ,843, ,022 gross
at !, 3,795, ,634 silver yen. The United States
received in 1892 about $50 gross, in 1893,
1900 gross and in 1894, 5285 gross.
Mr.. Dunn stated that it would be impos-
sible for the operatives of any country to
compete with the japanese. Workmen on
watches now being made in that country
were being paid an equivalent to cents a
day for the same labor that 81 70 and So so
is paid in this country.
Manager William Rutherford of the
California Cotton Mills at Oakland made
an address so full of facts and figures per-
tanning to the incoming waves of Japanese
cheap-labor products that the committee
was aghast at the impending peril.
He read the following extract from
letter requesting him to remove the mills
to Japan as an illustration of the marvel
ouslv cheap resources of that pushing EN-
pire:
The price of coal here is IL to ~ yen; cost
of ground for site 100000 square feet
almost five acres), 10000 to 25 900 yen; cost of
| male labor per day, twelve hours, OPS to 0.75
yen; female labor per day, Ola TO 0.35 yen.
The taxes Will be about 70 per cent of what
| they in California, and are payable in sill
| yer ven, or about 80 per cent. There is no duty
on importing raw cotton from anywhere. Tex
tiles of any kind manufactured in Japan pay
no duty when exported. Cost of the building
would be about one-third of cost in the United
States.
Mr.. Rutherford here stated to the COM
mittee that he could remove his entire
plant to Japan, pay 81 so per ton freight
| on raw cotton and export cotton goods at
profit of 20 per cent.
The Japanese writer advised his Oakland
correspondent to take in u native partner,
| as then "the interior and exterior COM
mercial field OF japan and China would be
accessible to the new firm, as by the peace
treaty between those two countries large
new territory of China has been opened
commercially to Japanese only" After adj
vising Mr.. Rutherford to locate his mills
near Yokohama, which is within an hour S
railroad ride of Toxic and nearer the great
market of the capital city than the many
mills of Osaka, which is now beginning to
compete with the world. the writer says:
We have native partner for you, Mr.
who has in Japan high and influential social
and commercial connections. He is a gradu-
ate of several United States colleges and is
thoroughly acquainted with the American
and Asiatic markets as well as his own.
After stating that capital was no object,
that money could be procured for the
building of as large plant as desired, the
writer gives this following bit of informa-
| ton:
AS regards the starting of the mill, it would
only be necessary TO take to Japan q few ex-
perienced hands from the United States for a
! time not exceeding one month. We have in
Japan all the help necessary, including the
most skillful In textile manufactures so that
a few days OF looking at the United States help
would be sufficient TO enable our Japanese
hands to pick up the thread and to finish each
particular kind of goods quite to perfection.
Mr.. Rutherford stated that the incessant
activity of the Japanese is carrying him
ahead at prodigious rate. He is taking
the British Indian markets away from
Great Britain himself. English and even
German trade journals are sounding the
alarm. GAS the japanese took our arms
and beat the Chinese they are taking our
commercial methods to beat US. They
are advancing against US armed with our
own weapons. They are always initiating,
initiating. initiating"
Speaking of the readiness with which
I oI0