The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-31
JAPAN CONTINUES TO CROW
Career of Expansion in Every
Direction.
LABOR IN STEADY DEMAND
The Kingdom Developing in Mining, Manufac-
turing and Commerce Emigration ceas-
irg-TheArmy and Navy Strikes.
From the New YORK sun


Negaaaki Oct 1.Japan is still pros
porous country, if not the most pros
porous. stiF one of the most prosperous
nations OF the world. L continues Its
career Of expaneich IN all directions.
Prices, genesally speaking, have gone
up by strides during the last few years
and. wages hawe accompanied this ad-
! vance, making the Increased cost of Hv-
tng felt in every direction. For skilled
and unskilTsd labor there seems a STEADY
demand, and this demand has checked
fhe emigration tendency and he coloni-
cation enterprises that have been in the
air for the palst few years. The ecnigna-
tfon schemes to southcrn Brazil have
been stopped, and thA grand coffse TGaa-
tation scheme in Mexico is sill more or
less i'm the air, Our ss1:t. me1tal friends
who are anxious about the Japarisse lar
borers in the Hawaiian Islands have no
nssd ito be SO concerned, for employment
is ready for them when they choose to
return to their native country. AS mid
tary coloniats they may be useful ITO
japan in Hawaii as ordinary skilled
and unskfleld laibo4s1s they are needed
at home.
With the scarcity of labor in places
come, as a natural consequence, stflKes'
and I'm this vicinity these have given rise
to much trouble among the coal mines
all,at abound in this island of Kinslhiu.
In fact SO much trouble has been caus-
ed that at least orta mine owner has
ilnpoltsd coolies from Corea as pelhS
more tgelctaJble and equally industrious
The Korean coolte Is getting good name
as a sobsr. industrious fe low, and the
reports from those engaged upon an
American enteipa'ase--'the railway from
Chemulpho TO Seoul-speaks wei OF MS
industry and fidelity. Similar state
nren'ts come concerning the Korean coolle
at work in Russian Siberia.
Japan is expanding I'M mining, manu-
featuring and commurce. She lacks de-
yelopment in her iron industry, Dut
thousIh the ore is said to exist in abufpd-
ance, 1T is not wen placed as to .ts nee
essary coal and fiux. Shipbul-ddng Is
llnld n aiken to IA considerable extent, Dut
all OF the material, pilates, frames, Tlv-
cts. ETC., cclnIe ort via Suez from Eng
land already tested and framed. Ere gnNs
are wonderfully how, both by ste mef ana
sailing VI slse- $50 that this 10 not TO much
of a harllc2p as one might suppose
The government is also resumlng SNIP
bril61n~ and there Il u be at lCas- one
large cruiser laid down at Tokuska, the
principal naval station. Ihe increase OF
shipping owned in Japan is almost mar
vslTous. l am we'll in boulIils when l
saw that the number and tonnage OF
mercantile vessels has doubled within
THE last three years. Orders for vessefs
of the large size are being constantly
placed in Graat Britain, While the yards
of Japan are busy upon vessels, from
the Ettle Goa sting steamer that is found
i'm numbers upon the inland sea to tine
large daep-sea steamers for the lines
that carry the Japanese flag to london,
Antw erp, Melbourne. Bombay and Seat
tie
The Navy is being expanded in all d.
dectionS, but principally in ta't1leSh1pS
and cru tseIs. Just at this moment the
United states has naval supremacy on
the Pacific ocean In "a few months, or
weeks 1t may be. Tire arrival of the Full
and her sister ship will shift that supe-
1.ioaity TO japan, and in two years the
completion Of two OF the largest class
of balstie shirs yet designed win confirm
that superiority. With no 'trans-.s;h-
milan canal and with The demands of tn.
Atlantic seaboari thu United States re-
quir two naval forces or fleets, one
upon the Atlantic and the other upon
the Pacific. and, barring Hawaii and it's
needs, with the growth of our Pacific
coast, this need becomes more and more
evident. Fer every two ships built on
the atlantic one ship should be built for
and on the Pacific coast, the source OF
supply for the Asiatic station as we'll as
for its own waters.
Japan has entered into a novel phase
politically, which its friends hope is but
temporary. The party in power is Sc
curing lis ascendancy by the spoils sys-
tenn and other more defensible means of
corruption. This extends even to the
granting of the subsidies, which are large
enough to make the foreign lines profit
able and are net always secured by cred
table means The officials of Japan,
n Int fi<,r,
patterned somewhat inter France, are
many in number, are poorly paid, and
the greatly increased cost of living af-
fsctS them. AS areSult, corr upton and
emhezzlement have increased very great
ly, and the integrity of its official life,
to which the Japanese used to poirl- so
proudly and in contrast to China, no
longer exists in the same way as IN past
years. This paucity of income to Of
ficeholders will bs a serious matter as
prices rise and as the foreigner becomes
subject to- the new and somewhat eX-
per.mental judicial system of Japan. This
danger is not unknown TO the rulers of
Japan, and an increase of salary, with
combination of civil and criminal juris-
diction to the judge to reduce the num-
Der of the judiciary, is in contemplation.
: The approach of the day when the for
eigner Is placed under the Japanese civil
and criminal judicial system is viewed
with fear by many foreigners residing IN
Japan. The system in vogue IN Japan
has no trial by jury; but that is met with
i'm Continental Europe. There ars. no
Christian oea.fs required, but still perjury
exists at home. What seems more par
ticularly dangerous is tbs want OF we ght
given to the character of evidence, the
shading and credibility due to the stand
ing of witness. In civil cases the well
known low commercial morality of the
Japanese merchant will be a serious mat
ter until the merchant finds that as
matter of policy it will be necessary to
be honest and faithful 30 his word or he
will perpetuate the fcreign middlenen
in his dealings with the outside world.
Forlnosa .is still undigssted by Japan,
and this rich island bids fair to be CO.
londal task that will call for the best eff
fohs and administrative skill of the
Japanese rulers. Corruption and NAL
adnninistra ton have been rather the or
der az he day there. and. with the Jap
anese failure in Korea, 'eads many to
question the colonizing power of Japan.
Even the I.iu-Chu islands have become
FESTIVE and petitioned the Japanese gov
eminent for autonomy of internal adj
mnistral ion and their cid ru'es.
The coolie element in the treaty ports