The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06

Our exports to China are in value greater than
those to japan, but the possibilities of Chinese
japan ira saf The m9 ysiuPe r OF tbs tfad 5e% With sh SSiD OF
cause the price of commodities has declined
chief articles OF export to China have been cot
ton cloths and refined mineral oils. Going back
find that there were sold to China in that year
so.934246 yards of colored and uncolored
or an average Value s" Of about s So cents
a yard: Last year China bought from
US l4o q ; ~ q 'a G$5 va yards Is of the same fabrics
this trade was barely 40 per cent. over 1891, the
were 27.Isi.i7s gallons. valued at 1851 $3.50,
Tor 1897 i've We're O. a r. Stsi 20 9 gallon salion,s .h Sai eSspr as
$3.50 35, or barely 8 cents a gallon. Here,
was only 20 per cent, while its increase in vol.
uIme equalled 81 per cent. Tho same is true in
the imports to this country. from China. The
quantity OF tea has greatly increased, but the
price has declined. In spite of this our IMPORTS
averaged more in the last Ave years than in the
now reached $21e,i2e.s5s. "n' nA'e
Tho introduction OF civilized methods and i'm
the United States 10 share in a constantly in.
creasing trade. and, as these Oriental nations
6 DeoSms greater cDnJi, Io Gons1 ~ tS..i by reason Of the I'm;
naturally become better customers. Ihave just
read a translation of a most important article
~ N'A' iit'S hh" Wiz, "uCuI WIS III
Japan. was secretary to the Minister of Agri-
culture. on the necessity of enacting laws for
article which l wrote in 1895 for the Japanese
monthly. the Far East, the necessity OF such
laws was thus set forth:
Japan must have good factory laws at once:
1t is folly Ii to XII the goose that lays the golden
children and growing girls for twelve or four
teen hours a day in factories will do. There ia
neither sense, humanity. nor economy in such a
course. 1t will destroy the stamina Of the
people. Long hours and no regular cessation of
work on the seventh day are bad anyhow. They
workers are penned up in q mill or factory than
tho open door OF q cottage"
Now comes Mr.. Hayakawa, with some facts
that show that there is q limit even to tho deg
radiation OF the pauper labor Of Asia. and show.
once the standard of labor Is improved in that
country and its conditions ameliorated, the
est point in competing for the markets Of The
world. viii prove the weakest link In its indus.
toI,aL H sanitary y9 hss otf.1ieiss tr PTsP3s sDr5ed by sI the
ming mills In Japan in April. 1897. show that
these the iS concerns Germs employed d0g q, In all q. 2o4 persons.
should term children, that is. under IS years
Of { age, whilo some are actually under
that the average earnings Of q man
were a little more than 20 son 10 centsJ,
and those of a woman a little less than 1875 sen
l6.s cents) a day. Nearly 1000 OF this number,
It appears. lived in the boarding houses OF the
mills: The price OF meals is SO sen t3.s cents) a
tories. Here. then, we have more than u, 900
men, women. and children receiving certainly
on the average not more than 3 cents q day, and
We are informed by Mr.. Hayakawa, who, from
his official position, ought to know about such
ample Of tho other cotton mills of the empire.
In this entirely agree with tho Japanese sta
centre OF the cotton manufacturing Industry In
Japan, lust the same as the State OF Massachu-
sets Is the centre OF that industry In this coun-
try. In commenting on the hours OF labor in
Japan. Mr.. Hayakawa says:
"1f we examine foreign laws, concerning the
ages OF laborer5 we fnd hat In Germany tho
Is, in switzerland Ia and that other Countries
mako similar laws. But in our country. oven
In such work as spinning. which employs ma
chimes and goes on day and night indiscrimi-
ployed for twelve hours a day. No wonder il
their faces arc pale and their condition miser-
Spinning especially goes on day and night for
workshops"
The above is not the utterance of n wicked adj
vocate OF, protective tarif. bowling about the
pRuper labor OF Asia, but is u well.weighed ut
Government AT Toxic. which has practical
charge OF all tho statistical returns Of the en-
pire. next propose TO show how this cheap
labor will undermine. and practically destroy
the boosted progress OF this part OF the world II
the Japanese Government does not realize It's
danger and do sonething TO elevate IL. Tho
same will be true OF China should that country
also arouse Itself and undertake to compete
with nations where the standard OF living and
hence the standard Of stamina is higher. Note
what Mr.. Hayakawa says in relation TO The dis
eases Of these unfortunate women and children
who consume only Big cents worth of food q day:
As TO the diseases OF the laborers, those OF
the stomach and intestines are most common In
the spinning manufactures. According TO the
opinion Of the employers these diseases are
caused by the fact that the country women. who
have been accustomed TO eating wheat, take too
much rice when they Come to the manufactures.
But in spinning work goes on day and night,
night three meals again, AS, the people work
every other week day and night alternately the
hours OF the meal change so suddenly that the
who work at night must sleep in the daytime;
their sleep. therefore. cannot be sound, and they
get irregular meals during the day. Is this not
one of the causes Of such dise6sesi Besides
these diseases there arc also many cases OF dis
eases OF the lungs and joints"