The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-20
JAPAN DAY.
Delegate to Philadelphia Gives Amer
lea Credit For His Couutry's
Prosperity.

Philadelphia, Oct 20-Thursday was
Japan day at the International COM
mercfaI congress. Mr. Komura, Jap
anese minister to this country spoke
briefly saying the policy OF Japan has
always been and always viii be that OF
peaceful expansion in the domain OF
commerce and industry
s. Uchida. the imperial Japanese con-
sui and government delegate, followed
in an address on the Commercial and
Industrial Development OF Japan AZ
ter giving statistics showing the ad-
vance in trade with the greater ma
lions of the world, he said:
Americans may be rightly called the
pioneers Of our foreign trade. Tt was
Americans who opened the door of our
foreign trade to all other nations of the
world. and the first treaty of Japan
with the United States was the dawn
of the commercial and industrial pro-
gress of modern Japan.
THE annual amount of trade between
the two countries has made an en0r-
nous increase in recent years, and
about 20 per cent of the total amount
OF our foreign trade is now being done
with this country The United States
IS the best customer for our raw silk
and tea Where kerosene oil was the
principal import from these countries
some years ago. the impOrtatiOns now
include raw cotton, railroad materials
bridge structures, different kinds of
machinery, electric plants and leaf
tobacco
Continuing, Mr.. Uchida said:
With the development Of our indus
tries, which viii be made with greater
strides than ever before, we shall have
to import on one hand more raw ma
terial and machinery than formerly.
while on the other hand we shall have
to find foreign markets to sell our pro-
ducts
Kahe Otani. delegate from the Japa-
nese Traders society and the Cham
bers of Commerce of Toxic and Yoko-
hama, addressed himself to the consid-
Grafton of a number of trade questions
IN their relation to Japan and the Uni
tea STATES In a review of the coastinS
trade or the United States and its reia-
t1onS with our newly acquired territory
in the Orient, Mr. Otani quoted the var
1ous revised statutes now in force in
this country, and called attention TO
the fact that these laws are not only
applied to the main coast OF the United
States but different ports had fnterpre-
ted them as applicable to the LadrOne
Islands, and the treasury department.
had applied them to the different ports
Of Porto Rico and the West Indies.
1t IS rumored,' he said. that they
were also to be applied to the Hawaiian
islands and the Philippines, where until
today they have enjoyed all the free
dom of transportation of goods and
passengers of foreign subjects. If these
exclusive laws are applied TO these two
groups of Islands in the Pacific, then all
the foreign vessels on the Pacific must
suffer a serious loss. OF 29 vessels
which are now traversing the Pacific
between the United States and the ORR
ent, only six belong to the United
States The remaining % vessels must
suffer sudden and great loss as result
of the new application of these laws In
consequence of this the TRANSFORMATION
between different ports of the United
States becomes inadequate, and capt.
tallStS must pay more for transporta-
ton. 1t is clear that both parties the
United States and the eastern nations
meet nothing but loss from this. Such
being the case. we earnestly hope that
the United States will decide that the
Hawaiian islands and the Philippines
shall not be included in the sphere of
the exclusive laws OF the coasting trade
a Pacific cable must be laid con-
Meeting directly North America with
Japan. China and Australia and it
would be enormously to the advantage
of the United States to have such a ca
bic. The fear that the Pacific cable
would injure the interests of some of
the cable companies is not a matter of
serious notice.