The times., 1899-03-24
AMERICAN COTTON IN JAPAN.
Consul Lyons Letter on the Manu-
factnre of Textile Goods.


Consul Lyon. of Hiogo. Japan. has sent to
the State Department valuable letter
touching upon the subject of textiles in
that country. Mr.. Lyon says:
THE manufacture of textile goods in
Japan is not confined to certain localities,
as in the United States, but extends By
means of hand looms all over the country.
The spinning wheel was formerly in gen.
erai use but during the last twenty years
it has been almost wholly displaced by
spinning mills using machinery. More
than 100000 spindles are now thus op-
Grated, forty-seven mills in Japan pro-
ducing last year an estimated yield OF
$4,000 bales of yarn of 400 pounds each.
Present returns show that more than 2oO.-
900 bales will be shipped to China during
the current year, and the home demand for
counts averaging 1Ss. will be nearly sup
piled by the remaining 100000 bales Only
one Of the spinning mills in Japan has i'm
ported the machinery necessary for spin
ming the higher counts above 30s. The
Nippon mill of Osaka has done this, but so
far has probably not made a success of it.
Higher counts are steadily imported from
England and in greatly increasing guam
titles, to meet the home demand. When
mill hands with greater skill are to be
procured in Japan. the spinning of the
higher counts will increase more rapidly,
in order to supply the domestic market
and the demands from China and Korea.
Increasing demand for the higher
counts of cotton yarn explains the rapidly
growing market for American cotton,
from which it is produced. 1t would be
well for American cotton producers TO note
this fact, with a view to educating a suffi-
cient number of japanese workmen to be-
come expert and teach Others in order to
extend the sale of American cotton, from
which the higher counts are made.
Many of the large class of persons for
merly employed in spinning by hand are
now engaged in weaving textiles on hand
looms. 1t has recently been computed
that more than 100000 hand looms are in
use in Japan, and it is stated that they
employ $4,000 women and $4,000 men. AS
these hand looms are generally operated
in private houses, giving home character
to the work, it can readily be seen why
such slow progress is being made in the
introduction of power weaving machinery
''The comparative cost OF labor is about
cne to eight or ten in favor of the power
looms, and this should tend to crowd out
the hand looms very fast: but it is not
doing SO yet, though the progressive spirit
of the Japanese will no doubt ultimately
cause them to substitute power looms for
the hand looms now in use. In regard to
spinning machinery, the labor cost is about
one to hundred and fifty in favor of the
machine. and this very great difference
is. of course, the cause of the rapid intro
duction CT spinning machinery.
THE hand looms are hand made, and are
principally used in supplying some 0O0,-
900 pieces of goods, say fourteen inches
in width and from twelve to twenty-five
yards in length. to the home market and
for export to China and Korea.
THE Japanese manufacturers are very
conservative in their business methods,
and manufacture large quantities OF goods
only on orders. The largest silk factory in
Japan using power looms is the Kyoto Ori-
mono kaisha, of Kyoto. II imported these
machines from France. 1t was the inten-
tion of the company to manufacture silk
fabrics for export; but after some years of
unsuccessful attempt. the project was
abandoned. and the company commenced
making satins and obj materials for
home use. In these lines it is said. 1t has
been very successful This mill also man
ufactures curtain and upholstery materials.
and it has found a good market for them
in England and Australia. The power
looms first obtained have been copied here,
and the company is using large numbers of
them; but they are not equal to the i'm
ported ones.
silk in its various forms. from the raw
exported from Yokohama The industry
dates back to an early period, AMI is today
in an advanced condition.
There is no doubt great misapprehen
sion existing in our country as to the
necessity for the use of wooden goods in
Japan. The climate is thought by many
to be such as not to require warm clothing
in winter. but this is not the case. During
the last winter, which was said to be not
as cold as usual at this port, foreigners
were clothed as warmly as persons need to
be during the cold season in Washington,
D. c.. and the masses of the japanese peo-
pie needed, but did not have, the same pro-
lection: and it must be remembered that
this locality is a warm one. in comparison
with some other parts of the Empire.
The manufacture of woolen goods is a
new industry here, and small one as only
about 13 per cent of the woolen textiles
used in Japan are made in this country.
The raw material is all imported from
China. Australia. and London
japanese rugs have deteriorated in quail
ity to such an extent as to greatly check the
American demand. The materials used are
hemp. jute, cotton, WOOL and silk, the two
latter separately and in combination. They
are made on upright hand looms, which
vary from three 10 twentyfour feet in
width. The pattern is worked from the
front This is also largely home in
dustry.' There are no large factories. Only
one or two employ more than 100 hands
each. Kobe is the centre OF the rug max
ing district.
"The first knitting machinery used in
Japan was brought from England; some
has since come from other countries. and
the Japanese have copied all, thus deteri-
Grating it. The machines are of hand
power, and operated in private houses
from one TO five being found in house
The knitting business is not scattered
through the country like weaving. but is
concentrated in manufacturing centres, a
great deal being done in Osaka.
Large quantities of cheap underwear
are made here, all from cotton yarn spun
in Japan.
American manufacturers of machinery
have obtained large orders for other kinds;
but they seem to have utterly ignored the
constant demand for spinning machinery
and for all the other spinning mill re-
quirements, including engines and boilers
This may also be said in regard to al
most all the weaving machinery in the
country. The first spinning machines used
in Japan were sent from England. where
a single firm has supplied more than half
the spindles. Another English firm sup
plies a complete mill equipment. including
boilers and engines. Weaving machinery
is largely furnished by third. French
and German makers have supplied a con-
siderable quantity of the silk and wooden
weaving machinery, and | learn that some
wooden machinery for an Osaka mill came
from the United States; but our country
is practically sending almost none of the
Iaru nf nd sir iIaf