The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-02-25

I making wonderful progress. They now
| have lines OF steamers which so 10 nearly
every great port. They have twelve big
steamers which give them a fortuiChtly
service 10 Europe via the Suez Canal. q
lire of large ships TO Australia via Hons
Kong and Manila. regular steamers 20 all
| the Chinese. Korean and East Siberian
| ports, and two lines which make regular
J sailincs for Seattle and san Francisco.
They are experimenting now with a line IA
Peru. and have sent several of their ships
TO Mobile and New Orleans 70 test whether
It Will not pay them to import our raw cot
ton for their mills here in their own steam
ers. Last year the Nippon Yusen kaisha
added six vessels to its line. the six ag-
GregatinE a tonnage of 34,e0. and IL now
he's twelve steamers which average more
than 6.co0 tons each.
Japan Is very anxious 10 see the Nicara-
qua Canal built. and will undoubtedly have
It's regular lines TO New York as soon as
it IS finished.
At the same time there are scores Of other
steamships from the great lines Of Europe
and the United States IN the japanese ports
every month. The trade is so increasing
that all want their share OF the freight.
One OF the latest I'm the field is tn. North
German Lloyd. which now has regular
steamers from Europe to Japan and which
Is said TO be about to put on "a service
or fine vessels to ply between HonS-Kong
and San Francisco. To-day the freight be-
tween these ports IS congested. The Jap
aness merchants tell me they cannot get
their goods promptly. and that they have
TO wal; for months for the filling of their
orders.
The United Stntes and Japan.
There Is a steady Increase going on IN
our trade with the japanese. l see Ameri-
can goods in all the cities and nearly ev-
cry steamer brings over commercial! travel
ers who have come fer the FIRST time to
work tho trade. BY the new treaties
foreigners can now do business and sell
goods IN any part Of the Empire. Before
they went into effect they were required to
have passports from the Government. II
they went outside the treaty ports. and ALI
Of the business was done by Japanese mid
diemen. Our drummers can row take IN
terpreters with them and take their orders
direct
As to the foreign trade Ct Japan, II now
consideration. 1t was more than 500. GOO
- 1919 w N'A1 mt IL bfTA : q
Of the exports went TO the United States.
We take. in fact. about onc-fourth Of all
the goods Japan sells 10 foreigners, and It
is only lately that we have been selling
here anything Ike our share In return. We
buy more OF her rrw silk than any other
our exports Of this alone footing I'm
more than sl2.c}l."9. We paw her more
S,t.c.eJ a year for tea an! an equal
amount for silk goods. while We annually
a million and a half dollars worth Of
japanese mating. We send 500 90 \ ve,r
TO Japan for drugs and chemicals and n
large amount for curios, porcelain and
other such things. We buy more and more
every year. but II IS only lately that our
safes have largely Increased.
We Are Ahead of the British.
Al present we are gaining more raDiilv
in the japanese markets than any other
nation. Twenty years ago we furnished
only about ; per cent of the Japccege i'm
ports and England furnished over 20 nor
cent. Now we are supplying Is per cent
of all that Japan buys and the English !
have lost about half their trade. During
The past few years the Americans have
b en- sending locomotives and railroad ma
'hinery TO Japan, and our exports of iron
steel manufactures now amount TO
more than &.a".o0o a year. We are hay
Eg an increased trade in wheat and -four.
1ome Of the Pacific Coast mills being run
Utmost entirely to supply the japanese mar
lets. The people are becoming bread-eat-
RS as well as ricc-eaters. and in the army
read has been lately introduced as one Of
he ~ratIcns. A great deal of -four Is used
or paste IN the fan and other manufact-
OF paper, 50 that the demand for the
american article is six times as great now
81 it was ten years ago.
New Treaties and the Americans.
AS to Just how the new treaties will work
he Americans here are undecided. Min
ster Buck thinks they Will DO to the ad-
'antage OF our trade. and seems TO have
10 idea but that foreigners will have their
and Justice in the japanese courts.
.e sent out a notice to the American resi-