The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-10
SKILLED LABOR IN JAPAN.
It's Scarcity Hindrnnce to Invest
ment of Foreign Capital

Labor conditions in Japan have been
made the subject Of a special report just
received at the State Department from =.
( c. Bellows, the United States Consul Cen
eral at Yokohama In the report Mr. Bel
! lows quotes the following from an article
published in the Japan Gazette"
The Japanese lelicve that wages are
( low in Japan. though the rate Of interest
is high 1t is true wages are low. but
Japan wants skilled labor. and there is a
great difference as compared with Europe
and America as TO the amount of produc-
I ton, and therefore wages are actually
higher in Japan than in Europe and
America when the. cost Of labor is taken
I into consideration. Take the spinning in
dUstry. for instance. The average wages
/ in South America are about 80 cents.
{ whereas they are about one-fourth Of that
( in Japan Yet the individual amount of
production is much more in the former
than in the latter. In Japan. some one
thousand hands are employed in a spin
ming mill Of 1880 spindles, whereas in
America aboue two hundred are sufficient
in factory Of a similar capacity. Despite
the fact that the Government pays en-
couragement money. OF a bonus, for
every ship built in Japan. and that each
ship built abroad involves the expense Of
I bringing it home. most orders are given
TO foreign builders This is because the
cost is lower il the aggregate in foreign
countries than in Japan.
The writer concludes that the lack Of
skilled labor is a serious hindrance TO the
introduction Of foreign capital so earnest
" desired by japanese fnanciers.
Referring 10 this article. the American
Consul says:
9Th. corp.a ,rsf,r, IT, ~.
which shows that in most factories there
are more than three hundred and twenty
working days per year. comments Sc
verely on the lack Of provision for the
health and lives Of the employees. and
says that the Tokyo Tramway Company,
which pays a dividend of from So to 20
per cent. pays its IabOTers s. TO 81 a
month. and works them from fourteen to
seventeen hours a day He adds that in
many factories no provision is made for
suitable ventilation and lung diseases
are very common among the employees,
while the arrangements are such that in
case Of fire escape would be almost i'm
possible
Japan has no laws for the protection
OF labor or restricting the employment Of
women and children. but the subject is
being considerably discussed. and in the
many articles relating TO this matter
which have appeared IL the local papers
lately are frequent references to the Ia
Dor laws of England and America. While
the Industrial and economic conditions Of
Japan would hardly warrant such close
restrictive measures as are enforced in
those countries. Il is believed that some
law Of this kind will be introduced at the
next session Of the Diet. II Is interesting
to note, in this connection. that the agl-
tstiOn which has arisen on this subject
comes principally from the educated and
professional OF leisure classes. rather
than from the laborers themselves
The Japan Mail Of June IS gives an
extract from an editorial in the Jill
Shimpo,' deprecaGng the agitation OF so
cialistic subjects. It asserts that the rich
and poor Of Japan are not separated b.
a gulf comparable with that dividing the
piutOcrat and the pauper IN the West.
and that the poor man here. with his
compeus4tiOns in holidays, fetes. and fes-
tivals, hnds nothing intolerable in his lot.
Il aSCribeS the content Of the working
classes in part to the lack Of osteutation
In the lives Of the very rich. the japanese
house and manner Of living not offer
Ing such opportunities for magnificence |
and luxury as those Of Europe and Amer
lea, the rich japanese usually preferTing
70 avoid any display OF extrava gauce."