Evening star., 1902-08-07
Owes Much of Her Industrial Import
ance to Geographic Position.
From Engineering.

From Engineering.
We have more than once pointed out that
Japan, like Britain, will owe a great deal
of her commercial and industrial import
ance to her geographical position. She
will be able, not only to utilize her own
natural resources, but also to a large ex-
tent to annex those of China. which are
immense. Moreover, she will find in the
markets of China, and of Asia generally,
an opening for her manufactured products.
Indeed, this is true not only of China. but
of the whole Pacific area, toward which,
as we have pointed out the center of mag
nitude of the worlds trade and industry
is inevitably gravtating.t Forethought,
preparation and sustained effort will be the
effective weapons in the coming conflict
and these alone will decide the mastery of
the Pacific. The japanese have given am
pie proof that they have all those quail
ties, and the progress which they have
made justifes them in calling their country
the Britain of the east.
Already Japan sends to China a large
part of her superfuous cotton goods, and
she supplies the whole of the far east with
matches. Her artistic products are to be
found everywhere, and even some of her
ordinary commercial products. Mr.. Chen,
the proprietor of the Using Tai firm of
Kobe, has purchased a spinning mill at
Shanghai, in which 10000 spindles are in
operation and l, 800 operatives are at work
formed a very poor opinion of the capac-
ity Of the Chinese as operatives, and means
to try to employ Japanese overseers and
operatives to a considerable number. This,
however he will find difficult, there is
such demand for them in Japan. Taking
all the conditions into account ii will prob
ably be found more profitable to import the
raw materials into Japan and carry on the
manufactures In that country.
This viii certainly be done in the case
Of iron and steel productions. The steel
works which have been established at Yam
Data, in the prefecture Of Fuknoka, and
which have already got beyond the expert
mental stage, are only six miles from Moji,
important harbor in the inland sea, and
will be connected with Wakamatsu, a port
near to the China coast, so that they are
very conveniently situated for the supply
of raw materials, both from Japan and
China. 1t is evident that the immense re-
sources of the latter We're kept in view
when the site of the works was chosen:
One of the Japanese journals publishes a
letter from one of its Chinese correspond
ents which describes the rich deposits Of
ore which have already been secured by
the government iron works. The amount
Of the deposit is estimated at 1O0,000oO0
tons, and the ore is richer in quality than
that of Kamaishi the best known mine in
Japan, and, moreover, it can be brought
to the works at cheaper rate. The poten-
tial advantage of the arrangement to Japan
is considerable, since the practical opera
tions and business nsactions which have
been carried on in connection with the iron
works have so impressed the neighboring
people with the enterprise of the Japanese
and have inspired such confidence In them
that their influence is spreading In whole
of the YangtSe valley.