Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-23

" Parliament has already discussed
the question and the plan has been out
lined. There will be a central depart
ment at Toxic and branch offices in Lon
don, Paris, Berlin, New York, Boston, Chi
cago and other places. The business OF
the bureau will be to look up openings for
Japanese trade and inform Japanese mer-
chants. II will be somewhat like our
bureau OF commerce OF the State depart
ment. which is said to be the best OF its
kind In the world.
The Japanese government is stralning to
capture the trade OF the Pacific. II hopes
to make Japan the workshop OF the orient,
and has commercial and industrial train
ing schools under way for the purpose. II
is also subsidizing the steamship lines, Civ
ing Industrial exhibitions and encouraging
foreign trade in other ways.
The government is instituting commercial
museums at the ports OF the far east. I
found one in Singapore under the manage
ment of the japanese consul there. The
plan is much like the Philadelphia museum,
save that Its goods are all Japanese. There
are clocks, shovels. hats, fans and brushes,
all made in Japan. There are samples of
Japanese rugs, stationery, umbrellas,
trunks and satchels, as well as OF silk,
linen and cotton goods. There are carts
and ~jinrikshas. the latter forming one OF
the chief exports to the different centers
OF the far east. japanese jinrikshas are
used in Pekin. Shanghai, Hong Kong,
Saigon and Singapore. There has been an
attempt to introduce them into the Philip
pines. but so far our government has
frowned on using man as a cab horse and
the attempt has not been successful.
Singapore is an excellent place for such a
museum. II is the halfway station on
The NplA arau,A a.. u.Ia - a. i
the water highways to different parts OF
the Orient cross, There are ships from
india, Slam, the Philippines, Australia
China and Europe always at anchor in It's
harbor. Ffty-hve thousand vessels come
into II every year, and its annual trade
amounts to 1886. 900, 900. The japanese
catch the traders as they go back and forth
working not only the Singapore trade. but
the countries which import through Singa.
pore. To Singapore alone the Japanes,
exports already amount to about SO. 900. OOt
gold.
Carriers of the Pacific.
The japanese hope to be the carriers o
the Pacific. They are among the best sail
ors Of the world. They take to water Xix,
ducks. Their country consists Of abou
1000 mountainous islands. running through
the Pacific in the form Of a crescent as lonl
as from New York City to Salt Lake. Til,
most OF the islands are small and the bull
Of the population lives near the sea. Tn,
result is that every man OF them car
handle a boat, and In past generations the!
have been noted for their junks and wa
vessels. They have always done a grea
freight business with China and Corea
Today they are levying toll on all the worlt
in freight and express charges. They hav,
as good ships as you will hnd anywhere
and they are building some OF 5000 tom
each In their own shlpyards. These ship
yards are at Nagasaki and are under sub
sidy from the government. The Japanes,
have been also buying modern steamers o
England and the United States. They ar,
continually bringing in new vessels from
the shipyards OF the Clyde.
They have today LOO modern steamer
In their merchant marine and about 400
sailing vessels OF European type, The.
have %. 1000 native vessels and innumerabl
small boats. You can now 60 around tn