Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-09
OTHER LANDS THAN OURs.

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The minister OF public communication In
Japan has Just published an interesting
statementsnegardlng the mercantile marine
Of that country. IN January. 1898. it com
prised s27 steam vessels aggregating $780,
900 tons, and ia sailing craft measuring
$4,000 tons. On September 16. 1901, there
were s24 steamers OF $751; 1876 tom measure
ment and no less than 3,1s6 sailing vessels
aggregating S15 ,7e7 tona-an increase In less
than four years Of 40 per cent for steam ves-
sells and the huge increase Of 1850 per cent
for sailing. vessels. These latter. however.
do not average over 100 tons burden apiece.
chiefly coasters and so forth. So, In this
short period the Japanese merchant service
has been Increased by 800 steam vessels
and 1000 sailing craft. In 1896 Japan HAD
but one steam ~merchantman Of over 5000
tons burden; today Il owns twenty one
OF that class. There is a movement on
foot over there to form an anti-foreign
Japanese ship combine "a la Morgan" to
merge. II possible, all the Japanese ship-
ping companies under one direction and
control. which would be confined to japan
ese strictly. Without the concurrence OF
Baron Shibusawa. however, this scheme
may fail to come to anything. On May is
q deliberative meeting was held to this end
in the city OF Osaka. At this distance It
iOOKs as II -sucn q consolidation would
hardly be practicable unless having strong
commercial connections IN other countries.
But Japan's achievement In putting iSs nag
on the seas furnishes a striking object les
son for the whole maritime world.
ees
The economic policy Of Russia, which its
autocratic government enables 1t to carry
out without enoountering any troublesome
opposition from. public opinion. ia directed
to keeping foreign competition out OF it's
OWN markets and pronaoting competition IN
foreign markets wherever 1t sees advantage
in II. AS the oficiaI organ Of it's great
finance minister has declared, Russia as a
nation may be behind Great Britain In
wealth and America in prod~uctIveness, but
It is by far the greatest economic unit on
the face Of the siobe.s It's government is
the greatest and most potent Of all trusts,
using It's political power to MAINTAIN it's own
industrial interests. No wonder 1t desires
to have other governments join with It in
restraining dangerous combinations of
private capital.
Several European countries have en-
plpyed all sorts OF devices to win the
friendship OF Abyssinia. Russia, the ally
OF France, has been especially active. She
has sent all kinds OF delegations and pres
ents to Me0elik, as has England. h
kingdom Is Great Britain's sore spot IN
Africa. Had there been an
alliance between France and MeneIik's
Kingdom when the Fashoda incident oc-
CURED there might have been a different
termination to Il. The French people
have not foBgpttepg that. affair and the ad-
Tsnturoqs in the African contingent OF
the French army sre still looking In that
~ sap outlet for their surplus
energy That Il would be policy for Eng
land to try to make q good impression on
he Abyssiniap general 10 highly prob
able. England, however. can scarcely hope
TO counterfeit the impressions already
on him, The French are past mas
ters in the art Of. hospitality n rivnlry
be useless. There remains the fact.
moreover, that when Abysslnla was more
Darbarops and less lifted to cope With CIV
Liked afmies than now England overran
The empire and killed the king. That sort
of thing does not encourage confidence ana
he Abyssinians may yet prove a formid-
'bls obstacle " English expansion in AZ
rica.
Prince Mstehsrsky. editor Of the Crash
ianin, who has just been sent out By the