The evening times., 1902-06-05
REPORTS FROM CONSULS
AROUND THE WORLD

SEIPBUILDING III JAPAN-Consul
S. S. Lyon transmits from Riogo
(Kobe), April IS, 19oz, clipping from
the Kobe Herald" an English jour
nal at that port, reading as follows:
The orders which have just been pIac-
ed in the hands Of the NaEasaki dock
yard and engine works and the KawasaEl
dockyart company. limited. by the Nip
pom Yuseu Kaisha and the Osaka Shoseu
Kaisaa. serve to remind the resident Of
the rapid Development Of the shipbuiId-
ding industry in this country. while a.
The same time afrording evidence of the
growth Of the country's mercantile
marine The order plaled with the first
named ward If for four large steamers Of
5g0o. 400, 2,506. and [ 800 tons. respec-
lively the larger .essels being intended
IoT tae japan mail steamship company'5
European and Australian lines. Nor is
the Osaka Shosen Kaisha in a different
position. This enterprising company
also has found it necessary to order new
vessels and has found il economical 10
order them In this country instead os
from abroad. Inc fact is worthy Of note.
.oT IL is the first time il the history Of
The country that orders for eight ocean
going steamers have been In hand at one
time This may, We trust, be held to in
diCate that the shipping and ship5uilding
Industries are in q healthy and prosper
Gus state
The contrast between the condition
Of the local shipbuiId!ng trade now ana
that of a few years back is a striking
one. Perhaps the first real impetus
given to private shipbuiIding here was
due TO the enterprise OF the late Nr e
c. Kirby, at whose yard the Onohama-
the plant Of which was subsequently re-
moved 10 KuTe-One large cruiser and
several smaller gunbOats and steamers
were successfully launched. Since then,
the yards at Kawasaki, Osaka, Ishika-
wajima. Uraga. and Nagasaki have taken
up the work vigorously, and demonstrat-
ed beyond the possibility Of cavil their
ability 10 turn cut ocean going craft
and large river steamers OF the highest
standard With the productions CT
Osaka and Kobe shipbuilding establish
meuts trading regularly on the Yaggtze.
and 6000-tOn liners from the Nagasaki
shipbuilding and engine works making
record voyages between Seattle and the
Orient, and othars running regularly
between home ports and London, there
is no longer room for surprise in view
ing Japan-built steamers
There is no doubt that with the open
ing up Of additional Ines IL the China
and Japan seas, sufficient work for To-
cal ship5uiIders viii be forthcoming for
some years TO come, and 1t is there
fore unlikely that they viii enter into
serious competition in the near future
with shiPbuildinE yards in Shanghai
HonkoBg. and Singapore. The home de-
mands seems likely TO engage their ac-
tIyities for some years yet. though the
presence Of a 700-ton steamer for the
Shanghai customs on the stocks at
Kawasaki may be held % belle the pre-
Gicticn. This steamer. by the way, is to
be launched next month, and the event
viii serve TO signalize that although
japanese shipbuildeTs may have quite
enough 10 do in the near future TO
meet the home demand, a young rival
has entered the lists against the great
ShipbuildIng concerns of the West. and
this in itself is no small credit TO the
nation, which is already able TO plume
itself upon having accomplished more
in generation than any other people
in Asia or in the South Seas, and as
much. relatively, as the American and +.
English peoples whose homes are on /
tAe Pacific Slope.