The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-25


 direct foreign trade of Japan have been received by the Department of Commerce and Labor from the United States Consul at Kobe. Samuel s. Lyon. The Depart ment publishes the communication as a bulletin as follows:
 Until the year 1901 the customs returns showed its extent annually under the ti- ties of Imports by Japanese merchants and Exports by Japanese merchants" |" but this feature of the foreign trade has now been eliminated from that document During 1900. the last year for which this characterization was furnished, Japanese merchants were shown to have done 3S per cent of Japan's total trade. This consisted of exports valued at $s6.54s, 25i and Imports valued at $56,143,05I.
 The percentages of foreigHgtrade exploit ed by Japanese merchants have been as follows:
 Description. 1897 1898 1S99 1900. Direct imports. ......... 8 B fl go Direct exports ..,......... B 34 S6 g
 Much of the foreign trade of Japanese merchants is being done with Eastern countries, but the returns show they are also making large gains in the West as competitors of the American and Euro rean merchants at 'h" hpen'rctts.
 The total trade of native merchants du- ring 1900 amounted to $s2,6S7.1O5, against S72. 475.3iS in 1898 as follows:
 Year. Exports. Imports. Total 1898 ....s27, 20, ,15S $45e55 1855 $72 ,342 19oa .... .... 36,544.O54 Es, ,t4s,051 92,6s7, ,1e5
 
 Gain .. ... 9123,s96 11,0S7 .S66 2o,211,762
 In the absence of official data, it is thought by well-informed resident for eign merchants that nearly or quite the same ratio of increase has continued since 1900, and this seems evident even by cas- ual observation.
 Japanese merchants have entered large ly Into the importation of cotton, wool, sugar. rice, flour. locomotives, rails, iron manufactures, machinery. pulp. etc. The Japanese government itself now imports all the leaf tobacco received into the country. and also handles all the camphor produced both in Formosa and Japan.
 As far as the volume of Japanese direct foreign trade Is concerned, the inroads made by native merchants have been less noticeable to foreign merchants because of the rapid increase of business at the open ports. and that Is not the main fea- ture for consideration, as the most unfa- vorabfe effects of Japanese competition are felt by the minimizing of profits upon the foreign business.
 The Japanese are less fortunate in the AAA0StCT OL cApOTIS. u IS more ulInCulI TOT them to sell to than to buy from foreign countries. In the one case letters of cred 1t are furnished the Yokohama Specie Bank in New York to pay for purchases made by their agents there, whereby they are placed on an equal footing with the resident foreign merchants; but in the other case. the matter of exports, the for eigni merchant will long have an advan- tage. The foreigner is here with his money. and although when making pur- chases he may be subjected to "squeezes' these will hardly offset the advantage of his home connections
 Japanese merchants are extending their efforts in the manufacture and export of teas, and 1t is possible that this may be done somewhat in the spirit of rivalry: but 1t must be conceded that without the aid of resident foreigners engaged in the tea trade Japanese teas would never have been introduced abroad to any consider able extent: neither would it's present for eign export be maintained. The same may be said in the case of mattings and other Japanese exports. The foreign merchant has opened up the foreign trade, and although he may be compelled in fu- ture to gradually rellnquish a much larg- CT proportion of his business the time is not yet at hand when this can be done WAkuOul uGlAlHlcl( lO Luc interests of Japanese commerce.
 Japanese teas were far more extensive ly introduced into the United States du- ring the first six months of 1903 than du- ring the corresponding months of 1902. The increase of tea exports to all countries during the six months amounted to $1, ,136,- 937 while the increase to the United States alone amounted to S1,1S5, Al, show ing that more than all the excess of ex- ports has gone there. It is fair to pre- sume that this may be attributed both to improved quality and to more strenu- ous effort to hold the market. The total exports of Japanese tea during the six months amounted to $2. .SS3, against $1,- 75o.946 during the corresponding period in 1892. Contrary to custom. the Japanese man. ufacturers made large quantities of mat. ting without orders in 1902, which had a disastrous effect on the market, as the overproduction forced down prices to a point fully 50 per cent below quotations of the year previous. A largely increased export naturally followed, and to that Is mainly due the 42 per cent decrease in ex- port which has taken place during the half year ended June 30, 1903. Practically the total export of mating from Japan is made at Kobe and goes to the United States.
 R. H. Watkins.