The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-27
OUR TRADE WITH
JAPAN DECREASED
LARGE GROWTH IN AMERICAN Ex-
PORTS FOR THE YEAR NOT YET
cLoSED-WlLL REACH ABOUT
sso,ooo,ooo

Washington, D. c., June 26.-An
interesting picture of conditions in
Japan is afforded by a communication
from the Japanese manager of the Eiko-
ku Shogyo zasshi, published at Tokyo.
recently received by the department of
commerce and labor through it's bureau
of statistics. The communication, which
appears in the May number of the Brit
ish Trade Journal indicates that COM
mercial and financial conditions have not
as yet been seriously affected by the
Russo-Japanese war, and this tatement
is verified, so far as relates TO commerce
with the United States, by the official
figures showing the trade OF the United
States with Japan during the present
year as compared with earlier periods.
Commenting upon trade ana financial
conditions In the Japanese empire, the
writer above referred to says:
When the Russo-Japanese negotiations
were broken OF and the hostilities were
opened between these two powers we
feared that great panic would occur In
our economic world and our commerce
and industry would be upset to large
extent, the whole energy of the people be-
ing concentrated on the war. But this
turned out to be false fear. The war
does not so much affect out trade as we
expected; transactions are done very
smoothly; stocks which suffered from a
fall for short time have risen again to
their prices, and factories enjoy their
usual profit. Nor does 1t make our peo-
pie SO greatly excited as you may think,
though we Japanese pride ourselves on
being the most patriotic nation on earth.
At home, our conversations are as merry
and innocent as ever, and In the street we
see nothing warlike except noisy news
boys delivering specials of happy tidings
in the form of our d. .lliant victories both
on land and sea. Business men and
laborers are calmy attending to their own
tasks, and there is no excitement among
them. In fact, our people seem to rightly
understand that 1t is an important duty
on their part, especially at this juncture,
to apply themselves to their business
with as much assiduity as their soldiers
do to battles Such being the state of
things in Japan. however long the war
may last her commerce and industry will
not be much affected by 1t: nay, they
will continue the progress they have been
uesd to make during these past decades.
The above statement is especially in
teresting in view of the fact that Japan s
commerce with the United States in the
present fiscal year shows marked adj
vance over that of any preceding year,
and for the twelve months ending June
80 1904 will probably exceed seventy mill
lion dollars. Figures covering eleven
months of the present fiscal year have
just been issued by the department of
commerce and labor through its bureau
of statistics. They show that our ex-
ports to Japan amounted to s22. 594 713 dur
ing the eleven months of this year. as
against s19,S54.s43 in the corresponding
months Of the preceding fiscal year; also
that our imports from Japan touched
their highest point for an eleven months
period. being s44,3 461. as against $41-
S33, 351 in the eleven months of 1903, the
previous high-water mark.
Exports to Japan from the United
States reached their highest point in the
fiscal year 1900. when the total was s29,
OS7, 475, due in large measure to the
extraordinary purchases of cotton by
Japan in that year. In the following year,
however. there was a drop of fully ten
million In the volume of our exports ia
Japan, though an upward tendency is
again apparent, and for the eleven
months ending May 81. 1904. the total Is
as already stated. s22,59i,71s, and for the
full year with be about $24.000000.
Since the year 1900 Japan has greatly
reduced her importations or cotton from
the United States, owing to the high
prices and has increased ner importa-
ton of lower-priced cotton from India
In the eleven months ending with May
1900, Japan imported 161, 800, 900 pounds OF
American cotton, valued at twelve and
two-third million dollars: and In the pres
ent fiscal year to date she has taken less
than 24,0O0.000 pounds of American cotton
valued at less than $3.0co0O0.
Flour. refined mineral oils, cotton. paper
and its products, paraffn and paraffin
wax, electrical machinery, locomotives
sole leather, and manufactured tobac-
co form the major portion of our exports
to Japan and In all of these except cot
ton and paper. there is a substantial in
crease over last years exports.