The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-08-23

OHo VI sAe uI5C tnlu&e 10 SttTGcG
the attention Of the foreigner in Japan
is the dEe pdful waste Of human energy.
On every hand he sees the greatest
expenditure Of labor for the least re.
turn. This labor is as poorly paid as
it is unproduotive in results. Tho
earning capacity Of the masses OF any
country is what regulates it's pns-
chasing power, and gives it com.
mercial rank among the nations. In
the outset il may be we'll to state, by
way of comparison, that the annual
exports of the United States, when
divided between the population,
amounts to about $40 for each man,
woman and child; while the purchases
of japan, applied to its population in
the same wey, is triae less that 50
per capita. This would seem to in.
dicate that the earning capacity Of the
American is equal to that of seven
Japanese. After following my inves-
tigatious on this subject the reader
may form his own conclusions.
Across the street from where am
living new house is in course of oon-
struction. The excavation was ao-
oomplished by laborers who received
IS cents Q day-ten hours. They
carried the dirt to the street in bas-
kets, then dumped it into carts, which
another crowd of men pulled away
with much noise and labor. This
process was SO GLOW that the work
proved expensive in the end. Before
that excavation was completed the
dirt taken from it was almost worth
it's weight in gold, as compared to
whst it would have cost in an Ameri.
can city.
The various kinds of workmen on
the new structure arrive before z
O'Clock, but they dc not go TO work
promptly. They build little fire
and gather around it to talk and thaw
out. By 8 o'clock the most Of them
are at work. They all wear blue
cotton suits with characters upon
them to indicate their guild, as we'll
as the firm OF individual for whom
they are working. This is their win
ter garb-in summer they wear moth
ing but q cloth around their loins,
and band about their foreheads to
keep the sweat from running down
their face.
The carpenters wages. range from
30 to 45 cents per day (all quotations
in this article are in American money!
according to their grade. They use
the crudest kind Of tools, not even
having the claw hammer, which our
workmen consider so Indispensable. I
saw one Of them starting an American
wire nail in board. He put itin
the wrong place, but did not discover
his mistake until he had taken one
whaok at it with his awkward ham
mer. The nail was half way in and he
had no means Of getting it out. He
stood regarding it with puzzled
look on his face, and l felt like sug-
costing that he pull it out with his
teeth. Il was finally removed with
laborious effort by using q pair. Of
tongs. All the workmen waste much
time in the contemplation Of. unim-.
portsnt detail. They constantly mis-
apply their strength, loiter to talk and
smoke, and when Eve or more are
working together at any task they
insist on chanting . droning song at
every stroke. IL requires little inYes-.
tigation toEconclude that this labor is
cheap, mainly because it's prod uctive
power .is 90 small,
One popularity Of Japanese house
is the Tact that It's dimensiona ARE
governed by the siza OF the mats
which are TO 90 uToni thss Hoora when
it is completed. IH,hess mats are al
ways made in4multipfas of three, ana
the floors arc constructed to CORES
spOnd with them. Jspaness lumber,
is made 70 conform 20 this arrangement
and there is no waste III itat eli. Tho
native csrpenters; are completely
baffled when they get hold 81 Ameri-
can lumber with its odd sises, espeo.l
i!ally il they are required "a construot
Something with Dimensions other
than multiplies of three. s.
Ny Deighbor is having she & agr.ss
out from 4 50 ~ 4 = ~ ars n
crawling aspand ION ths;s knees ubing
sasafs. Hs pays j. email sum for: :tho
,abof ofS essh individual, but they
nave alresay been on che joiy thsss;
4 oays, and, gin the end, 20 will prove
4 expensive. At ths wharf ii aotieed
4 inc manner % diving pisiSg. sA
q oosen braany fellows vera ssngging
81 away at khn inf, s mi Es n 4, thes Nail aan&y