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

e'"ie "a gHis pastlAg leDels on 0oLties.
They performed their task with
amazing dexterity and dispatch, but
their pay was only z cents for ten
hours--not enough TO keep one Of our
factory girls in chewing gum. There
sre thousands Of girls in Japan work.
ing for three or four cents day.
The men who rely upon individual
effort to make living, such as mer-
chants, peddlers aud vendors, have to
get along on scsnt margin Of profit.
The average store is about IL feet
square. The proprietor has such
limited stock that his customer can
point to any article in the place. AS
rule, the merchants family live in
the rear, and the store is utilized as
sleeping room when the blinds are put
up at night. Showcases and counters
are used in some places, but as gen.
eral thing the customer sits on email
elevation in the front part of the shop
and boys bring the goods forward for
exhibition while the proprietor extols
their merits. Many dealers cannot
afford to pay even the smallest rent
and move about the streets with their
ssocks on their backs. The feh mar.
ket halts regularly ct the kitchen
door and the green goods grocer knows
no such item Of expense 90 rent and
clerk hire. Dealers in lamps, flowers,
baskets, brooms, porcelain dishes,
etc., 60 about looking for trade rather
then wait for customers to come to
them.
Doubtless, the most persistent can
vaseer for business is the tailor-gen-
orally Chipaman. These tradesmen
are thicker than mosquitoes. They
are after tho tourist at the hotel be.
fore he has his trunk unpacked.
They always have their samples with
them and will deliver garments almost
before the American tailor would have
the cloth for it. A guest in the ho.
tel where l am stopping received an
invitation to attend an afternoon par
ty and his card stated that gentle
men would be expected to wear frock
suits and high hats. He did not have
such suit and had less than twenty
four hours in which to get one, but
tailor took his order, gave him one
"try-on" and had the clothes ready
for him several hours before it was
time to dress for the function. Nor
was it shoddy job. The same thing
would have cost $125 in New York,
but the charge here was only 20 yen
about $35 in American money. When
asked how it was possible for him to
turn out work so rapidly, the foreman
smiled and said tailors were cheap and
plentiful. The coat took the most
time, so he put FIVE men to work on
it. They sat on the floor in circle
with the garment between them. One
worked on each sleeve, one on each
tail and one on the collar and body.
The taiior's union here has no rule
about overtime and the fact that they
had to work all night was not taken
into account ct all.
The explanation Of Japan's low
wage, scale, as we'll as the poor stand
ard Of it's labor, lies in the tempera-
ment Of its people. They still reflect
the effect Of centuries Of serfdom.
Ambition is the motive power that
moves man to accomplishment, and
the average Jap of the lower classes
can hardly nope 70 better the condi.
tion in which he was born. His life
means q mere struggle for existence.
The customs Of the country are such
that il is difficult for man to save
any Of his income no matter how
much it may be.
Heads Of families retire early and
throw the burden Of support on their
elder sons, who in turn soon shift the
responsibility if they can. Il is an
unwritten Law that . man Of means
must support his poor kin, and when
. young man begins to succeed the
majority: Of his relatives make it g
point to get poor in order to secure
part Of hie salary. S,
81 An example Of this was afforded
recently at the American consulate in
Yokohama. "A bright young Jap who
had been educated in the United
States was earning 9 hundsed dollars
pei month 90 an assistant to Consul
General Bellows. Such 8 salary il
Japan 10 something enormous. Il is
actually more than is paid 20 she gov
ernor Of the province, yet this young
fellow couldn't save . cent. AS fast
60 his wages increased his poor rela-
tions multiplied. Il. really is enough