Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-20
JAPANESE SKILL IN CHINA.
How the Little Nation Has Introduced
Reforms In Methods.
(From the brooklyn Eagle)

(From the brooklyn Eagle.)
awakening of China Is to be seen the
skilfM work OF japan. Japan knows
China as no other outside nation Knows
her The Japanese understand and are
In sympathy with the Chinese methods.
turcrstitiofn and btlicfr. They know
that the Chinese are conservative peo-
pie and must be approached carefully
on any subject that promises innova-
tion or turning aside Of time-honOred
customs. So Japan appreciated fully the
feeling that China has In regard to the
adoption of labor-saving machinery The
chief reason given by China for the OBJ
lection Of the introduction OF such ma
chncry into the country Is that the cut
| ting off Of so much labor would result
in starvation In a country where there
are millions Of laborers. II was argued
by the Japanese that there would be
a REIMBURSEMENT of things. and the ans
wer was that millions would etarve
while the reimbursement was taking place.
The Japanese realized the truth OF this.
and instead Of insisting upon the intro
duction of numerous labor-saving ma
chimes. thcy have begun TO Introduce
them slowly. and in a way that will not
sons Of employment good illustration
of this is shown in the introduction of
the foot-power cotton gin. which has
been established generally in all parts
of the country where the people manu-
facture their own cotton goods and ham
die their own cotton crops The old
method Of ginning by hand was exceed
ingly slow and tedious. but when the
new cotton gin was introduced there was
a great cutlery that thousands OF WORK
mon would bc deprived Of the means OF
earning a livelihood. BY the new meth
cd a man can turn out 100 pounds or cot
ton day although the machines are
very roughly and poorly constructed.
| This, of course. is only a step. and
very short one, toward the nanuf'cture
Of cotton, but it indicates that better
things are coming. and shows the care
with which the Chinese workmen must
be handled.
In the silk reeling industry there Is
similar condition. Recently tho Japan
csc have been endcavoring to introduce
into China silk reeling machine. con-
structcd of wood. which. although far
from perfect. is greatly superior to the
old machine used by the Chinese. AL
though it has been demonstrated to tho
Chinese that a japanese with one OF his
machines can reel more silk than China
man with one of the old machines all
efforts to induce the Chinese to make a
shange have aroveh unavalinG. Tho
very fact that a workman can do more
work with a new machine Fighter
them, for they believe the other work.
men will thus be thrown out OF employ
mont. Eventually. however. the Japan
csc methods will prevail for the Chinese
are beginning to understand that there
are other countries than China. and that
II there should be more goods produced
in China than the country could dispose
OF for its own use that markets in other
countries would be opened TO them. In
this way japan is keeping close watch
! on China and at the same time acting
as her tutor. The Japanese have al
most complete control of the markets
in the Hangchau district, and. in fact.
exercise a remarkable control over all
the markets Of the empire. They are
watching carefully every succeeding stage
III the changing commercial and indus
trial conditions of China. and are to-day
hotter posted on the commercial affairs
and the commercial probabilities and
possibilities of China than any other
} nation.
The influence Of Japanese enterprise
in business Methods has been felt dur
ing the last few months in China, and in
most characteristic way II has been
{ exemplifed in one Of the greatest and
most important of the industries and
commercial undertakings of tho Chin
csc Empire. China for the first time in
I. her history has adopted the advertising
methods of the Occident which she learn
cd from Japan. which in turn learned
them from the United states. For some
time the Chinese tea trade has fallen
2 off. The Indian growers, already having
, gained possession of the black sea trade,
have been reaching out for the green
tea trade. To help this ambition along
the Ceylon planters by system of boun-
ties. have encouraged the growth of the
shipments OF green tea from 100000 lbs
in 1901 to 100000 pounds in 1902 and more
than II 100000 pounds in 1903. Thus the
increase in the shipments of green tea
{ from Ceylon and the rise in India OF
the black tea business have resulted in
cutting down the tea trade in China
The great Chinese tea guilds have rccog
. nizcd that something had to be done
but they did not know what to do. II
was suggested to them that they must
S advertise their teas and let wholesalers
a and consumers know what they had tc
offer II they wanted TO competc with
more enterprsng concerns. They hest.
tated about doing this. but the neces-
e sity of the innovation was pointed ou
. | to them, and so il has come about
that these staid old merchants whose
ancestors have hcen in business for hun.
n dreds-perhaps thousands of ycars-havs
. been forced to adopt the smart methods
of the frivolous West. This perhaps
more than anything else. points to the
G | awakening of Chinna in business way.
japan learned her business Mcthod'
for the most part from the United States
This was frankly acknowledged by IiarOr
kanckO at the dinner rendered to hin
=. by General Stewart l.. Woodford at tho
University Club. Manhattan little more
: than year ago. Japan, like England
u cannot support its own population. which
d now numbers about 4,VD,0n people. and
$ as consequence. is becoming grea
q manufacturing and commercial nation
= Rut in extending its commercial rca
tons Japan must have help. 1t is ma
n tural. then, that she should seek the 60
> operation OF that country that fifty-twt
a years ago sent Commodore Perry Il
a, her shores to introduce Anglo American
=, civilization there and urge upon the Jap
anesc government to adopt the open doc
policy. The advice was needed and eve