The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-31
Howe Calls at the Federation Of
Japan.
Hard Labor for the Oriental
Fair Sex
WAYS OF THE EAST.
Some Streets So Narrow That
Four Can Scarcely
Walk Abreast Down Thorough
fares Of Poorer Glasses.

The Japanese Federation of Wo-
mems clubs net at Nagasaki today,
Tuesday. November 2Ss and coaled the
''siberia." We arrived at Nagasah at
s O'Clock IN the morning and remained
until $50 o. m. The eoa1ing was done
by twelve hundred japanese, mostly
women. and the performance was the
most interesting thing I have seen in
japan. When the ship cast anchor, it
was Immediately surrounded by coal
ing boats. The japanese at once be
gan building stages, or huge steps,
leading up from the coal boats to the
ships coal bunkers. These stages
completed. four hundred of the Japa-
nese went into the ship, to carry the
coal into the bunkers, and the other
eight hundred remained outside to
pass the coal up. The operation con-
tinued seven or eight hours. There
were sixteen crews, eight on each
side Of the ship. The coal was passed
up in wicker baskets. or baskets
made of rice straw. I should say
each basket contained forty or fifty
pounds of coal Each crew consisted
of a lot Of shovelers. who filled the
baskets, and. two lines of workers
to pass them along, and up the side
Of the ship. At the top of each line
stood woman who emptied the
baskets and threw them to one side,
where they were picked up by an
other woman and thrown to the deck
of the coal boat. Here they were
picked up by children and passed
back to the shovelers. The result
was a continuous and rapid line of
coal IA efH Of
the ship; the line resembled an end
less chain elevator operated by ma
chinery. The women and men were
good humored and polite to each
other; you notice this all over Japan.
In any other country you would see
quarreling and fighting, but I have
seen none here.
Some Of the women in the endless
chain we're young girls, not more than
sixteen years old; others were elderly
women, with black teeth. Occasionally
men worked with the women, but
they did no more work than the wo-
men and girls. saw one woman get
hurt, big lump Of coal falling on
her from above. She sank down in
her place, but the work went on. lust
the same, the others doing her share.
IN little while she recovered and
resumed her place in the line. While
she was down, one OF the other women
a
Jay 70 pat her affectionately on the
back.
Captain Smith told me that he tool,
on two thousand tons of coal and that
MS company paid $3.50 for the load
ing or nine cents ton. Out of this
the twelve hundred people were maid
and the contractors made a profit.
passenger who timed several of the
gangs, and made an average, said each
gang lifted thirty-fOur baskets of coal
I'D the Sims side M
men received twenty-five cents of orr
money for the seven hours work. the
women fifteen cents. and the children
eight cents. Were not labor cbean If
would, of course, be impossible to coal
in this way. All ships passing were
coaled at Nagasaki which has an ex-
cellent harbOr. and is located near ey-
tensive coal fields. Not long ago. a
sam pan (smai japanese boat) con-
tanning a load OF coal workers got too
near ships screw while it was in mo-
ton, ana fourteen of the women and
children were drowned.
Many OF the women who assisted in
cOaltng the siberia" carried Ia 1biee On
their backs and many others were in
what we call an Interesting condf-
upn' at home. While we were coal
ing, water boats, supplied with steam
pumps ~ pumped water into the tanks
As the coal boats were unIoaded.
the women washed up" as coal min
ers. 1 saw one young girl perfectly
naked from her waist up Wherever
you go in Japan you see sights that
cause you to look the other way, par
tleularly if you are with women
After the coaling was finished, a good
many Of the women IabOrers produced
pipes and smoked while waiting to re-
turn to shore.
Having nine hours to wait at Naeasa-
XII we Joined a party of passengers and
went ashore to visit q resort in the
mountains. Each passenger hired a
Ticksha, with an extra man to push.
and after considerabl delay, our pro-
cesstOn Of fifteen persons went rafting
through the streets, toward the noun
tain road. This road winds I'D to the
summit, and then down to the sea on
the other side. All the way we passed
through little farms: little terrace
farms. The sides of the mountains were
terraced, as is the custom here: level
terrace as large as a small door yard
at home, and then level terrace above
H. The terraces were supported by
heavy stone walls. On the terraces.
rice was usually grown; occa sionalfy.
vegetables. In the door yards were
orange trees. with the fruit just ripen-
ing The road wound around and
about. to take advantage of the grades.
and occasionally, the members of our
party alighted, and took a short cut
across on foot, to give the ricksha
men q resi-