The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-07-09
AMERICAN TRADE PROSPECTS in ORIENT
Yankees Have First
Place Nov In
Japan.

vOKOHAMA.-No country has prof
5ted so much by the Japanese RUSSIAN
var the United States. In all likeli-
hood our sales to the Island Empire
This wear will exceed those of England
and, if this result is shown when the
balances are made up, it will be the
first time that Uncle Sam has ever out
done John Bull in this market. The
English have long been masters of the
situation here but the Americans have
made steady gains until it seems they
are now in first place. 1t is impossible
to get exact figures because the month";
ly custom reports show only such goods
as are dutiable. The bulk of the IN
crease in American sales is being made
direct to the government, and is COM
ing in without duty, hence the official
statements are misleading in that they
fall short of actual totals.
Although the fact that the Americans
are foremost in selling to the japanese
must lack official substantiation for
the time being, still those in a position
to judge assert that it is undoubtedly
true. This favorable state of affairs
will be cause for much cOngratulation
because we are already Japan's best
customer affording her a ready market
for about seventy per cent Of all she
has to sell. A diligent canvas among
the American business men in Japan
has brought to light much information
that is worthy of consideration.
CONVERTS To BREAD EATING.
Japan is now buying about $500, 0Oo,-
900 worth Of goods annually. The five
leading items in the long list she is
procuring from the United States are
-four, cotton, kerosene, leather and
canned goods. The flour trade is hav
ing a boom. Thousands of men who
have heretofore subsisted on rice are
learning to eat bread in the army and
it is argued that when they return to
their homes they will become flour Gus
toners and convert their families and
busy figuring on the possibilities Of the
future a pound of flour costs the same
as a pound of rice and, granting that
it's nutritious quality is equal, the ques-
ton of supply follows.
The japanese are so quick and apt
st imitation that it is predicted they
will no more than acquire the habit
of eating bread before they will be-
gin to raise their own wheat and grind
their own -four. Both the northern ISL
and Of Japan and Manchuria contain
much good wheat land, but there is
,one point in favor of the Yankee mill
lers which it is claimed the Japs cam
not overcome. Sometimes American
flour sells by the barrel for a price
no greater than what the raw wheat
costs. On it's face this would seem to
mean that the millers are working for
nothing. But they are not. They re-
aIze a profit from utilizing the bi-prod-
uct of shorts and bran. The Japs
have no way of doing this, because
they have no stock to feed it to, so the
American millers have this handicap
over their Oriental imitators.
THE WORLDS HUNGRY MOUTHS.
The forecast of conditions liable to
effect the future goes even further At
recent exposition in Japan the Cana
dian millers were on hand baking bread
and giving it away to the crowds. Some
one wanted to know where were the
hustling Yankees? The feply was that
the demand for American flour was so
great that there was no need of CIV
ing any away in exploitation. The new |
grain fields of Canada, as we'll as the |
areas in the Orient which may be put
.r.as.-.~..-.