The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-03
JAPAN REACHES OUT.
Plans to Dominate Commerce of
the Orient.


Is the emblem of the rising sun
to mark the control of the COM
merce of the Pacific Ocean in the
near future? Japan's activity in
increasing its merchant marine,
as we'll as in aiding to its naval
strength, has excited the mari
time nations of the world to a
high degree since the termination
of the Russo-Japanese war, but
in the light of recent reports
made to the United States gov
ernment by our consuls in the
Orient it is apparent that the real
extent to which the wonderful lit :
tie island is projecting its plans
to become one of the greatest OF
world powers has not been gen.
orally realized.
Alarmists who delight to peer
into the distant future have been
explaining that the nation which
America has the most cause to
fear on the seas, taking all pos
sibilities of foreign wars into con-
sideration, is; Japan. 1t is fact,
moreover, that the experts of our
navy have been watching with
jealous concern all that Japan has
been doing in the way of increas-
ing its naval strength since it sur
prised the world by series of sea
victories over Russia and emerg-
ed from its war with more fight
ing tonnage by large percent
age than it started out with.
Now come the observers of the
commercial side of affairs across
the Pacific with information cal
culated to arouse more and more
interest in the prospective SHIFT
ing of maritime supremacy in
connection with the arg.sics of
trade.
Japan, if the projects announc-
ed are consummated, soon will
dominate the passenger steam
ship traffic between the Ar1cri-
can ports on the Paci6c coast and
the Orient. Aside from thar, re-
ports made public, tell Of the
gradual destruction of England's 5
domination over the Asiatic
eoastwise trade. 1t is the Rising
Sun which constantly is sup
planting the Cross of St. George.
1t is possible that it may not
be very long before American
travellers crossing the Pacific in
the steamers now operated by the
Pacific Mail, the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific steamship
companies must sail under the
flag with the sunburst coloring
and in charge of Japanese cap
tain. Only few days ago Con-
sui General Wilbur of Singapore
reported to this government that
information had been received
there through Manila, that the
chairman of the board of direc-
tors of the Toyo Kisen Kaisha,
the Japanese Steamship Com
pany had news to the effect that
the company's London bankers
had succeeded in placing the
whole issue of bonds, amounting
to 20, ,000, 900 yen (about SIC, 0,000,-
OO0) in the London market for
the purpose of raising the neces-
sary funds for the purchase by
the above company of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company's feet
The bonds are for twenty years
at 5 per cent interest, but, owing
to the present stringency in the
money market brought only 90.
1t is further reported that the
Nippon Yusen Kaisha, another
Japanese line, has just concluded
negotiations looking to the pur-
chase from the Great Northern
Steamship company of the new
steamers Dakota and Minnesota.
and from the Northern Pacific
Steamship Company the steamers
Shawmut and fremont. 1t is
stated that the acquisition by
these two powerful Japanese
Shipping concerns of the choicest
American steamers on the Pacific
is partA of the scheme of the
great Anglo Japanese combine
recently launched with a capital
of 100000 yen ($20,O0o,000