Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-16
MUST STUDY CONDITION
TRADE WITH JAPAN AND NORTH
CHINA MAY BE KEPT.
Observations Of Special Agent Crist-
In the Famine-Stricken
Districts

There Is no reason why we should not
have good trade In Japan and norr,
China IL we choose to go after n In ,h,
heht way. That is the observation that
special Agent Raymond f. Crist broueht
pack with him to the Department of Con,
iherce ana Labor today. Mr.. Crist wysS ona
OF the four special agents sent out by Tho
department last year to study trade con-
aitiohs. and he and Harry BurrilI also II
washington. divided the orient between
them. Burrill taking south China and str
Crist north China and Japap.
MT Crist said that he had written a COOL
oeai TO the department on the subject az
oriental trade. but 8. more complete stud,
OF the situation only strengthened h.s min
ION that We have nothing much to fear from,
q .e eopeo,ion or Japa.l. and that there is
GOOD trade awaiting us in China IL our
exporters VIII go after II intelugently.
Markets Must Be Studied.
Ihere is no use. Mr.. Crist sail. in OK.
pee'ins 10 make dumping grouui OF the
o'ieh' LOT surplus American prodacts This
may DO In some European countries. vhere
Va. people want generally speaking the
thinSs That American factories already ,ur,,
out. But trade In the ortent has >, =. -
70 SUIT the people. One cannot mako :,
SUI. OF european clothes and expcct 70 se,i
~ III emma. In fact, one ranno. sell The
SCI soI,s ana widths OF cloGa there that
AL oe soio mere or In Europe. Trade CON
uitions have to be studied on tbe cyro,,n.
ana there have TO be 1.-Two enterortstn,r
Americans working for tho good ~ the
roun'.y ana the home irm- One cannot de-
RI. oii foreigner for that sort of work
mere is not much difficulty about tho Ian
suase- All OF the business with the r,ar-
chants In done through compradores On
, .aas an american firm wanting to do bust
mos t,
think that It will have to pick CbfnasaN
speaking Americans to do the work >.
Japan English Is even more widely knor,,
anu .nere Is scarcely commercial house
VI any importance that does not have son,a
Japanese. us" anu
When acsked to the prospect OF lana
I l,',s cheap labor and cheap power combined
with nearness to the market cutting otrt
the competition of the rest of the world
M. Crlst said there was nothing in mar
Iic uiar TO rear from Japan. The contest
~ Wo"id necessarily be keen and nearness to
.te market gave Japan a natural adyan-
Iase, Out 1t was not an overwhelming ad-
vantage and American machinery with
american ingenuity, ought to be able to
neutralze II.
Japan, he said. Is a wonderfully educated
country. considering the few years II mas
been acquiring the education. But II takes
yours ana money to accumulate the plant
Tor any sort of modern business and with
the brains and money there Is no reason
why America should not keep ahead of the
game for long time.
Suffering Of the Famished.
The famine conditions In Japan. Mr.. CrIst
said, are very bad He had not seen much
or the famine districts personally but had
been on the outskirts, but the whole coun-
try Is filled with the talk of suffering and
busy with relief work. The mikado has re-
Gently donated $1,000 yen personally toward
the relief work. Specimens OF the famine
bread are brought back from the scene of
the trouble 1t consists of a little very bad
rice ground up with the bark of trees
leaves and fern roots and heated in little
cake over the fire. 1t contains some nutri-
ment, but Is of more use to fill space Many
OF the people will barely be able to keep
awe on this sort of fare through the win
ter, and by next spring, when the govern
ment guarantees them seed for the next
rice crop, they Will not be strong enough
to TIL the fields. There Is no question he
saiu, that the relief work will have 10 be
Kept up TIL next June July. when the
people will begin to get some return on
their next crop and will begin to live again
1t never costs them much to live. but as
tho case now stands. they have been strip
ped of even that little and their lot is ter
rible.