The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

~ 49, &NAA 10 -
Corean community.
Chemulpo, the largest seaport Of Cor,a.
ten years g but q collection Of flthy mod
butts, is now a busting city Of 5000. pos
and electric light plant. C~hinnampo, tAs
northern port selected at the beginning Of
hostilities a. a point Of disembarkment for
Japanese troops, has suddenly sprung from
a struggling COrean village TO q Town Of
more than 300 houses. A stone jetty 10
being constructed along the water front
and a marsh being lie to accommodate
the twa growth OF the town.
fQsan, on the southern extremity OF the
peninsula, which has been a Japanese town
since the invasion OF Hideyoshi IN the seven
tenth century, Is now fully as important q
shipping centre as Moi or ~Shimonoseki
on the Japan side Of Tsushima Straits.
Land along its water front cost more last
year than busines cites N Toxic.
As the southern terminus OF the Keifu
Railroad, running thence to Seoul, Fusan
takes on commercial importance second
only 20 that OF Chemulpo. Two regular
Japanese lines OF steamers, n American
and one German line make Fusan a port Of
J call. A daily ferry service between thai
port and S~himonoseki. Japan, rs main
I tanned by the Sanyo Railroad Company OF
Japan, which, bridging the narrow waterway
between Corea and Japan, reduces the pass
! age from Toxic To SEOUL 20 sixty hours.
Most typical Of the striking growth at
tanned by Japanese settlements in Corea
and at the same time marked by the super
lative in contrast with Its environment is
the Japanese settlement on Nam-san Hill
within the walls OF Seoul.
Elevated above the ruck and filth OF this
~shockingly filthy city OF ~sprawling mud
huts, and in a measure hedged apart from
the main Corean city by the slope OF the
declivity upon which II stands, this COM
munity Of nigh IS 600 souls u as well ordered.
as comfortably housed as that OF any pros
porous district in Japan. Here a branch OF
the Dai Ichi Ginko Great First Bank OF
Japan does a large business in deposits and
transfers. A modern department. store,
branch Of a large Toxic house which 10
stock Of japanese and European dry goods
and groceries. A semi-European hotel
with first class accommodations orers
Judgment 10 Europeans and Americans. A
theatre, gelsha tea houses and a large Shinto
temple complete a typical japanese town.
From this clean hive OF activity one has
TO walk only five minutes 10 find himself in
the Heart OF the noisome. medieval Corean
city, smelling to Heaven with its decay OF
/ centuries. Even the Japanese leaven on
Nam-san Hill fails 20 work any ferment for
betterment upon the sodden lump OF Corean
conservatism.
This prosperous community at Seoul, al
well az the like settlements at Fusan, Che
mulpo and Chinnampo, marks the second lns
Of the Japanese industrial advance. After
the first hasty pioneers, the small traders,
thinkers and artisans, nave marked the trad
OF progress through the country comes the
power Of capital to cement the first casual
grip Of the early corners.
That Japanese capital is pouring into
every branch OF industrial endeavor IN
Corea save agriculture, which is hopeless,
10 evidenced both by the Toxic stock market
and the tangible manifestations Of the
money power growing constantly more
apparent throughout the peninsula. The
Toxic Government Is bending every effort
toward the diversion Of capital into Corean
channels.
BY its recent action the ship subsidy
heretofore allowed the Nippon lusen
Kaisha Japan Mail Company for its Bonn
bay line was withdrawn and an offer OF IL
was made 20 ~ncourage new merchant
services 20 Corean ports. Upon the advice
Of the Government emigrant companies
throughout Japan are offering special in
ducements TO capitalists desiring TO contract
for labor in Corean enterprises.
Chief of all great financial enterprises in
Corea, the Japanese owned railroads draw
Up to date the Keifu Railroad and Seoul
Chemulpo road have not been financially
successful.
Whether through stress Of war and the
consequent requisitioning OF their services
by the Japanese military arm, or whether
because OF the excessive cost OF MAIN
~tenance, the roads have had to draw upon
their reserve funds, provided by the Japa-
nese Government, to declare their stlpu-
lated dividends. 1t is no doubt a fact that
until the development OF the interior il
accomplished by the japanese the through
peninsula road, which now carries freight
only from one terminus to another, cannot
be made to pay its stockholders save by
drawing on the Government subsidy.
Despite the seeming failure OF existing
roads to pay for themselves, additional
lines are being projected and money to
build them is freely subscribed. Surveys
a already been made for a line from
Seoul through the peninsula TO Gensan.
Fusan. on the south, through TO Mokpu.
the west coast port, is said to be a thing
Of the near future.
The railroad right recently secured TO
Japan by treaty with China. comprising
a line from Wiju OF the Yalu through SOUTH
ern M~anchuria to connect with the North
China road at Liaoyang, has tremendous
value to the industrial future Of Corea.
When it Is borne in mind that this projected
railroad from Win to Liaoyang is the con-
Meeting link uniting all Corea, and through
Corea Japan, with the main trunk system
Of the Trans-Siberisn road, il becomes az
once evident that what will make Corean
railroads valuable and Corean enterprises
in general Of doubled worth will be this
very extension Of the through peninsula
railroad TO the great main artery OF all north
Asia's trade.
A through line from Moscow TO Toxic,
with only the 40 mile water jump across
the straits of the Sea Of Japan, is going 20
be the dominating factor in Far Eastern
commerce before another quarter century
Ii passed. The latest span Of this great
system TO be opened for use is the Seoul
Win Railroad, laid first as an emergency
military road by Japanese engineers dur
ing the war and later put into name
shape and opened for traffic in the month
Of November, 1905.
This line, like the Keifu system, Is ~
standard gauge solidly built and ade-
quately suited TO a heavy business. On thus
and the other lines Baldwin locomotives
and American built cars on American
trucks are used exclusively. japanese
operatives only are employed.
What the railroads are doing for the
interior Japanese steamship lines work
for the ports. In the great interior city
OF Seoul, as at the coast towns constantly
growing, capital from Japan is applying
itself in new works Of Industry.
From these arteries of the new activity
energy is carried by the pioneer traders
and small adventures through all the
sluggish avenues Of the decrepit empires
Industrial network Of nerves until the most
remote members OF the decayed state feel
the UNIV onted impact OF a force long since
dead. The japanese have seized CoreS
by the topknot and kicked it into life.
But theirs are not the kicks Of philan-