The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-10
Warlike Preparations in Japdn
 By CAPTAIN RICHMOND P. ROBSON ].
IMOND P. HOBSON.

practically the whole avafls, ,ble worlds supply for several years to come.
 The financial preparatiomI have been as fevefish as the naval ard military preparations. Loan after loan has been placed at home and abroad. No nation has ever issued bonds las Japan has issued them during the last two years except during war or upon the verge of war. A subsidized and cen sored Japanese press, abett ad by the press of JapSn's ally, has tmdeavored to produce the impression i D America that these extraordinary fin nancial eff forts are for peace purpose s. Ameri- cans themselves hold large quantities of Japanese securities. the proceeds of which are now being applied to the war preparations directed against. their own country. In addition to the great ex- penditures involved in the vast war like activities pointed out al ,ove. Japan has accumulated specie exec ,eding 600,- 100000 yen, 140,000,0O0 bel ng held in Japan and over 500,O00,000 being held abroad Having lead Amer jeans to be- fieve that she was too pocr to under take war, Japan proceeded to amass money enough in advance to carry on a great war on land and ori the sea for years without taking account of new sources of revenue that would be opeh-
 
 Besides the ceaseless loans. the war taxes have been continued, and the Japanese government is reaching out for additional monopolies to swell the war chest. Sugar and fisheries are now being absorbed. The trade in salt sake, tobacco. matches and camphor are already government monopoiies. The railroads are steadily following in the same line. while the government is back of trading and other companies that are getting monopoIistic control of the resources. in Korea and Man churia. and eveit in China. proper, in- cluding mines al nd timber It is sig nificant that the government itself has taken over the coal mines not only of Japan, but of Ma nchuria. tAll of these activities are stl@ngthening the gov ernment's bonds for raising revenues at will The Japa nese government will soon be omnipoteit over the affairs of it's people. In addition the Hapanese residents abroad have become. a val uab1e source of revenue. It is safe to assume that considerable per centage of the high wages and business. returns of the over 20e,00o Japanese oE Anaeri- can soil will find the way to the war chest being prepared for war with America.
 At first sight JaTsanese budgets ap- pear innocent enough, revenues and ex- penditures balancing up. At second sight the budgets becomes incompre- hensible. The Japanese are past mas ters in hiding their financial as well as naval and military preparations for war. The word "eytra0rdinary'i cov- CTS multitude of things on both sides of the ledger. Innnc ent titles and bare generalities cover up the real purpose and destination of large outiays, and the statements made public give no intimation of the stupendous prepara- tions for war. For instance, the naval budgets for 1907-s, as printed appear reasonable and conservative enough and give no idea of the fact that over and above the large increase of strength from Russian ships the Japanese are executing a swift program. involving an expenditure of over 800, ,000. 900 yen | on new ships. over 100000 900 yen more than theyl. expended on the program that immediately preceded the war with l Russia.
 1 Tn no department have Japanese prep arations for war over the sea been more marked than in the expansion of their subsidized merchant marine. The l tonnage was expanded just prior to | the war with Russia; it is now nearly | double what it was then, exceeding | 900 900 tons. The world marvelled to see Japan move easily i've divisions of her army over waters in one expedition l fo Manchuria. It is safe to say she | could now have twice that force. With l this phenomenal growth of the Japan i ese merchant marine in the Pacific, it is tragic to contract the rapid decline and