Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-23
Japanese Fast Crowding to
Front in Shipping Industry
Of the Pacific
ESTABLISHING NEW LINES
Japs Learn the Rebate System and
Are Secretly Winning Former Eng
Iish Patronage-Big Debt Alone is
Check to Trade Extension of Mix
ADDS Empire.

Seattle, Nov. 23.-Will Great Britain
lose its supremacy in the shipping cir
cles of the Asiatic coast? This ques-
ton is agitating shipping men of the
big cities of the Chinese coast
For more than twoscore years the
British flag has been the predominant
ing one along the Chinese coast; in
fact, the British flag outnumbered all
the other flags put together. But now
a change is coming about. Great Brit
ain has found a new rival. In the last
and even the Chinese flags have been
growing in number, and the Germans,
by heavily substituting lines, succeeded
in cutting into the British trade. But
the Germans discovered that with Brit
ishers controlling the big banks and
the big exporting firms they could not
do much. The German lines withdrew
their largest passenger steamers which
had been operated at loss, and con-
fined their efforts to the small coasting
trade and the cargo traffic.
But the new rival is changing things.
This rival is Britain's ally. Japan. The
little brown men of the east are max
ing serious inroads into the coast
trade and they have already dupli-
Gated many of the routes that Britain
for years held exclusively her own.
Japs Use the Rebate.
Before the Russo-Japanese war the
big Nippon Yusen kaisha company had
monthly lines from Yokohama, to Seat
tie, to Australia, to London and to
Bombay, to say nothing of more fire.
quent services to local points on the
Chinese coast. These lines did not car
ry many white travellers. but they got
a good share of the coolie and native
traffic, while their cargo space was
always taken. During the war. the gov
eminent used the Nippon Yusen Kaisha
vessels as transports, thus putting the
company temporarily out of the trade
But when the war was over. fleet of
low-speed. cheaply operated boats was
let loose that is disrupting the ship
ping of the entire country. The Toxic
government had big fleet of small
steamers from 500 to 5000 ton ca
pacity, which it had either bought
captured or seized with contraband Of
war, and these ships were turned over
to the various Japanese companies,
generally on basis of small payments
annually. the only stipulation being
that they be operated by full Japanese
crews.
Japanese vessels cut rates. not
openly, but with true Japanese spirit.
in a secret fashion, i. e.. they adopted
the methods of the American railroad
and gave secret rebates.
Debt Alone Is Check.
The larger vessels taken over from
the government and the new ships
built in japanese and foreign yards
We're put upon the long routes. The
London, Bombay, Australia and Seat
tie runs were resumed But there were
more ships than could operate on
these, so that the older established
routes to Hamburg, to Naples to Cal
cutta and to Western Australia were
sliced upon. And with the single ex-
ception Of the Hamburg route al the
was with Great Britain.
But the Japanese were not satisfied
with this. 1t has been officially an
nounced in Shanghai, that the Japan