Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-03-15
JAPAN.

The rising power of the Japanese is
again illustrated in the constant increase
of their merchant marine, hich easily
threatens to- become dominant in oriental
commerce. The following able editori Il
from the Washington Post sums up the
conditions, which give to the japanese in
this matter their great advantage And
it looks quite good deal rs if in our as
pirations to control the Asiatic trade we
shoul realize the position of the Irish
soldier who sang out that he had caught
Tartar.
Bring him here Pat" said his friend
IL can't" said Pat, "he's got me-
j. J. HILL AND THE JAPANESE
james j. Hills statement that he will
not furnish another vessel to take the
place of the wrecked steamship Dakota,
but will allow the trnns-Pacifc freight
business tn be taken over by Japanese
lines. is only another illustration of tile
strenuous quality of japanese competi-
ton in the Oriental trade. The advocates
of ship subsidy will probably seize upon
the incident as an argument in favor Of
liberal subsidy, since the Japanese lines
receive aid from their government. II
will take something more than subsidy,
however, to equali2e the conditions upon
which Americans and japanese meet in
their struggle for the mastery of the
Pacific.
The japanese have proved their abil.
itY to operate merchant vessels as effici.
emily as they handle war ships. They
Inr nd h. ,,.l
more ways than a direct subsidy, and
they enjoy an enormous advantage in
the low standard of wages. From the
captain down, the japanese vessels are
operated at less expense than American
vessels. The commissary is less ex.
pensive, there are no seamen's unions
to precipitate strikes and exact high
wages, and the hours of labor are fixed
only by the necessities of the day.
So keen is the competition on the
Pacific, even with the partial develop
ment of japanese maritime enterprise
that several American lines have beer
forced out of business, and others are
likely to follow. The Oceanic Line
from San Francisco to Australia, is t.
be abandoned, according to an an
nouncement of its management, and the
vessels are to be acquired by Japanese
steamship companies. These vessel,
will become auxiliary cruisers in The
japanese navy. and will receive a sub
sidy from the government. The Pacific
Mail is able to compare with Japanes,
lines only by employing Chinese crew
and by giving Japanese lines a shar,
of the business. The subsidy proposed
to be given in the bill recently pending
in Congress would not have been &C
cepted by the Pacific Mail, as it would
have made necessary the employment
of Americans in the crews, thereby in
creasing expenses to a point wher,
competition with Japanese lines would
have been impossible.
The dream of a vast Oriental com
merce, carried in American vessels, cul
, minating in domination of the Pacifi,
by the United States. is magnificen
conception, but it will hardly material
ize SO long as the Japanese display tn,
ambition and the ability to capture
trade which heretofore has belonged t,
Americans. The threatened withdraw
al of James j. Hill from the business i
sufficient evidence of the terrific effec
of japanese competition. If his effor
, to enlarge American activities on tn
Pacific cannot succeed, it may we'll b.
concluded that the commercial conques
of the Pacific is to be no easy task.