New-York tribune., 1907-09-12
TROUBLE IN SILK TRADE
BOuc0tt at Yokohama Cause OF
1na1etY.

Fall River. Mass, Sept II fspeciaO.-The SIX
Association of America. which is made up of the
large silk merchants and manufacturers or the
country is graphing with trade question of inter
national interest growing out of boycott instituted
at Yokohama last month against certain chops, or
qualities of re-reel silk, by the foreign buyers
in that city. meeting will be held in the associa
tion rooms New York City. on Thursday AFTER
noon at 2 o'clock to see what can be done IN an
svver to n cable dispatch received during the sec
ond week in August, asking the aid of the An1erl-
cans interested in trade. The dispatch read as
follows:
Mr. Skinner President American silk Ass9cIa5 t9cIa5
1embers that no new orders for Ususha, Kanrasha
and shmonita viii be accepted by f0FegF ef dis ss
porters until further notice. on account u ~
elimination against foreign buyers
# was dated Yokohama. August 9, and signed
..Abegg President Foreign Silk Association IN
the second week of August at meeting VI '
silk Association OF America, 1t was decided 10 seno
ranI, asking for further particulars. Aithoug"
m direct answer to the cable message has yet oeea
received this weeks mails brought copies OF c1'
culars issued by the Foreign Raw six anu go
Merchants containing the details of the actioii
taken by these merchants at the time the
aid was sought ..
~ i~,,,1or cites that at an extraordinary meet
ing IN Yokohams on August certain resoin'iou'
and remedies we're agreed on UNANIMOUSLY 'oN
ouent on the determination Of the propretors %
tho cbons named 10 start direct business WIZ,
.,.o ,,.tng as consignors the Kiito Gomez
1T-,,ebs and the Mitsui Bussan Kwaisna- iHo
circular says:
A direct consigning of this kind / e; r ending Ias
the niddleman of Yokohama trrrSIi rnrsrteSSIished trade
I Tor o,st do business must necessarily Keep al
otI,nrs IareS who have 10 go through the say sa.n
tPInoen ont Of all competition with & tnGse
nhtaining the consignments as me 90 thn I'D
Of 11 per cet1 ayotGsd p by con5ieners but what Is
stl more, important the o eli manufacturers Of
raw silks to consgn directly ana II t,'if fbeTafore
ent should prove sgco"ffFfu tfs snsnn S Speope and
se see foTth oG foii6w KS% the example siyen 70 p.
The one apPsTeh PPsTe Of this association agree not
10 buy any silks bearing the three & Gh9p' ~ rs e
,lon until @ tne T6nnse 10 sell their goods exclusyey
nnti thet ,a % Jnennbera of the Yokohama Sanshi
1a5Sass Boyekisho." 5'! '''@
r-,ua tho circular does not state the fact III
xo ,,eny words It is the belief In the Americah
trade that il is the avowed purpose OF tho 'pe
n.se houses. aided by the government o~"s'
secure control OF the silk trade ono OF ,''e
largest handlers OF japanese silks mas .a1
sfrna the dispatch was received that the 'hiee
PRODUCTS named are being sold only throusH 'Wo
Tananese houses here the object or the p'o'u
being 10 force the foreign buyers 20 puTen1S7 .i'
product Of these factories through tie "o '"P4
nesa exporters and importers
-rbera are twelve re-reel factories in japan anu
the three making the chops named produce - irG.Ii
20 to s5 per cent of all the japanese s..
Tho rjpe other factories are as yet ihoepeIoehl
In coll
American mills II is contehueu 'i'"'
will not be meagre, ~
The handler above referred 10 mas aiso -, 80.
tb,+ many American manufacturers WHO ioi =
used these re-reels were forced TO tnrh 10 o''e
,-,,,ds owing TO the absolutely domlneerins stano
- r-od,c.rs have taken and the manner IN
which they have sold their product THIS SHOWS
thar lf the American mills are pushea 10 a7''S'
tbe foreign buyers they will not OF necessary ~
strict their operations
o- III. 1Iss bales OF raw silk shlppeo from
Ispan 10 America In the season lS5- W. '"o Jay
anese firms represented here by orahch hous''
sent 5000 bales Europe took 2i,Its nales oi .''
total Japanese crop Of the season naIneu, so '
IN zppealing for aid in America the foreign ner-
cbsn.s ara asking the aid OF Japan's iargest raw
silk customer.
I, &. not clear what action. If any. the SILK As
.ocaton can take In the present stage OF tho CON
t-ovArsv Individual members OF the association
are So much wrought up by tho treatment "hlch
has been accorded them by Japanese houses IN
other matters that they ready 10 iend any
aid they can. At the same time other members
say the Japanese are only using Objectionable
mercantile methods in the silk trade which they
have used in other lines and the whole question
,s the more diflcult for that More than
half the silk used in this country comes
from Japan. and there is strong disposition TO
see to what extent the proposed boycott will 60
before entering on y.
1t is assumed. from the anger expressed by raw
silk dealers here. who have been virtually crowded
OF the business by the methods OF some jap
anese factors that certain members Of the trade
Will keep the agitation alive. regardless of sny
ton by the association. The aggression OF the
Japanese in trade matters is quite unlike anything
encountered with other peoples, and tho disposi-
is clearly apparent