Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-27
OF WORLDWIDE INTEREST
MANUFACTURES IN JAPAN
BY FREDERIC }. HAsKlN

house which is conducted by the mill.
Mr.. Fugi, the general manager of the
company is called papa san" by all
the boarders and IL cheerfulness of de-
meanor counts for anything they are
all happy
This immense boarding house is a
great wooden building. The hands are
divided into families" of thirty, and
each family is presided over by ma
tron who exercises discipline, cares
for those who are slightly i'll and mends
clothes The seriously i'll all go to
the hospital. Forty cooks prepare the
rice and fish which make UP the bill
of fare at the big boarding house. The
water is all distilled, the plumbing is
modern and on the whole these 1000
young Japanese may be said to live un-
der conditions a thousand times better
than they ever knew before they came
to the factory.
The younger operatives, those who
are exempted from the full twelve
hour day at work, are compelled to go
to school, The mill maintains two
large schools within the factory in
closure, one for boys and one for
girls. From two to four hours In school
each day is compulsory for all the
younger hands. These schools teach
the common elementary branches, and
struction is given. IL the school teach
er who daily lectures these children on
mechanics would walk across the yard
and superintend his class while they
cleaned some machines 1t would be bet
ter for the mill. But everywhere in
Japan one sees evidences of certain
inability to coordinate theories and
practice.
The crowning glory of this partieu-
lar mill is its theater. A great strue-
ture built after the American order
with a high stage for drop curtains,
two curved galleries and an inclined
floor, is fitted with 1000 American opera
chairs. Contrasted to the Japanese
theater with level floors and no chairs
at all. this theater is an Aladdin's
palace. The electric lighting features
provide for all the stage effects of the
ordinary occidental playhouse, and
there is a regular orchestra of ten pieces
which plays occidental music. In this
theater three performances week are
given, free of charge, to the mill hands.
On Saturday the theater is converted
into a Presbyterian church. There is
an early morning Sunday school,
morning preaching service and an
evening service. AS the large major
ity of the operatives are not Christians
attendance at Sunday services is volun-
tary. Usually there are over a thou
sand at the morning service. Sunday
afternoon some missionary gives a pop
ular lecture In the theater, often illus
trated with magic lantern pictures and
generally aimed at giveng the jap
anese mill hands peep into the OUT
side world.
Ten years ago there were $4,000
weaving houses In japan in which over
a million persons wrought on hand
looms. Now there are only 100000
weaving houses and 100000 hand weav-
ers. During the same period the weav-
ing mills have increased from fifty to
260 and they now employ $4,000 people.
However, the principal mills in Japan
limit themselves to spinning cotton or
to winding silk. and the greater portion
of Japan's exports is made up OF the
half-wrought cotton yarns and raw
silk.
The government, which once went out
of the manufacturing business, re-
turned to 1t when tobacco ,manufac-
turing was made a state monopoly, and
1t has made some costly experiments in
a steel mill which was intended to sup
ply its own shipyards and arsenals.
But as it is now the government ope-
rates thirty-four manufacturing con-
Germs, employing over luUOO persons, at
average wages of % cents day.
Japan is burning with desire to be-
come great manufacturing nation. de-
spite the fact that it must always de-
pend largely upon other countries for
raw material. If those experts who
have studied the situation are to be
credited this is one Japanese ambition
which will never be realized until the
Japanese manufacturer begins to care
more for the health of his machinery
and less for the size of his dividend.
copyright, 1908, by Frederick j. Has
Copyright, 1908. by Frederic J. Haskin)
Tomorrow-Education in japan.