The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-21

anese youth into the army for two
years, but there are many exceptions
for various excuses, which are accepted
because the government cannot afford
to support an army as large as the full
CONSUMPTION would raise. An incident
of the petty economy to which the JAP
anese government is forced is the zone
year volunteer service" Any young
man of means who desires TO tighten
the burden of his enforced CONSUMPTION
may do so by volunteering for one
year. This cuts his time in half, but in
return he must pay his own barrack
expenses.
While the japanese navy has thirteen
battleships on paper, the two largest of
these will not be in commission for
more than a year, the patching up of
the captured Russian ships has not
been completed and other ships are out
of commission. By the time the Ameri-
can fleet gets to the Philippines Japan
Will have eight effective battleships
and twelve good armored cruisers in
commission. In the United St~tes fleet
at that time will be eighteen battle
ships and eight armored cruisers. But
the japanese are rushing to get their
other ships in shape, over $4,000 men
being employed in it's navy yards. This
is greater number than was employ
ed at any one time during the prep
arations for the Russian war, and is
the high-water mark in Japanese naval
activity.
Japan is making the utmost endeavor
to get into a position where it will
not have to depend on other nations
for the raw material necessary for
ship building and armament, but the
government steel foundry has thus far
been a practicar failure and the Jap
anese ship builders must continue to
depend on foreign countries for steel.
The average wages paid in the Jap
anese navy yards where warships are
constructed is twenty-nine cents day.
This saving in the price of labor is
partly neutraliZed by the fact that it
requires two Japanese workmen to ac-
the same work done by one
European or American craftsman.
But at the same time, if Japan could
get the steel at the same price paid by
European countries it could build ships
twenty per cent. cheaper than they can
be built in Europe. The difference be-
tween the cost in Japan and the
United States would be even greater,
as the Americans must pay much more !
for labor and much more for steel than |
any other nation.
If Japan had the money, it could, !
and undoubtedly would, equip an army !
and navy great enough to try concur |
5ions with almost any nation. But it |
has neither the money nor sufficient |
credit to borrow it. 1t has the founda-
ton of great army in its magnificent |
lighting men, but the army itself does |
not exist in the magnitude which the |
alarmists claim for it. Japan also has |
4 creditable navy, ranking fifth among |
he nations of the world, and it has
proved that its navy can do things.
But its entire navy, patched up boats
md all. is not half the equal in
strength of the American squadron now
n the Pacific. Here again Japanese
poverty comes in-its navy has not the /
money to spend in target practice.
only the British and American navies
spend great sums for target practice
which approaches the conditions of
lctual war. This costs the United
states nearly a million dollars a year
or powder. We know that the Ameri-
an naval gunner can shoot and hit the
mark. The japanese navy must do
hese things by theory.
Full credit must be given TO the Jap |
lnese as fighting men. But this does
lot mean that the rest of the world
must look upon them as supernatural
beings, absolutely fearless and mys-
eriously equipped with a power
gainst which the force of men and
rms does not avail. Heretofore they
lave encountered foes who were not
heir match in equipment, and whose
earts were not in their fight. If in the
curse of time they meet fighters who
ire equally as well prepared, and who
re backed by the proper national
pirit, their measure will be taken
more accurately and much Of the
lamor that surrounds their reputation
will be dissipated.