The Washington herald., 1908-04-26
By FREDERIC j. HASKIN.

fairs. and that can then so infinitely
further and imagine the American people
meekly submitting 10 the programme,
viii have a fair picture Of the true con-
dtion Of industry and commerce IN Japan.
That the work Of this great imperial
household trust. linked with the for
tunes OF the Mitsui and Mitsubishi fami-
lies. has accomplished wonders for Japan
cannot be denied. Thanks 10 liberal sub
sidies from the government 10 ship lines
owned by the princes, Japan has one line
of steamers which ranks fourth among
the maritime companies Of the world.
The Rising Sun Of Nippon floats from the
taffrail Of ships in every sea japan
has become an exporting nation and Is
seriously seeking 10 convert the trade Of
China 10 its own purposes. But the very
fact that IL has become a considerable
factor makes IL the more necessary for
Occidental nations. until now absolute
masters of the worlds trade, 10 exam
inc into the ways and means by which
these things have been done. The Occi-
dent is a unit IN supporting the propo-
sition that IL Japan has been admitted
to the family of frst-class nations. the
first Oriental nation 20 be so honore6,
IL must observe the rules Of the game
as played by the older nations. and must
conform 10 international ethics IN bust
ness as well as. TO international law in
wac.
Omcial representatives OF Western ma
tions in Japan are now beseeching their
governments TO send competent experts
in politics. business. and economies to
this country to make a study of cOndi-
| tions and 10 ascertain, if possible, just
where the private business enterprise
in Japan leaves of and where the gov
ernment control begins. Such an inves-
tigatiOn must Of course be conducted
with great tact and diplomacy. Indeed,
it IS by no means sure that Japan will
| consent to the inquiries being made. Yet
the diplOmatists Of the Occident believe
that the matter should be probed. This
! leads TO a serious situation. the end Of
which may be the overthrow OF peace
and the drenching of the Orient in anoth-
er deluge Of blood,
The japanese government declares to
the world that It will take steps to stop
the dishonest japanese traders who int
tate foreign goods and steal foreign trade
marks. Nothing could be fairer than the
way the government officials talk about
it, and nothing could appear to be more
sincere than the expressions of regret
from the government And yet at the
very same time government mauufac-
turing concern, operated by the govern
ment. owned by the government. and en-
! j0ying complete monopoly. Is turning
out an imitation OF a British-American
product, stealing even the initials of the
American company to brand the pack
age. This particular brand of goods has
wholly driven the foreign article from
Japan by virtue of the monopoly, and
the japanese government, not an indi-
vidual dealer but the government itself,
| is trying to force the genuine article out
Of Manchuria and other parts of China
by offering the imitation at a cheaper
price.
This is an instance Of a government
manopoly But what no one can tell
with certainty is how many other manu-
featuring concerns. apparently controlled
by private capital. are really linked with
the government through the imperial
households private shareholdings. And
no one can know whether it is an en-
tirely independent concern. or one in the
trust. which is doing some OF the things
that are causing so much commercial
trouble in the far East
The Occidental interest in the workings
/ OF knlH gigantic trust fs not ConNHeQ 10
Chinese or other extra-Jspanese territory.
In Japan proper where the sovereignty
OF the government cannot be questioned.
| foreign capital feels the weight Of the
japanese system" In the first place
| japan has no money. and has never had
money. This may account for the des-
perate efforts It is making now to get
money. honestly if possible. but get
money The internal improvements in
Japan have been built with foreign cap
| ital. Railroads and street railways lead
the list. Of course. The government
owned part of the railways from
the beginning. having constructed the
| first line European capital owned the
rest, All at once, without warning or
by your leave, the government takes
over the private railways at its own val
uation, paying for them with government
bonds which were worth nothing IKE
their face value.
Since the government railroad monopoly
was instituted the shippers have been