The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-13

1908, by Frederic J. Haskin.)
TOXIC, March 21-Japan is max
ing the most extraordinary expendi,
lures on its army ahd navy ever un.
dertaken by any nation of like re,
sources in time of peace. The United
States is sending to the Pacific Ocean
the most powerful armada in the his
tory of navies. Despite the assurances
from Washington and Toxic that there
is no serious quarrel between the two
powers, these are concrete facts, fol-
the acceptance of which it is not nee
essary to take anyone's word,
Does this mean war;
The investigator will encounter many
people willing to assure him that trou-
bic between the two countries is in
evitable, and just as many more. who
protest that all this talk of clash is
mere moonshine. AT such time one
must go beyond the assurances of dip
lomatists, because it is their business
to preserve amity by the subtleties of
fine speech and friendly representa-
ton. One must also disregard the
belligerent mouthings of the jingoes,
for their utterances of rancor and wild
alarm are as unwarranted and dangef-
GUS as they are undignifed.
Since Japan determined to put aside
it's old civilization and take up the
WAYS of the Occident, it has fought
two wars The first was with China,
the most populous and second greatest
in contiguous area of the nations of
the world; and the next was with Rus
STA, the greatest in area and the second
most populous of all the nations. In
each of these conflicts Japan was the
victor, not alone by the bravery of its
fighting men, but by its
before each war began.
In the year before the war with Rus
STA, Japan's total military and naval
expenses were $41, 100000. Last year
the japanese government spent $115,-
704,650 on its war establishment, and
this year it will again spend nearly as
much. If it was prepared for the war
with Russia, what will it not be pre-
pared for now that it is spending more
than twice as much annually as it did
prior to that conflict?
On the other hand, critical exami-
nation of Japan S national resources
and present financial status reveals
such a sorry condition of affairs that
even the suggestion of war with
power like the United States seems to
be the height of absurdity. No matter
how we'll Japan may be prepared for
war in military. way, in other re-
spects it is not at all prepared. Mod
arn war means spending money, and in
order to spend money one must have
Japan is poverty-stricken
and almost bankrupt. It's total wealth
is but one-twentieth of that of the
United States, although its population
is more than half as great.
IF every vestige of wealth in Japan
could be turned into cash, the whole
the elothinn and furniture used by the
people of the United States The en-
tire income of the japanese govern
ment is not as great as that of the
United States Steel Corporation. The
.otal annual expenditures for education
IN the japanese Empire not only falls
short of that of many of our Ameri- |
IAN States. but is less than the city of
Y NnpE lei
last year. The japanese peasant wei !
ZONES the opportunity to hire himself |
FOR twelve months for $l6-a sum
earned by capable American shop girls !
n one week The japanese bricklayer ],
s one of the cOuntry's highest paid |
his wages for a day of twelve |
hours being thirty-one cents. Com
bare this with the American brick )
ayers pay of eight dollars for eight |
hours work, and one has a striking
Illustration of the vast difference be- |
ween the potential wealth of the two |
Countries
This abjeet national poverty is the |
'esult of the intense congestion of the /
Japanese people. The entire empire /
han the State of California. and only /
3 per cent. of it is susceptible of eul- |
ivation. That portion of Japan which /
mast support all its population is just /
lalf the size of the State of Ohio. |
This means that if every man. woman
nd child within the boundaries of the
United States and the Republic of /
dexico should move into Ohio, the soil |
f that commonwealth. would have no
greater task to support them than
hat now imposed upon the arabic por-
ion of Japan.