The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-20
WILL ENGLAND
STAND BY TREATY?
Japan Is Getting the Best of
Her Along the Lines
of Commerce.
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
BY Frederic ] Haskin.)

TOXIC, May 4-Those who are close
ly observing Far Eastern matters are
wondering how long it will be before
England renounces its treaty of alliance
with Japan. When this treaty was made,
it was hailed with great satisfaction by
British subjects because of the security
il afforded to England s possessions In
India and elsewhere IN the East. There
was great deal of reassuring talk
about the alliance being a guarantee of
the peace of Asia, but ii was pretty
generally understood that John Bull :
peace OF mind was the main object
sought. 1t seems that the advantage
resulting from a sense of territorial Sc
:urity has been largely discounted by a
feeling of discontinue over the aggres-
sive manner in which Japan has attack
ed British commerce Events have SO
shaped themselves as to cause most
Engiishmen to wish themselves well cut
of their agreement with the japanese.
The first rude shock to British com
posure occurred just few months after
the alliance was made. The directors
of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, the Japan
Mail Steamship Company, held their
was published it was found to contain
a most hostile reference to British ship
ping interests, the threat being made
openly TO run the English marine out
of Eastern waters. This kind of talk
about the ally whose friendly support
is so vital to Japan 6 future was ex-
money used to build the japanese
steamships was borrowed in London.
The mistake was recognized almost as
soon as it was made, and the govern
ment attempted to buy up the edition
of the newspaper that printed the re-
port. Most of the copies were obtained
and destroyed, but the agent Of one of
the British steamship lines got hold of
several papers containing the hostile
declaration and forwarded them to
London. An attempt was then made to
deny the accuracy of the report, but
the bad effect of the revelation of
Japan s ugly attitude toward her ally
could not be altogether overcome.
Heretofore the English merchants
have practically controlled the sugar
trade of China, carrying the raw
product in British ships from Java and
the Philippines to English refneries in
South China, and afterwards distribut-
ing the refined sugar to the market in
British bottoms. Now enter the jap
anese into this trade. They collect raw
sugar from Java, Formosa and the Phil
ippines, carry it to refneries in Japan,
and then go into the Eastern market
against the British The japanese ships
and refneries are heavily subsidized by
the government, which renders further
assistance to its nationals by making
special rates on the South Manehurian
railway. Thus the japanese govern
ment assists in three important ways to
hasten the complete decentralization of
the British sugar trade.
But this competition is all fair
enough, the reader will say, Why has
Japan not the right to go after all the
trade it can get' Certainly it has the
right, but it lacks the money to back
all this enterprise. The funds neces-
sary to carry on this lively trade war
came from Japanese loans which were
doated in England How long will Eng
land continue to arm its commercial
enemy9
Formerly the British controlled the
cotton goods trade in Central and South
ern China. while the Americans supplied
the northern part of the country. The
English had almost a monopoly Of the
cotton yarn trade for all of China Now
the japanese are cutting into the cot
ton trade and causing equally as much
havoc as in the sugar business. Japan
ese ships are hauling the raw cotton
II buA 1AA4a dAI @4AtEltd 10 ltAtl III
Japan, and the finished product is 60
ing to the market in japanese bottoms
and over the South Manehurian rail |
way As in the ease Of sugar, the Jap
anese are beating the British cotton
traders, using capital derived IN large
part from loans fioated in England. If
rhe British money lenders are willing
to continue supplying Japan with funds
for this purpose, II does not concern
anyone else, but the onIooker is won
iering how long it viii be before Eng
land viii awake to a full realization Of
the situation and baIk on its costly bar
gain with the japanese.
The manner in which the japanese /
are conducting railway affairs in sour.f /
is another cause Of irrita- /
ton to the British. causing them 70 /
ook upon the alliance with anything /
BUT favor. Millions u dollars have
7zzD Fqr~1v-l5 IN T1-H,r and Srav7r N Z