The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-25

lihood OF a falling of in the demand fof
any OF these. unless 1t may be floun
Although the Japanese have acquired
large areas OF good wheat land II
Korea and Manchurla, and are buying
quantities Of modern milling machin;
cry. 1t Is question whether their de.
Velopment along this line will be ID
excess OF the Increase of consumption.
When 1t comes to direct competition
there.is one point In favor OF American
miliers which sn, It is claimed the Japa-
American flour sells by the barrel for
Il price no greater than what the raw
wheat costs. On its face this would
seem to moan that the millers are
working for nothing. but they realize
a profit from utilizing the by-products
OF shorts and bran. The Japanese have
no Way Of doing this, because they
nave no stock to feed 1t to. The Jap
anese have endeavored to cqualize this
condition by imposing a tariff duty on
flour. AT a recent exposition IN Japan,
the Canadian millers were on hand bak-
ing bread and giving It away to the
crowds as an education in the use OF
flour. Some one asked where were the
hustling Yankees. The reply was that
the demand for American flour was so
great that there was no need of giving
any of it away in exploitation. The
an is all the more remarkable when 1T
Is remembered that thirty years dso
nobody in Japan ate bread. and few
had ever heard OF it, There s.no word
been borrowed from France. The con-
version of many of the people from rice
eating to bread eating Is one of the
most striking sociological features OF
the new era In this country.
Other important items among the
American imports to Japan are oil.
wax, paper, leather, lead machinery.
chemicals, rubber goods. cars, wheels,
leaf tobacco drugs. electrical appa-
ratus. engines and boilers, machine tools
and watches Thus 1t will be seen
that the bulk Of American trade in Jap
an is of such a character that there is
no Immediate possibility OF decrease
In demand. In fact the varied char
prises, and the extensive scale on which
they are planned, Will stimulate rather
than depress many lines OF goods.
One Important exception must be
ever. and that is In regard to cotton
goods. The Japanese undoubtedly in
tend to supplant the American cotton
goods trade in Manchuria, Korea and
lean manufacturers will have to exer-
else the utmost vigilance to protect
the great trade they have developed
in this field. In their efforts to attract
the Chinese trade for Japanese-made
cotton yarns. the Japanese spinners
have taken advantage of the great ma
tional fault of the Chinese-gam milling.
The cotton markets at Osaka send bales
Of cotton yarn into the Chinese mar
kets, with the statement that in some
of these bales will be found prize tick
cts, which will entitle the finder to a
handsome sum of money. a Chinaman
takes to lottery as duck to water,
and the effect was to boom Japanese
trade. But as the Chinese taotais and
mandarins live altogether by the con-
duct OF official lotteries, they scented n
Japanese competitor. and have forbidden
the importation of cotton yarns with
prize tickets attached.
Serious as the other nations may re-
gard Japan's attempts to corner the
market for her products in Chinese ter
ritory. nation SO poor in natural raw
resources cannot maintain an attitude
of commercial exclusion, Japan must
have foreign trade to live, and nobody
knowsr better than the Japanese busl-
ness man that the United States is the
biggest and most profitable factor III
that DEMONSTRATING trade Whatever
the military clique may think or do,
the business men and the laborinB men
of Japan will oppose to the last ditch
any governmental program which
might result in cessation of exports
to the United States.
Copyright 1908. by Frederic j. Has
kind
Tom rrow-The Greatest Trust in.
the World.