The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-13
THE JAPANESE
MAMUFhCT
Growth, Progress and Methods
of lndustrialism in Mika.
dos Empire.
advertiser Correspondence. Copyright
by Frederic J. Haskin.)

| Dy Frederic d. HaSkln.
TOXIC, April 25.-When Japan turn
ed from Oriental tradition to Occidental
progress, the greatest change in it's in
| dustrial life was wrought by the intro
duction of machinery. That the transit
ton is not yet complete is shown by
the fact that the larger portion of Jap
| anese manufactured products even now
| are handmade and come from factories
where the only motive power is ''elbow
grease. In the first instance the new
| method of manufacturing came like all
other japanese progress, from the gov
eminent. The Imperial government
built cotton and silk spinning mills,
ship-building yards, glass factories,
weaving mills and the like In 1880
these concerns were in their infancy,
but the government began the work OF
turning them over to private companies
BY 1893 the government was well out
of the manufacturing business except
for making it's own necessary supplies
The Imperial Household became a sue
cessor, in large part, by becoming
shareholder in the new companies.
The manufacturing business was mod
eled along English and American lines
and grew steadily but slowly. lmmedi-
ately after the ltusso-Japanese war the
opening of the Korean and Manchurian
markets to japanese products, with dis
tlnct advantages over other countries,
gave great impetus to the japanese
industries. But the Japanese stock
holder is a money Spectator and not
manufacturer. When the cotton mills
sold large quantities of goods in China
At good prices, the stockholders saw
there was large profit, and they de-
manded instant anu complete division.
That is the reason why the Osaka cot
ton mills, which have been paying from
II to 30 per cent. dividends each year
for four years, are now unable to ac-
cept delivery of the raw cotton shipped
to them from America.
There is no thought of laying by
surplus to guard against the very con-
ditions which now obtain; there is no
fund to provide new machinery for that
which is worn out; there is no object
or purpose in view but immediate divi-
dends. Very few concerns give the
proper care to running the machinery,
so that it is soon worn out. Then the
whole thing is junked and new machin-
cry bought, or the mill closed The
majority of the larger mills are so new
that the machinery is still in a fairly
good condition, but as this is due to no
care bestowed upon it, it is impossible
to tell what will happen in a few years
Labor the japanese manufacturers
certainly have in abundance, and at the Il
very cheapest prices A cotton spin
ming mill does not pay fabulous wages
even in America, but in Japan the
wages run from two to fifteen cents a
day for operatives, and from fifteen to
forty cents day for machinists. The
cheapness does not mean as great saw
ing as might be indicated, for the labor
is unskilled and self-willed, so that al
most twice as many operatives are re-
CURED to turn out given production.
An American cotton mill superin-
tendent would go crazy if he were
forced to stay an hour in one of the
Japanese mills The "hands'' are
laughing and talking, visiting and Cos
siping, while broken threads remain
broken, and fully 10 per cent. of the
machinery is nonproducing because of
lack of care. OF course, there are ex-
ceptions. Some mills, under the charge
of European superintendent and fore
men, are well conducted, and the oper-
atives are kept within reasonable
bounds of industry.
Long hours are the rule, for the jap
anese generally is Industrious and does
rot object to working eighteen hours
a day. But he does object to being
rushed through that eighteen hours. He
takes his time at his work and distrib-
utes his laziness through a whole day
of industry. In the cotton mills the
days work is twelve hours for adults,
while the hours of those under eighteen
years old are graduated from five hours
up.
This sliding scale is the japanese
method of taking care of the child
la Dor problem. That feature of hui
reform in factories which is
called welfare work in America has
made great Roadway among the Japa-
nese manufacturers. At one cotton
spinning mill near Toxic. a plant of
$4,000 spindles, English equipped, the
sociological work seems almost to over
top the cotton yarn business.
this mill a 2000 0rnra fiyaS