The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-22

names of the streets have been changed
and we now have such avenues as Oyama
and Nogi. The Russians signs over the
stores have disappeared, and Japanese
signs have taken their places. Indeed.
about the only remains of the Russians
are lot of broken-down droschkies and
antiquated dirt carts; these have fallen
into the hands of the Chinese and are
now to be seen among the jinrikishas on
every highway.
The Japanese have established schools
in Dalney and Port Arthur and they have
also schools in Mukden. They are chiefly
for Japanese children, and, so far as 1
can see, Japan Is not attempting to push
the western civilization into this coun-
try as into Corea. The Japanese who
have come here are much the same as
those who are flooding Corea. They come
from the scum Of the Japanese cities.
and are much rougher element than the
soldiers of the Japanese army.
Japanese Colonization Failure.
So far as I can learn, the attempted
Japanese colonization of Manchuria has
been a failure. Mr.. Okabe the Japanese
consul at Mukden, tells me his people
are fast going back home and that they
do not find Manehuria suited to them.
Said he:
There are now only about 10000 jap
anese in the oountry-I mean outside Of
our military forces. The most of them
are at Dalny and Port Arthur, although
there are small settlements in the towns
along the railroad, and we have about
5000 here In Mukden. Manchuria belongs
to the Chinese and In It's southern part
the good lands are all owned and are un-
der cultivation. Besides, the Chinese
methods of farming are different from
ours and the climate is colder. The most
of our people who came here hoping to
make their fortunes out of nothing have
gone back, and the remainder is largely
made up of shopkeepers with small Dap
ital, who belong to the lower classes OF
our country These people find that the
Chinese are good business men and that
the Chinese stores are supplying the de-
mands of the market. AS result they
,, get but little of the native trade. The
army and themselves are about their
only customers, and as a result their bus
mess is small"
The Japanese In Mukden.
What Mr.. Okabe says is undoubtedly
true. The Japanese stores are near the
| camps and about the railway stations.
There are but few of them in the Manchu
cities, and those at Mukden are mile
| or so from the centers Of the Chinese
| population. They have built their stores
| Japanese fashion, and they look cold and
| mean In comparison with the substantial
| one-story brick buildings of the Chinese.
| The business conditions here are far d.
| ferent from those of Corea, where the
people are simple and the Japanese are
| mana ging everything.
Every Manchu city seems to be given
| up to buying and selling. MuAoen Is
| business from the word go, and 1t mas
| hundreds of good Chinese stores. Iho
| streets fairly swarm with peddiers' anu
| almost as much business Is done on the
| sidewalks as in the stores tn emseiVeS'
| The Manchurian Chinese chases IN Q
dollar even more ardently than his
Japanese brother. He trades on a
| close margin, and beats him in nine
1 cases out of ten.
BuIldozlng the Chinese.
hear considerable critism of the
| Japanese methods employed in Man
! churia. The natives claim that the
| Jananese are exploiting them. and tn at
| tbev are squeezed at every turn. One
| instance of this was as to the electric
| lighting of Mukden. The railway sta
! tion is. four miles from the city and
! the city itself has its electric light
1 plant erected by the capital Of the
| Manclurian Chinese. The Japanese
| Railway company has an electric plant
| at the depot, and according to It's
agreement it cannot extend its wires
! beyond its own concession nor supply
| the current to the general public.
| Nevertheless the Japanese recently be-
| gan to erect poles all the way to
| Mukden. 1t was pushing it's wires right
into the town when the Chinese OBJ
jected. After a great deal Of discussion