Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-30

spread the payments for them out over
more years For instance. we have ex-
tended the period of six years allowed
for such works to one of eleven years:
The sum of money thus postpons1
amounts to about 100000 600
along what lines is Japan to be de-
veloped from now on? VIII 1t devote
itself to the attainment OF military
glory or to commercial and business
prosperity"
Most emphaticalIy the latter. No ma
ton can be prosperous in any other way.
Our aim is to develop our agricultural.
manufacturing and commercial posi-
bilities to the FULL
What are you doing along agricui-
tural lines?"
I'VE are trying to learn how to make
two blades OF grass grow where one
has grown before. We are studying in
tensive farming and by artificial fer
tilizers are materially increasing our
rice and other products. We are plant
ing forests and are bringing under cuI
tivation a great deal of land which has
until now been idle. We are also edu-
eating our farmers, and we have man,
experiment stations as well as SOME
agricultural schools"
How about your foreign trade? Is 1t
increasingly?
1T has been doing SO almost steadily
until within the past year. During 1898
the whole world has been spending less
than usual. The hard times have cut
down the purchases of every nation.
and Japan has had to suffer with the
rest. AS to the increase of our trade, IN
1877 our exports were little more than
2Sooooo0 yen. Thirty years later they
that period they rose from 81 cents
to SAB per head. This increase OF
our exports has continued, and in 1899
they reached more than 100000. 600 pr
year. They have since exceeded twice
that amount in several years. and
they will probably amount to more
than $2OU.O0O.00O in 1909. AS to our
imports, in 1877 they were almost STA
100000, and in 1907 they Appropriated
thirty years in our foreign trade, IN
Guiding both exports and imports. ay-
sregates more than S75.00O.0OO yen. or
almost S44O.OOO,OO0. / see no reason
''Iias your foreign trade been mucn
benefited by the subsidies which you
give your merchant marine"
Yes. we must have shipping. and with
i country like ours it Is impossible for
to build up merchant marine with
out subsidies. We think IL has paid us to
give them. and they Will be continued for
.'ome years 10 come. Wlfen the shipping
interests are strong enough TO stand
alone they will be withdrawn.
Does Japan need foreign capital?"
eff you mean foreign loans, should
say no." replied Marquis Katsura. Il
is a part of my policy to curtan rather
than increase our foreign indebtedness
We wish to cut down our national deht
and to put ourselves in the way OF grad
ually paying It, l would like TO see on
bonds held more largely at home. w,
Siderable initial i,era noipbt
De invested in them"
Tell me something about your banks
and industrials. your excellency. Ar
such combinations Of capital proving
prof1table?"
''Yes. Most Of Our banks are paying
good dividends, and they have been doing
so for years. 1t is the same with many
of our factories and with our street car
lines and other such institutions. We
are doing what we can TO encourage
combinations of capital. and the bigger
the combination the better Ii will please
us. We believe such things to be neces-
sary to our home and foreign trade. and
to our commercial development. At pres
ent the dividends paid are very high. but
that Is always so In new and fast grow
ing country. We have a high interest
rate. / should like to see 1t reduced, hut
not too much, as when money Is easy to
get our people are liable to run into all
sorts of speculations. and that always
means panic and financial disaster.
*
rs there not commercial party devel-
oping in Japan? 1 understand that the
military party still controls everything"
1T is true that the most of the offices
Of the government and the administration
OF affairs are in the hands of what you
might call the military party said Mar
quis Katsura. But the military party
of Japan is different from that of any
other nation. This is naturally SO from
our history. Before the restoration, which
marked what might be called the practical