Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-06
JAPANS OCCUPATION OF KOREA

ing, iron foundries and other industries
invite capital and participation Of
Europeans In industries In which the
Japanese are not proficient. But even in
these the Japanese require to be in alb
Solute control. 1t is significant to note
that while French and Belgian capital
has been active in Japan. the undertakings
have not proved successful. Enterprises
in combination with the Japanese. how
ever. have proved an entire success.
The inducements for the placing OF
American capital in these enterprises are
an example that the Kanegafuchie Spin
ming Company, In which foreign capital is
invested. has declared a dividend OF ID
per cent for the first half of 1908. The
dividend Of 40 per cent for the same half
year. The going rate Of interest on time
loans Is to II per cent in the cities and
10 to IL per cent in the rural districts.
1t should be borne in mind that the
balance of trade against us In our com
merce with Japan amounts to $3OOOO.OOO
annually. The exports from the United
States to Japan in 1908 amounted in value
pared with S41,OOO.0OO in 1907. The i'm
ports from Japan in 1908 were slightly I'M
der 100000. as against $71.I5O.OOO in
1907. The United States takes 80 per cent
Of all of Japan's exports, the largest in
value of any country, but exports to
Japan are much less than from the United
Kingdom. and they have decreased In five
years from II to 16 per cent OF her total
imports. japan imported from Great
Britain % per cent of her total imports
in 1907, although that country took only
one-siXth in value as much Of japanese
exports as did the United States. Ger
many's exports to japan increased 100
per cent in five years. Exports from the
United States to Japan showed q falling
off. We are Japan's best customer.
In the above connection it is interest
ing to cite the following from the same
journal:
THE industrial structure of the United
States has been built up under pro-
tective system which involves consid-
erably higher labor cost than that OF
Europe. This raises the standard of liy-
ing, but naturally increases the cost of
production. 1t is not probable that this
system, as such, will be changed Tor
many years to come. If ever. Competi-
ton for foreign trade. where labor Is
material factor of production, Is natu-
rally difficult IL not impossible.
ut is obvious, then, that in order to
obtain compensating trade for such
tropical products as We import, that
have become necessities under our stand
ards Of living. the protection Of our own
tariff laws must be made to secure us
from European or other. competition In
exchanging our manufactures and the
foodstuffs peculiar to temperate zones
for those products"
Japan in order to strengthen her hold
upon Korea has organized there a COM
pany for the exploitation
Colonization and colonization of the
country. This company is
ooAaP"nJ' established very much, IL
not entirely. on the model of the British
East African Association, of which Mr..
Colquhoun Of the Royal Colonial Institute
at a recent meeting discussing the ques-
ton of how Great Britain had attained
her objects in Africa, said:
I'VE all know Gin the Royal ColoniaD
there are three stages in colonial devel-
opment: First. the chartered company;
second. the foreign office ADM nistration.
which may last five or ten years; third,
the final period when the territory is
turned over to the colonial office. The in
termediate stage, the limbo Is sometimes
an extremely useful one, in that it keeps
our eager white settlers in new territories
from enforcing their too, perhaps. preoo-
ciouS views"
Now. marking time in the footsteps of
her ally, who was represented by Sir Will
liam Mackinnon and Sir Henry Stanley
in the British East African, Japan was
represented in Korea by the late Prince
Ito. Viscount Some and Gen. Baron Ha-
segawa. Some idea of the difficulties of the
administration of Korea may be found
Ito by a Korean at Hardin. where he had
gone to confer with NJ. Kodovtsof on Man
churian affairs. Baron Hasegawa has
recently been interviewed at Seoul and
frankly admitted the many troubles at
tending the government of an alien peo-
pie. The insurrection. according to the
baron, was a sort Of guerrilla warfare
maintained against the Japanese by a.
few former Korean soldiers. reactionaries
and remnants of the old Tong Haks, and
bandits of which there are many, the
whole styling themselves the righteous
army"
The Japanese have only recently dis
covered the real source Of the sinews of
war Of the Righteous army" which
were being covertly issued from a fund
of one and a half million of yen, the
equivalent OF $75.OOO,OO0 gold. by the de-
throned emperor. His Majesty Ii, how
ever, was well guarded, and also Queen
ON, the mother of the present emperor.
Her Majesty ON also had a like sum at
her disposal The japanese have seized
and confiscated the money, and it is as
sumed that the Righteous army" cut
off suddenly from its base Of supplies,
will disappear.
The japanese Year Book for 1909 If
that government wills. may furnish much
interesting matter anent
Earlier the former lumber, gold
r..o.,.; mining and Chemulpo
SSsAOA'' land concessions obtain |
ed through the Russian charge d'affaires
from the Emperor Ii. The Japanese
government may desire to disclose such
things in order to justify its own ad-
ministration of Korea and to show to
the world that it did not make the |
situa tion that has resulted. but inherited
it. 1t is understood that the disorders
ment of foreigners in the acquisition Of i
land, the exploitation and digging up of
which was an offense to Heaven-that Is |
to say, to the Korean god, the Good |
Trafy II