The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-22
CHANGE THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN
JAPAN DURING THE LAST HALF CENTURY
Fifty-two Years Ago Nipponese Delegation
Came to America in Oriental Garb-To-
day Yasutaro humane Tells of Changes
in His Country.
By JAMES b. MORROW.

New York, Sept. H.-Seventy-one Japa-
nese gentlemen. bringing with them
eighty tons of personal baggage and $50
200 in Mexican silver dollars and Ameri-
can half dollars, arrived In Washington
during the month of May, 1850. They like
wise brought fifteen cases Of gifts to the
President of the United States-gifts OF
silks, poplins. and pottery.
With ships of war to back him up. Com
modore Perry, in 1854. had negotiated a
commercial treaty with the Japanese gov
eminent. The English copy of the treaty
was destroyed by fire at Yedo. or Tokyo,
as the city is now called, and the seventy
one strange gentlemen. including two am
bassadors, an artist. aud historian. had
journeyed across the Pacific to get an
other one. They came in Oriental splen-
dor and with much ceremony, carrying
swords and wearing robes of fine silk.
Short queues. stiff with pomade. pro-
5ected from the tops of their heads.
Perry, by the show of arms. had opened
their empire to the trade of the United
States Sailing away. he left behind him
a Sharps rifle of the latest pattern. Be
hold" he might have said in words, 1.-THE
weapon with which Western civilization
subdues the pagans." The seventy-one
Japanese gentlemen brought the rifle with
them, together with a duplicate fash
Toned by their own artisans There were
mechanical improvements in the duplicate
and its workmanship throughout excelled
the workmanship of the pattern they
had copied They stood the rifles side
by side, but said nothing.
So came to these shores the first Japa-
nese embassy. 1t travelled in dignity and
state. paying its own way with a generous
hand and bearing beautiful silks and pot
terry of native design and manufacture, as
well as an example of what could be
done in initiating and lettering the prod
uct of another country. If Perry by his
gift meant to threaten. Japan without
speech had given back an answer.
Watching Trade for Japan.
The gentlemen of Japan have ceased to
wear silk gowns, carry swords, and do up
their hair like barbarians Mr.. Yasutaro
humane. Consul General at New York.
tall, slender. and animated. meeting me
by appointment at his office in Wall
Street, was dressed in a black morning
coat, gray trousers. and a white vest
Moreover. he spoke excellent English.
and could have conversed in French or
German. Young, much travelled and
thoroughly educated. he is one of Japan's
modern and accomplished commercial rep
resentatives.
stationed in the greatest city on this
continent, he is not alone watching what
American merchants and manufacturers
are doing at home. but is observing their
activities in Asia Japan and the United
States buy from and sell to each other
They are old friends and mutual custom
ers. But they are also competitors for
the trade of China. Diplomacy is no
part of Mr.. Numano's business so long as
he is here. He is engaged altogether in
Aral 10 I'D, -.
of Offices are filled with clerks, stenog-
raphers, statisticians. and assistants. On
table in his own room were many
American magazines and newspapers
Typewriters were rafting, pens were
scratching, and the atmosphere was
charged with japanese energy. intelli-
gence, and enthusiasm.
Twenty-Five years ago the exchange of
commodities between the United States
and Japan amounted to only SIS. 500 900 an
nually. The Japanese bought 800, 900
of goods in this country-principally kero-
sene of the Standard Oil Company-and
sold the people of the United States s13,-
10000 of products, mostly tea and silk
By 1897 the exports of Japan to Amer
lea, made up of raw and manufactured
silk. tea, copper ingots, hemp and fax
textiles and pottery, had increased to
S26 o0c,0 900 and to 81. 900 in the year 1910.
Meanwhile in the fifteen years from 1896
TO 1872, Japans purchases in the United
States grew from sl3.0O0.O00 annually to
$40. 81. 900. After China, the United States
is Japan's best customer, a trade fact
which should silence the loose talk that
the japanese are only waiting for an
opportunity to declare war against this
Trade between the japanese and the
Mr.. humane said. will con-
tinue to grow. 1 am sure. The United
States mas many things that We need
raw cotton. petroleum. machinery. steel
rails, and electric apparatus. We are
also buying your wheat. and up till five
years ago were increasing our consump-
ton of your -four. But our farmers and |
millers. catching the spirit OF the farm |
ers and millers in the United States, de- !
manded protection to their infant indus |
tries and in 1906 we began laying a tariff |
tax Of % cents per hundred pounds on |
wheat and 20 cents a hundred pounds on |
-four. Our imports OF -four, amounting |
to 81 500. 600 in 1906, fell off, therefore
TN the meanwhile We had built flour |
mills of our own. notably one at Maya !
saki. which is operated by electricity and |
grtnds Jog, 900 bushels of wheat every
hours. Nevertheless We are |
still purchasing wheat and -four in the |
United States. Within a period of two 1
months recently 5000 tons of Pacific |
Coast wheat was received at Yokohama.
The wheat would have filled $50 railroad |
cars. I am told the Minnesota. an Amer
can steamship, arrived not long ago at |
with 5000 bales of cotton and |
800, 900 bags of flour, which is believed to |
be the largest dead weight cargo ever
carried, either to Japan or any other !
THE Japanese" Mr. humane went on
TO say. Tive for most part on fish, rice,
and tea. Formerly, wheat -four was only
used for pastry. but we found it so good
when made into bread that We consumed
more and more of 1t as our country de-
reioped, and. we could afford to indulge
in foreign luxuries. The Japa-
1ese now eat a great deal of bread. In
Iced. our own national breakfast has be- /
,ome old-fashioned and We demand
bread, milk. and eggs just like the Amer
cans. In the future, however. we shall
nave to look elsewhere for our grain. to
Canada at first and ultimately to Siberia.
which. an expert in this country has in
formed me, will one day be the largest
wheat country in the world.
Queer Turns of Trade.
Still there will be plenty of other
hings for us to buy of you. Trade takes
'ome curious turns at times, being always
Ilert and seeking new channels In which
o flow. Japan. during 1870 sold $4,000 of
ice to the American States along the
Pacific Coast We are shipping oranges
o this country and Canada. Americans
rave built sawmill at Yokohama and