The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15


Big War has come upon the world. 1t
was not in Japans purview nor any
| body's outside possibly the German
Kaiser's; but her being drawn into it is
unwclCome to her statesmen. although
| the extent to which 1t involves her be
| limited and the opportunity beyond be
a great one. Her operations at Kiao-
| chow should not strain her greatly, and
| their result will help her in greater
measure by giving her a chance at TAX
ing some Of the growing German trade
| in China to herself
Parenthetcally l may say that some
will smile at my statement hat Japan
| had no foreshadowing Of the Big War.
| | find in my diary a rather long memo
randum of talk had last May with
| Count Okuma, the Grand Old Man of
Japan, at his spacious home in Toxic.
We were discussing The contrast OF
riches and poverty in various countries.
He was fearing that Japan's happy con-
dition would be sadly modified in the
great race for industrial wealth.
atop OF that" said he, I'VE have to
maintain large army and navy to
protect ourselves because stronger and
richer nations OF Europe and America
are now increasing their ornaments in
sp,e of peace movements and humani-
tarianism. | do not know why. but
Germany has decided to increase its al
ready enormous army and Russia has
also recently decided to make provisions
for bringing 5000, 900 men to the front
in time Of war. What is your idea in
| the United States Of increasing your
navy when you are so rich and strong
already? II II Is a burden on your rich
/ 1, It fp,.a IL,
| ike Japan. However, l think the time
is fast approaching when the civilized
nations will stop this absurd COMPETE
ton"
Well there was an answer to the
counts conundrum fast approaching
which was anything but a peaceful one.
The count however had unwittingly
aid his finger on the point near the
Rhine where the war initiative would
| lie.
| To proceed In my travels ! had more
| than a peep at what Japan is doing in
| the way of promoting Big business in
| land of the smallest retail imaginable.
| A visit to the Imperial Government steel
| works at Wakamatsu on the coast some
eight miles from Moi in Kyiushu. was
| illuminated. Here was great plant re-
calling the giant steel and iron plants
| OF the old world, built up in the space
| of some thirty years from nothing. 1t
is always well to remember that posi-
| tive absence OF big works at so recent a
date. Its advance during its existence
has been gradual
| To-day the works cover $50 acres and
employ 5000 workmen. The town or
Yawata, of $1,000 inhabitants lives
upon 1t. To connect its various shops,
| mills and docks, II has fifty-eight miles
| of narrow gauge railroad. The WORKS
are exteriorly imposing, and they con-
duct all the processes OF iron and steel
| making from the ore to the finished pro-
| duct, making their own coke-I5O tons
| n week-from their own coal, saving
and working over the tar, gas, naphtha-
line and ammonia sulphate; making
besides their own electricity from their
own dynamos. The Stag from their
iron ore they make into bricks and
architectural forms. They could build
you a house or "A factory of steel frame
and Stag bricks and forms without
going outside their boundaries.
The structures include blast furnaces,
open hearth, Bessemer and crucible steel
furnaces, rolling mills, rail mills, bar
mills, plate mills, sheet mill, galvanized
sheet mill wire rod and wire drawing
mills, forging plant foundries, pattern
shops, electric power, lighting and so
on. They drew a charge from blast
furnace for our benefit the molten iron
running into huge buckets to be drawn
away by locomotives as soon as filled.
Then a steel charge was drawn else
where running into ingots.
We tramped through rolling mills,