New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-09
MUkDEN LIGHTS Up. THANKS TO GENERAL
ELECTRIC COMPANY.

When the yellow dusk falls on the natal city
Of the Manchu dynasty and the lights begin TO
FREELY through the ancient streets, llobe trotters
ard American drummers catch their breath, and
with the awe and glee of a small. boy "xcaim: "Oh,
hello this old Mukden has electric lights The
lighting plant Of Mukden consists OF one turoo-
slternator Of 500 kilowatts. And both the dyns-
mo end the turbine bear the familiar inscription
of tire g. neral Electric Company OF New York.
And an American engineer is running the plant
A little furth north, at Changchun, there Is also
a lighting plant; IL has two turbo-aternator sets
of go kilowatts each. And the name plates on
the machinery are the as those at Mukden.
Almost all the larger towns along the line OF the
So, tn Manchuran Railway are equipped win
electric lighting plants and these towns are al!
in South Manchuria, where the newspaper reading
rublic of America is constantly, persstently told
tina: the japanese are driving out the American
trade.
We have taken the sacred name Of .he Stand
ard Oil not altogether in vain. Her record IN
Manchura would fit the proudest merchant prince
like a hand made crown. In 1912 America sold
to Manchuria 12,Ss76sO gallons Of kerosene.
That year Japan sold her not single drop. In
1913, however, Japan did manage to sell 20 Man
churia 1896 gallons And that year American
importation increased to l5,5O2O37 gallons. There
the American kerosene has practically ven out
Sumatra OIL 1t has checked the Russian advance
in that particular line as effectively as the battle
of Mukden Laoyang ever did In 1912 the
importation Of Sumatra oil into Manchuria
amounted TO 2,997Sol gallons. In 1913 1t cascaded
down TO only 69l, 54l gallons Sumatrs oil inter
est seems to have every right to cry wolf"
against the banging shut of the open door in
Manchuria By the American oil interest. But il
is not so clear why the United States makes SC
much noise over the japanese competition in
Manchuria. In all fairness il must be stated that
not many people have heard the Standard oil
saueaing against the japanese any other com
petition in tho Far Esst-or anywhere else, for
that matter
CURSES on THE JAPANESE TRADER WHO
GETS WHAT HE DOESN'T DESERVE!
Japan lately has played the role OF the villain
in the melodrama of the Far Eastern trade The
devil has not always received his due, however
It is true, for example, that the japanese trader
can get advances from the Yokohama Specie
Bank on cargo expected at the rate Of per cent
and the other foreign traders have 20 pay per
cent 1t is simply the matter OF credit sys-
tenn and the charges for the work connected with
it, The Yokohoma Specie Bank charges the
tive Manchu merchants 10 per cent. Therefore,
if the difference in rates is said TO be putting on
screws of any sort on the working of equal OPP
portunity and fair competition. then the Japan
csc bank is closing the open door OF Manchuria
against the native Manchus more vigorously than
against any foreign merchants. There is no law
in Manchura preventing the opening OF an
American bank and the said banks charging
whatever rates for money that it will have to
charge TO make a reasonable profit on it.
When all is said and done, of course, only
very sad humorist would deny that the japanese
have a decided advantage over the other foreign
merchants in the command of the Chinese mar
ket Her geographical position, her s-wster-
way transportation. which is exceedingly reasona-
BILE; the ability OF her merchants in mastering
the language and dealing with the Chinese d.
rect-every one OF these is worth an army corps
at the very least in the struggle for the suprem-
acy Of the Asian trade. The japanese business
man knows il as well as the next fellow. lie is
conccited enough to think that, given such un-
usual advantages, he certainly should win out il
he is any good at all. He is entirely too con-
cetcd 70 think that he needs any underhanded
and unclesn tactics to win the crown.
Therefore with the consciousness OF his
power aboyeboard in his methods and sunny in
. his outlook and temper he IS smiling into the
future. No. he does not underrate his competi-
tors: they would not let him II he tried. Others
like the American-who have not the adyan-
tages ne enjoys have, in their turn, the gifts of
the gods to which he is utter stranger. But
that calls for another story.