davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12

hide behind the skirts OF state SOW
ereignty."
They have outgeneralled as In tho
matter of railroad concessions In
China. She has taken our trade and
Is buying our securities, and when
the proper time comes what Is now
nm occasional note Of protest against
rights" denied will swell eventually
to a great and possibly menacing
chorus. Perhaps China will keep
her ambitious little neighbor busy
for a long time And then. again,
perhaps not
AS a prominent Japanese put 1t
only the other day, commenting on
any serious invasion Of Japan's
rights: Japan would fight even II
she had only one old wooden tub
with a profound convic-
ton that she would come out victori-
Gus in the end-no matter II it took
a dozen centuries" This Is the spirit
Of the little Oriental giant
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
GOVERNMENT DISCOVERS
NOISELESS EFFICIENCY
Department Clerks Are Now Rated According to
Ability and Wage Chart Conforms to
Workers Worth
Workers Worth

an annual saving Of about sioocN .
this one place alone has been sfsSs.
This is an example Of the vsy y
new bureau does its business. s. y
it has had control over the frwr
and Postoffice departments more hs
the others. A large part Of IL VI
has been putting the clerks In u
departments on an efficiency hsn
Each clerk in these two dspsrtux'
has an efficiency rating" By thu y
is promoted or denoted. II 10 81
shirker and does not do fair qussf7
and quality Of work his rating 10 lisf'
TO be cut. There is no guess %
about the rating, which 10 worried .
by a new kind of efficiency siesen
devised by the bureau. Invsstichs
IN the two departments 90 ever y
work Of each man thoroughly 70 y
'aiuate II. and report to thsir ehis"
The bureau has prepared ssms is's'
esting charts, derived from dsb .
government clerks ages, vssss %
work. before the introduction 81 %
system and after. The graph lice .
raising wages for the clerks under "
old system shows that it vss . ss<'sa
process then. although the quality "
amount Of work rose rapidly u y
early years OF their eonnsesies VIZ
the government. When they hs1 -
connected with the department. |"
many years and their work w. ~
ming to dctsriorsts. their vss~
to rise.
As 1t is now, however. . ees
chart shows their salaries ."
much more rapidly .. hrst ~
more in accord 20 their ven silr
government. I'VE are nsxins -. Z
and not length OF tenure ~
salary" Chief Brown declare ~
Is a work which is much It, n y
young man should have o ehss -
vance in government wofs :.
other" -. slssesj
Congress evidently has ~. e. -
with the results obtained ~ $3.50 ,
Tor last session it ordered ~ ~ ~
all executive Department. .ls ~
trio, Of Columbia be put -
efficiency rating" plan. 49, -
that some $4,000 government NJ
be put on a merit basis Of sI.Sas]
motion. Such 8 step is sns ana 49,.
the governments efficiency - ~
The new bureau has prevss .sseC
Congress may have bsse 49,
prodigal Of the nations rsss -
Il has set into onsraus1 -
with great possibilities . ~
Uncle San. The bu.ssn
pand in many wsya. -
doubt but what u VII
Of Tie reforms Wiz
fstsd ssnniseisa ~
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
Bv WILLIAM WHTTTAM

I phones, steel manufacture, tobacco
monopoly, gas and water works,
electrical engineering works and
hydro-electrical developments were
other utilities for which the foreign
er provided capital.
In addition TO government obliga-
tions, various companies have sold
debentures, etc, abroad, secured by
cotton factories, steamships, electric
railways, dockyards, paper mills and
steel foundries. Many agricultural
and industrial banks also drew their
capital from Europe and America.
The average interest rates charged
by the Bank of Japan on loans, over
drafts and discount of bills in 1905
we're 81, S.S and TT, respectively.
IN 1914 the corresponding charges
were TT, 8 and SO per cent During
1910 the average rate on loans was
only 5 per cent, on overdrafts 40,
and bills were discounted at the
average rate Of AS per cent.
But yesterday japan was as much
of a hermit kingdom as Corea.
To-day the battleships built In her
own yards proclaim an engineering
efficiency matching that Of Europe
and America. Although at the start,
and indeed for a long time after the
first venture In modern shipbuilding,
much Of the necessary material had
to be imported. The building Of mod
ern ships dates it's beginning from
the end Of 1854, when Russian war
ship was wrecked on the Japanese
coast. The captain, with the help
of native labor, constructed a YES
sci of some 200 tons to carry his
crew home. The Japanese ship
wrights employed by the Russian az
terward turned the experience
gained under Muscovite tuition to
the construction of other ships on
the same model. While this work was
in progress a warship presented to
the Shotgun by the Dutch government
1850 and steam yacht, a present
from Queen Victoria, stimulated the
interest Of the authorities to such
an extent that the first modern ship
yard was established at Nagasah in
1857, under the direction of ship
wrights and engineers brought from
Holland. Here the first screw-pro-
PEELED warship was constructed in
1861-'64.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
The Population
Increases asst


The native population of Japan in
creases at a faster rate than does
that of Germany, which has by far
the highest birth rate of any country
in Europe or the Americas. In Japan
proper the population per square
mile increased from 326 in 1906 to
1868 in 1915, and the increase per 100
inhabitants rose from 1.02 in 1906
to 1.28 in 1915. japanese Saghalien,
Formosa and Corea also show re-
markedly rapid ratios Of increase in
population.
1t is interesting by way of COM
parison to notice that at the last
census the population Of the United
States was only 800 per square mile.
That only Rhode Island, with sos,
and Massachusetts, with 418 inhabi-
tants per square mile, were more
densely populated than Japan proper,
and that the only other state to ap-
proach Japan in density of popula-
ton was New Jersey, with 337 per
square mile. The United States, with
6.7 per cent Of the total land area
of the world, has SO per cent of its
population. Japan occupies 0.5 per
cent Of the total land area and has
81 per cent Of the worlds popula-
ton.
Finance a Science
Soon Mastered
An outstanding feature of jap
anese national finance is the unusual
one that for forty years the income
of the state has always been great
er than the expenditure-except ex-
traordinary war expenses. The aver
age annual surplus for the ten years
l905-'06 TO 1914'15 was, approx
mately, s60,O0o,000.
The total amount Of the japanese
national debt outstanding reached
the peak In 1901 at s1,325, 000,-
900, equal to s19.67 per capita. Since
then it has been gradually reduced,
year by year, until for 19l4-15 it
stood at s1,2Ss,0O0,oOo and STOP
per capita.
Against government monopolies
there has been raised $685., 000, 900,
and for the exploitation Of new ter
ritory s30.0O0,O0O. A part of the
funds borrowed abroad was used for
the government purchase Of railways
and construction of new lines. Tcle-
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
Phenomenal Progress
in Shipbuilding

1t was only in 1861 that private
ownership of merchant ships Of the
modern type was permitted, and up
to 1894 out of over eighty japanese
steamers afoat of over 1000 tons
but one had been built in Japan.
AS might have been expected war
impressed the government with the
vital necessity of national self-re-
lance in shipping and shipbuilding.
After the war with China the indus
try was fostered by subsidies 1885,
Before this time there were but two
steamships Of over 1000 tons capa-
city built in native yards, and the
construction of these was begun dur
ing the period of hostilities. Only
half the subsidy is paid to ships built
abroad. This law runs until 1920.
Subsequent progress was phenom-
email. In 1906 first class battleship
of 1920 tons was completed. Under
the law Of 1909, which came into
force January l, 1910, bounties are
granted on the construction of ships
of over 1000 tons launched from
Japanese shipyards owned altogether
by japanese capital.
The latest result Of combined en-
terprise and encouragement is the
steamship Kosoko Maru, which re-
Gently arrived at Puget Sound. She
is the latest product of the japanese
yards, and was laid down on Novem-
Der IL, 1915, and launched on jan
uary Is, 1915.
Japan has within a decade in
creased her commerce tenfold. She
is grasping Far Eastern trade in a
mastery fashion. She moro than
doubled her gold holdings in less
than two years.
Each month has seen an advance
on the month before, and the in
crease is due as much TO growing
trade with Asia and Australasia as
to the demand created in Europe by
the war. Substituting German ex-
ports has kept Japan very busy.
Japan has for fifteen years had a
school for the study Of China and
this year has obtained land in Shang-
hal to continue the work in China
proper. The extraordinary activity
Of japanese merchants two years ago
caused the big Chinese firms TO take
reserved attitude, but this has late
ly been dispelled, partly by japanese
tact, and in a measure by the fact
that japan found herself unable to
meet fully the demands coming in
ever increasing volume from Russia,
India and Australia. Nor could
China II she would break the Jap
anese grip because she is unable to
obtain financial assistance elsewhere.
She is forced TO turn to her power
full and wealthy neighbor TO keep
her shop going. She did not will
ingly take loan from her new mas
ter.
AS with us, the British blockade
Of Germany caused a shortage Of
chemicals and dyestuffs in Japan,
but the indefatigable japanese man.
ufacturer set about TO straighteu out
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
a key to every door.
The key TO unlock the front

The key TO unlock the 'front.'
H door of non-manufacturlng
countries to admit manufactures Is
the invested dollar.
Japanese economists early realized
this. and to arrive at their goal they
first borrowed TO build ships and fac
tories. Now they are making start
as lenders.
Japan has borrowed American dol
lars and British pounds sterling at b
per cent and less, built cotton FAC
tories with them and practically
driven our cotton cloths out of China,
our erstwhile most important for
eign market for manufactured cot
ton. And while doing this she has
made our per cent dollars earn Tor
her people from 10 TO 25 per cent.
This long-headed newcomer into
world business, stimulated and &C
lively supported by farseeing gov
eminent, took part of the money Dor
rowed in America, built steamships
with It and the American mercan-
tile marine is swept off the face OF
the Pacific
MANY other things have been done
BY this sagacious trade rival with
the capital provided for him by other
manufacturing nations, such as
founding shipyards, cement and can
ming factories, engineering works.
etc.
All these things have been accom-
plished almost overnight
Even some time after our Civil
War the japanese army was armed
with bows, arrows and spears and
clad in quantity cumbersome steel
amor.
The harbors Of japan were not
opened to foreign ships until the
treaty Of 1853. The first check was
mt on an absolute feudalism about
the same time the japanese ports
were opened to the outside world.
Twenty years later a social, political
and industrial revolution Of unique
character abolished despotism at one
stroke, established constitutional
government and cast into THE con-
cert Of powers" a new and unknown
force. which had to be reckoned with
a rudely awakened nation impelled
bv the irresistible force of popu-
lation increasing by leaps and
bounds. crowded into an already con-
tested island territory.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
HANDS TO BE WORTH
MORE THAN BRAINS
Louis F. Post Sees Bright Future for Il.
Unskilled Man Under Operation Of
the Eight Hour Law

tween skilled labor and unstiIl..
can be drawn, anyway" IA. ~.
pert continued. "All labor /, AN :
so far As ! have been able Z. .s 80
Once we thought street ear S,,..-e'
the realms Of unskilled labor y.-s
are considered otherwise. A f.,,
is skilled-hs has TO be. Pis.Ih.S
or ploughing is an oeeupstis. 80
ing a great deal Of expert hs,'.,.
The tendency OF speeislisstis. :, y
dustry has operated to make An :,
skilled.
There will be 4 few transs.u a..
one class Of work to snoths, ~.
number may not be so lsrss a ~.
ined. II takes training to vor. =,
tain trades. The young man s,,,.'..
to work may have a choice Of H..
track worker or engineer. In a.
class he gets to a maximum Of ,.,...
in few weeks. In the other /, -.
years. He may want the mem, :
mediately and take the trsek IA a
ne may consider the mediate u.,. >.
the immediate and become an AL.
helper.about roundhouse. All sI,,.
Of labor from unskilled TO sl,,,.I ~
more from young men ep,.,,,. =
from transfers Of men vhs 49,
at work in an occupation =, ~
time.
THE net sfhcaey Of the .,s..,..
law will DO q rise in the level = -
all along the line. There 4 nj
be some rsadjustment bsevs~ -.
and unskillsd labor. At vr,.-. =
would seem to b . dsartA b s..
labor"
What the Employee Ban
The demand for labor really 49,.
the demand for lsbor's ou.,ut !.
Post here explained, and not "a, H..
Labor is not a commodity. hhs
output Of labor Cor. rather, u. t.,,.
output Of labor which the su,l,,-
buys, he emphasized.
when l say labor Is not q esu,a
ity refer TO men," he continued. n,
hired man sells his product IN slv,s
Of producing IL. The product Of a,
labor IL the commodity. In the y.
the courts have construed that tAs "a
sells himself. and that the snpls,u
has a proprietary interest In tAs ma
This Is not economically true, and q
recent law Is q comeback Of Il Ga,
eminent by injunction had sasal
lished a subtle form Of slavery. 10 4,
country, and we had to get I'D Of /
The wages contract 10 . esntzsa
furnish a product In the future, a
demand and supply Of labor 10 n.l,
the demand and supply Of unprslsu
goods"
The future Of unskilled lsbss b II
country is rosy. according u tie n
sistant Secretary Of Labor Be y
lieves that their wages Will sdvssu
and their hours be shortened. bod \
cause the foodgate Of eight-hsuf u
islation has been opened BY tie ADS
son bill ard because there 10 ssssn
rise along the line promised
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
British Women
Could Build
a Battle ship

The scope for female labor has
become so wide in England that a
well known engineer recently stated
as his firm conviction that, given
two moro years of war, he could
build battleship from keel to aerial
in all It's complex detail and ready
for trial entirely by women workers.
This statement 1.-THE London Daily
Telegraph" believes is not exagger-
ated, in view Of the skill, energy and
persistence that the women show in
their engineering occupations.
Nearly three quarters Of million
of women have taken the places OF
men in the industries Of Great Brit
tain. and the substitution is pro-
ceeding at such a rapid rate that, If
the war continues a few months
longer, the figure is almost certain
TO reach the million mark. 1.-THE
Telegraph" states:
The greater portion Of this female
labor Is absorbed by our munition
factories-ons of which, producing
e.2-inch shells, is entirely stated BY
woman labor-but there arc $4,000 on
transport work and 1000 In arsenals
and dockyards. Even In mining, quar-
rying and building women are en-
gagged, and they are rapidly replacing
men in the metal industries. Women
engine cleaners and workshop labor
ers are essentially q wartime prod
uct.
II Is In tho machine shop that
women are especially valuable, and
they are excellent at boring, shaping,
drilling, slotting, key-seating, mill
ing. surface grinding, universal
grinding, fitting, skilled assembling
and erecting, and even tool setting.
They have also successfully taken up
aeroplane building, instrument max
ing. motor testing, boiler making, and
such novel work as driving overhead
travelling cranes, shipyard and build
ing cranes, also the inspecting and
testing Of materials of all kinds in
volving the use Of micrometers,
verniers, surface gauges and other
measuring instruments.
But
just what is TO become Of all this
skilled female labor after the war is
ono of the great problems that will
have eventually to be faced.
Whether tho retention of women
workers in the mechanical trades
will continue 70 q modified extent
when peace Is restored will depend
upon the attitude then taken up by
the trade unions on the matter Of
the dilution Of labor. At present,
Of course, the unions do not raise
any objections, and do not carry out
their old tactics Of limiting output
and regulating hours. Now 1t is
only the human factor that counts,
each individual being free to secure
the maximum output In a given
time.
Reductions, however, have recent
ly been made in the hours of labor
with what are said to be eminently
satisfactory results. Sunday labor
has been done away with in many
munition factories, and, as a re-
suit, the weeks output has actually
increased.
The reason simply is that since the
rate Of pay for Sunday work Is near
ly twice that for weekdays certain
hands prefer to work on Sunday, so
that they can be away from the fac
tory during the week.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
Gold Standard

The Chinese war indemnity and
the adoption Of the gold standard In
1897 impaired a wonderful impetus
TO both productive and export ac-
tivity.
The Russo-Japanese var wes ct
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12

first a great blow TO Japanese indus
tries. followed by that sort Of quick
recovery and feverish activity always
evident during a great conflict be-
tween nations.
Loans amounting TO over $780,
100000 were hoated abroad and more
than half of this amount was spent
in Japan within two years. AS a
consequence, the prices Of their In
dustrial securities scared; money
was plentiful. Commodity prices
went up by leaps and bounds. Bank
ing capital was increased nearly 20
per cent. More than a thousand new
manufacturing companies were pro-
NOTED, and altogether Japan during
1904-'06 went through somewhat the
same experience the United States
is having at present
The inevitable and terrible reac-
ton came about the end Of 1907.
Banks suspended payment. Newly
organized companies were forced
into liquidation and many of the
older companies found themselves
compelled to decrease the amount OF
their capital.
Many War-Madc
Millionaires
Yet this comparatively recent
drastic experience does not seem to
have cured the Japanese, for it Is re-
ported that "since this war began
more than 1000 new millionaires
have been made in the country. Ex-
travagant ideas are said to have
taken possession Of the japanese ma
ton, and that a wave of speculation
is sweeping over the country"
Japan is at war only in name.
Therefore, she is profiting immedi-
ately by war orders and remotely by
Selling on all available trade outlets
the Teutons had wrested from them.
In changing from the role Of Dor
rover to lender Of money she has
made Russia her debtor.
In any consideration of the indus
trial development of the country, 1t
is to be remembered that the gov
eminent can and does take part in
industrial enterprises in an indi-
vidual capacity.
Japan has other fundamental ad-
vantages over most manufacturing
nations. The cost Of living is low,
because necessities are cheap and the
everyday luxuries Of the Western
worker almost unknown. Indeed, an
abundant supply of food produced
at home and sold at cheap prices to
millions of efficient native laborers
will enable them to operate indus
tries, built with money borrowed
abroad at low interest rates so eco
nomically as to one day make Amer
lean competition in many lines of
endeavor quite hopeless, particular
" in the Oriental markets to which
we can trust Japan to pay close at
tention and to strengthen a geo.
graphically superior situation with
every political advantage the gov
eminent can either coax or squeeze
out of helpless next-door China.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
An Irresistible
Evolutionary Force

Brainy men were sent out to learn
all the Western world had TO teach
from its long years Of toll in the
fields of invention ond discovery.
The experienced investigator came
70 us first. He was followed by hun
dreds Of selected young men-men
fred with a spirit Of ambition and
patriotism we Of the Occident have
not yet fathomed. They lived in the
universities, worked in the factories,
and toiled In the counting houses OF
England, Germany, France and
America, learning everything the
experience Of the rest Of the world
had above the surface or concealed
beneath it. Many yet remain: work
ers. students, trade getters; others
returned TO the home land, taking
with them the will 10 progress and
the knowledge essential TO instruct
and rouse like aspirations in their
stay-at-home fellow countrymen.
The japanese nation first set up
its form and then TO perfect it mobil-
lied its industry and commerce into
vast venture corporation which
was sent abroad, a compact, efficient,
almost irresistible expeditionary
trade force.
When the United States began to
get into its stride, money was bor-
rowed from Europe-mostly British
by the tens and hundreds Of mill
ions. These sums were used TO de-
velop our mineral, forest and sgri-
cultural wealth, and to build rail-
roads. As the home supply of liquid
capital increased-partly from the
profits on European loans-it was
reinvested, much Of it, in manufact-
uring establishments 10 supply the
domestic requirements heretofore i'm
ported. To operate these new fac
tories, we employed the hordes Of
emigrants Europe was sending over
every year. There was little thought
and less talk in those early days Of
becoming exporters Of manufactured
articles. Indeed, it took more than a
century 70 get 10 the point where
we were even considered, much less
feared, as competitors in the manu-
featuring field Of international trade.
On the other hand, japan was a
land intensely developed agricult-
urally long before she emrged from
her centuries Of isolation, and began
TO appreciate the potentialities Of
Western civilization, or 10 cast about
20 find the. means 20 take advantage
Of the accumulated experience Of
those who had forcibly opened her
doors.
Gold Standard
a Stmulant
The Chinese war indemnity and
the adoption Of the gold standard In
1897 impaired wonderful impetus
10 both productive and export &C
tivity.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
.THF, OVERNIGHT GIANT OF ASIA
japan Re Awakened from Centuries eudsm and Noshed with American
Dollars and English Pounds Sterling Becomes an irresistible
and Dominating Force in the Economic World

, the mess he found himself IN. He
received the backing Of his govern
ment, which Immediately undertook
TO subsidize all firms willing TO take
up the manufacture Of dyes, tho only
conditions precedent being that at
least one-half Of the capital for each
assisted enterprise shall be owned by
Japanese subjects. For ten years the
subsidy Is to be on a basis to enable
each firm TO pay 8 per cent dividends.
The war has also established the
zinc industry and caused the begin
ming Of wool and mutton raising in
Japan. 1t has driven China and
India to cast about for another
source Of sheet glass supply since the
usual supply from Belgium was
stopped. Japan at once equipped
herself to fill this gap.