The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-07-10
JAPAN EXPLAINING Us
IN PHILIPPINES

IN PHILIPPINES
Philippine imports from the United
States decreased IA per cent; from
Japan they increased nearly 80 per
cent, comparing 1916 with 1915. That
is the most interesting fact to be
CLEANED from the annual report OF the
bureau of customs Of the Phi ppine
Islands for the fiscal year 1916, which
makes its appearance after the lapse
of one year. Import trade was some
what dull in the Philippines during
1916, falling off about 8 per cent COM
pared with the year before.
Speaking of cotton manufactures,
the report says: while the United
States continues to show the greatest
amount in value of these commodi-
ties, the importations for the year
1916 declined to $6,173,166 in value,
as compared with $S.611, S43 in 1915;
and the total value of this class OF
goods imported from the United
States in proportion to the value I'M
ported from all countries declined
from 1873 in 1915 to $500 for 1916.
Japan took second place with an in
creased value of expectations amount
ing to $1,555, 1888, or 1868 per cent of
the total value of all cotton importd-
tions. The value of these importa-
tions from the United Kingdom de-
clined, and likewise from all the
other principal countries"
There was also a decline shown in
imports of iron and steel manufae-
lures, both in the total and in the M
ports from the United States; but here
again the report states: Imports
of this class from Japan again show
a marked increase in total value,
while those from the United Kingdom
and France are greatly reduced, in
comparison with the year 1915" The
same is true of leather manufactures
"a slight decline in total importa-
tons.
Going over the list of articles i'm
ported into the Philippines it is found
that there were decreases in the
amounts taken from the United States
and increases in the amounts taken
from Japan in the following items:
Brass sheets and copper wire, wheat
-four, mineral waters, clocks and
watches, coal and coke, cotton manu-
features, undershirts, drawers and
mems wearing apparel, e~arthenware,
stone and chinaware, cordage, bottles
and glassware of all kinds, nails,
tools, iron and steel manufactures,
matches. hams, peanut oil, print and
other paper, toilet preparations. toys,
trunks, v~alises, onions, beans, peas,
sauces, and wood manufactures. Ap-
parently Japan is supplanting us in
this market in these articles.
Since the day Dewey entered Manila
Bay and Americans took up the white
mans burden in the Far East, we
have looked upon the Philippine ISL
ands as a field for export trade par
ticularly our own; but we are finding
out year by year, as industry develops
in Japan, that we can not compete
with the extremely low cost of pro-
duction of the Japanese. During 1916
almost 100 per cent of our goods were
admitted to the Philippines duty free,
while but eight per cent of Japan's
exports to the islands were admitted
duty free; yet Japan is gradually ex-
tending her market there, while we
are slowly being forced out.
Not only that, but Japan is en-
croaching and more upon our
own market, imports from that coun-
cry during the present fiscal year
having increased 120 per cent over
1913, the last year of protection, and
lat per cent over 1912. During the
fiscal year just closed we imported
about 5000, 5000 worth of goods
from Japan, which is some $40 900, 900
greater than our import trade from
Germany, n of. our chief competi-
tors, in normal times. The German
wage scale under normal conditions
averages about one-third our own.
The wage scale of Japan averages
about one-third that of Germany. Who
can deny, then, the absolute neces-
sity of repeating the present tariff
law, but eight per cen above absolute
free trade, and the restoration of the
Pnnphlfaan nnlfoxt 80 x.1tou