Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-13
WHAT JAPAN IS DOING
TO AID ALLIES CAUSE
Revic" Of COuntry's Activities Comes
From Tokyo, AMI Shows Their
WhOle-Heurted Service.
MuNITIONs IN QUANTITIES
Has Done Her Bit in Sending Largo
Quantity OF Provisions to Russia.
England and France. and Also
Supplied Money.

TOKYO May li.--Since the fall OF
rsinStau. in November. 1914. Japans
part in the great war seems much less
conspicuous than that Of tho other
allies: SO that some might even fancy
that. in the meantime. it has been
doing little TO hasten that day Of VIC
tory. That this is not so will be clear
from the hrjefcst survey Of it's opera
tons During the early stages OF the
war Japan's mart was to assist in pa
trolling and guarding the waters Of
East Asia. the South Seas and the
coast of South America, and though
it did not succeed in meeting any OF
the enemy ships. its navy had mucl,
to do with driving the enemy into
position where ii was effectively dealt
with by the British squadron.
Japan's assistance in conveying the
Amaze troops to Europe was of i'm
menac Importance in the scheme OF
transportation at a time when, the
Emdcn was still at large. And then
after the capture of Tsingtau in con-
Junction with the British troops i'm
which the navics Of Japan and Great
iiritain co-opcratcd and after the cap-'
turc OF the German South Sea posScs-
sions and the clearing OF enemy ships
from the Pacific. the Japanese navy
settled down to patroliing the waters
cast of IongkonE
II was no slight responsibility 10
keep watch on the various enemy ship4
informed in Chinese. Philippine ard
Dutch East Indian ports. and recently
the Japanese have been in pursuit of
an enemy raider operating in water.
near Singapore. Thus effectively to
have secured the safety OF neutral and
allied shipping on tile Pacific is i'm
itself small matter to world com
mcrcc
Hut Japan has done and is doing ;,
good deal moro than this Its steady
supply OF munitions to Russia, cspc-
ciaily in the day of emergency as we'll
as its dispatch of provisions to Russia
ana France and England. has undoubt-
cdly done much toward Keeping up the
citiciency OF the allied offensive
u is estimated that Japan's total
supplies to Russia alone have reached
as much as i00.00o,o00 yen in value.
consisting chiefly OF guns. with officers
TO man them: ammunition army ac-
coutermcnts of all kinds. such as cloth
Tor uniforms, saddles. kits. az wcll ay
extensive hospital and Red Cross sun
plies. The immense orders for Rms
Sia ar. not yet all completed and tho
arscnals ana mills of japan arc stiu
busy turning out shipments for tina,
country. some $4,000 men arc working
day and night in the government
arsenais Of Tokyo and Osaka. wh;Ic
minor naval and military stations. as
well as private factories arc contribut
ZIG regular quota TO the output.
To England aud Franco, japan has
been shipping provisions for the troops.
such as -four. beans, peas and tinned
goods. This year. owing TO war pres
sure. Japan's copper output lcaped from
5000 tons To 10000 tons. some so per
cent or which went to Russia. 20 per
cent TO England, and tho rest to
France. with the exception OF what
was used at home
Al the same time. Japan has been
doing something to suppress enemy
trade, though so many Japanese mer.
chants were mixed up with German
business that it was very difficult To
bring about the desirable result with
expedition without permanently iniur.
ing, If not running. a considerable num-
with Germany will facilitate Japan.s
ehorts In this direction. as German
merchants in China did all in their
power to keep up trade with their
japanese connections. Americas atti
tude to Germany will further tend to
decrease German trade with japan, as
no doubt German agents in that coun-
try cultivated commercial as well as
political relations with connections In
this country.
has BEEN DOING HER hit
IN FINANCIAL WAY
Financially. also. Japan has been
doing it's bit in promoting the welfare
OF the allies. This policy il had been
pursuing in various ways. but espc-
ciaily in purchasing bonds for cancel
iation In Britain and France and b.,
accommodating the allies with loans
OF course. the benefit has been mutual
since The bonds were bought up at low
rates, and the interest obtained on
loans WAS in every case 8 per cent.
but this does not in any way lessen
the generosity and good will shown by
Japan. When the national specie be-
gan To accumulate AZ a result OF tho
enormous and abnormal expansion OF
trade brought about by decline in out
put and export from the belligerent
countries. tho question arose in Japan
as 10 how the surplus should be in
vested.
In two years the gold holdings Of
Japan jumped from 353.0o0.00o yen to
'i",Voo.oOO yen. Some advocated its in
vestment in China AS the best way to
promote Japan's interest in that needy
country But the leaders of Japan.
while ready to assist in the financing
OF China. shuwep special desire TO
heip the allies. by accomm odating Rus
STA iirst with loan of 5o,0000o0 yen
and again with one OF 70000,O00 yen,
all very quickly subscribed while a