Evening journal., 1918-02-18
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1s, 1918.
BIps OF JAPANs coMMERcE IN sourH AMEnIcA.

~.
a DISPATCH from Lima Peru announces that Jap
anese financial nteres have arranged TO establish
bank In that city With the roots of Japanese commerce
fed by American gold shipped Japan pay Off adverse
trade balances under the Democratic tariff law amount
ing TO tens Of millions Of dollars we have seen new
vines put forth their shoots in the Of trade high
ways leading from the Orient TO South America particu-
larly the western coast And we see bud of Jap
anese commerce about to unfold In Lima IN the esab
slment Of this bank and as It flowers her buds will
appear all up and down the coasts Of that continent And
the harvest will be bushels Of polcianos pesos sos
garnered from South American importers Of Japanese
goods. The United States is to have no monopoly Of
trade in that continent despite the rosy predictions of
those who argue for back-door export trade with our
fontdoor left wide open to the products foreign
petition.
The most recent figures we have concerning Japanese
trade show that for 1917 it toaled
Of which ssOoOOOOO consisted exports S5OOOOOOO
OF Imports favorable balance Of s300OO0OOO OF this
amount trade with the United staies according our i'm
port and export figures made sliOOOOOOO Of which
about s25OOO0OO consisted Of imports from ss6OOO
600 OF exports TO Japan or balance against for the
year Of S6S00000O twenty-three per cent Of Japans
total favorable balance Japans exports increased $685.
100000 1917 1916 while her imports increased sii9
100000 large percentage Of her imports are Of raw
materials which are made up in her mills under Of
the lowest wage scales on earth, and pumped into
the export channels of her trade.
Inc oludlOu Win regard 70 japanese postwar
petition should make special appeal TO American labor
Organized labor is record as bitterly opposing the
Importation Of Oriental labor into the United staes even
under present conditions Of labor shortage American
labor in general does not view influx Of that labor
with any favor II the Federal Government under any
political party, should provide for THE removal Of all
economic barriers with respect TO Oriental labor the
opposition Of Pacific Coast States might conceyably
rise to the point Of armed revolt Of these states
California and Washington voted for the continuance in
power OF President party who are unequivooay in
favor Of permitting the products OF labor prac-
tcaly free TO the American market and during
i9i7 imports coming into the Pacific Coast customs
districts at the rate of nearly s5OO0O0O a month COM
pared with of less than Si 100000 a month
under the Republican protective policy. Oriental labor
did not come into personal contact with American labor
but The products Of Oriental labor, which made up a
large percenage Of these imports displaced the products
Of American labor in the American market they were
made at wage scale from one-sxih TO onetenth that re-
ceiyed by American labor
It is to be remembered that when the war is over the
sole limitation TO the stream Of the products Of Oriental
labor flowing into market the capacity Of our ma
ton to absorb them, and with competition from the
Orient and from Europe demorazng American industry
how can we expect TO extend export trade South
America in competition with these same countries? The
whole question is Shall have American industrial
sef-suciency and American wage standards or let for
eigners do our manufacturing lfhe people on the Pa
cinc Coast and elsewhere viii keep this the front
and not let be camoulased by silly buncombe we will
have different result in future elections