The Washington herald., 1920-04-18

Total, . ITsSOO 4s. 500 90
Shortage Of coal and shortage OF
raw materials explain why recon
struction is slow.
Europe halts because Il has not
the goods with which to work.
America halts because its workers
lag. while they have material In
comparative abundance with which
to work.
what's this7 Strikes in China?
II such a report came from unofn-
cial sources you might be sceptical.
but Commerce Reports. the journal
Through which the Department Of
Commerce Of the United States
spreads information before the bust
ness men of America, is the author
lity.
II says the managing director OF
several cotton mills in Shanghai
finds II difficult to get satisfactory
sites for new plants Eand also has
trouble about obtaining good labor.
He was obliged 10 build dwellings
for his workers and import labor
from other provinces. but that WAS
not sufficient. The report goes on to
say he established a bill in Honan
and Is buying machinery for an
other. this machinery TO be deliver
ed in 1894.
His method is to take women
graduates of the Chinese schools and
have them trained as forewomen in
his own mills. He then sends them
back to their own provinces TO train
the operatives who have been re-
cruited there, and later moves fore
women and operatives into houses
erected around his new mills. lIc
States studying the subject. and has
come to the conclusion that il IS
wise TO give his employees a weekly
bonus for satisfactory work in ad-
dition to their regular wages.
He Is considering a profit-sharinE
system. because he feels il OF ut
most Importance to hold his en-
ployes and prevent a large turnover
of labor. He says his own mills
have been prospering because they
are we'll managed. but that many
other Chinese mills are bound TO
fail, and makes the surprising
statement that the great difficulty
Is going to be strikes, as the Chi
nese have a natural tendency for
concerted action and the cotton mill
operatives are apt TO be restless
ard demand constantly higher
wages, as they know the owners
cannot get trained help TO replace
them.
There is nothing surprising in the
foregoing. Chinese labor is cheap,
very cheap. in comparison with
white labor today. but IL is not
going to remain so. il will be a
long. long time before il gets any
where near the Caucasian scale, but
the more the Asiatic knows OF the
white mans methods of production
the more he will demand in wages,
for he will develop wants and crea-
ture comforts of which he knows
little today. and which later win
become necessities.
No one who is a student Of such
matters fears Chinese or Japanese
or Eastern cheap labor will seri-
Nously affect either European or
American industry. Quite the con-
trary. With the DEVELOPMENT Of
China. India and other backward
sections Of the world imme nse new
markets will be created. More than
one-third-nesrly two-fifths-of the
earth's inhabitants are in China and
India alone. There has been moro
OF an awakening in those two great
countries In the past twenty years
than in the previous 200. with
transportation and white mans civ
ilizstion their long neglected re-
sources will be developed. and with
the development the earning power
and the standards Of living of the
people will be raised.
In twenty years the Philippines
were transformed from one of the
backward parts of the worlds ter
ritory to pulsing activity and pros
perity. There hardly is anything
made In America for which there Is
not a market in the Philippines
today. II the consumptive power
of China and India were proper
tionste TO that OF the Philippines
today there would be a trade to the
Far East that would be tremen-
dous.
It will be tremendous one of these
days-and at not q far distant day,
as time and history are measured.
The East Is stirring. Its trade is
one OF the great prizes for which
all the forward-looking nations will
strive to set the largest possible
&hArA