Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-11-20
Economic Questions Which Bear
On the Problem of the Far East

, already developed this industry to a
very considerable extent.
The great fundamental industries
however. Of a manufacturing coun-
try-such as the United States or
Great Britain-are the iron and steel
industries. Here it is that Japan is
woefully in need Of raw materials
In the first place. for the manufac-
ture of steel and iron it is necessary
that both fuel and iron ore be OBJ
tanned in large quantities. Japans
coal supply is entirely inadequate. II
has been said that the coal deposits
Of Japan would not last the Unied
States two years. So far as petroleum
is concerned, Japan has an made
quate supply to meet her own needs
and her product of petroleum is only
about one-third Of what she now
uses. To Offset, in some part at least,
her deficiencies in these fuel supplies,
Japan has turned to the development
of hydro-electric power, and with
some success.
Aside from the fuel SO necessary In
manufacture OF iron and steel, it is
found that Japan is sadly deficient in
iron ore. 1t is an outstanding fact
that where the great steel and iron
industries of this country and other
countries have been located is at
points to which coal and iron ore can
be brought together at comparatively
little expense and in great quanti-
ties. as in Birmingham in England
and Birmingham, Ala, and Pittsburgh,
Pa, in the United States, and in
Hankow, China.
Manchuria possesses great quaint
ties OF both coal and iron ore. 1t is
natural, therefore. that Japan should
have her desires to control these
Manchurian supplies. Her desire to
control In China is primarily to per-
nit her to obtain the raw materials
she requires for Japanese industries.
according to the economists. In fact.
the question of emigration, an outlet
for Japanese population, is not nearly
so dominant a factor in Japan's poll
cies today as is the question of OBJ
tanning raw materials.
X X + X
In: brief. this is Japan's position
withi regard to raw materials. There
are other :aaasssies than those men
toned for which she must import
materials. too. Japan would like to
take over the job Of developing the
vast resources of China But TODAY
Japan has not the capital to develop
these resources as they might be de-
veloped-the capital which Japan
could afford to put into China would
mean many years before China's de-
velopment could proceed on a scale
+, commensurate with the resources OF
| that country.
Japan would probably like to have
European nations and the United
States lend her the money properly to
develop the resources of China. Incl
dentally. IL she could obtain such
loans in large sums. the nations from
which the money was borrowed
would have an interest in seeing that
Japan was allowed to work out the
development Of China's resources. But
these other nations are demanding
the "open door" and equal opportu-
nifty in China for their capital, too.
The United States, for instance, is
tremendously interested in the mar
ket offered by China for her manu-
featured products. particularly ma
chinery Of various kinds. The United
States is interested, too, in obtaining
some raw materials from China,
among them carpet woods, etc. The
United States also is interested in
China as place for investment of
capital. Until recent years, Ameri-
cans have been content to invest their
capital in the United States. But the