Evening star., 1923-10-31
ny ADACHI KISNosUKE,

ny ADAShk
Industrialization Is about the only
way out for Nippon. 1t has got to
be. AS she cannot work out her sal
walton through her fields and farms,
there Is no other way but through her
shops.
Six things must exist before a coun-
try can be successful industr!aIly-
an abundance OF raw materials and
Of skilled labor. ready markets, cheap
capital. good transportation and
cheap power-especiaIly cheap indus
trial power.
can be imported, so also man power
to certain extent. The Importation
OF motive power for Industrial pur-
poses is quite another story. France
imports her electric energy from the
power stations % on the river Aar. in
by no such geographical partially.
How and where is Japan going TO
get her cheap power?
Source Of Power.
Here ia the question much more
important than the army and the
navy Of Japan. There must be some
thing worth protecting before army
and navy can prove their worth. And
without cheap power for the produc-
tive industries OF Japan her future Is
worth about as much as a Leviathan n
in dry pond. And yet the people of
Japan, who bad been worrying them
selves into Mysteries and throwing
many hundreds OF millions of yen into
the national defense for more than
half century. never paid the slight
est attention to this all-important
theme until very recently AS a ma
tton she never woke up TO the i'm
portance of the power to supply un-
TIL about q generation ago.
Getting sAert Of Coal.
Then the coal fields of Kuyshu were
getting rather low. The great Mike
coiliery, controlled by the Mitsui in
terests, was proving more expensive
because OF the persistence of inrush-
ing water in the mine and the non
stop flights OF the wage scale Of
miners
We Japanese have quite 4 reputa-
tion for constantly extending our hat
bands. AS a matter of fact, Japan is
cures for big-heads. Careful survey
of the coal fields Of Japan is one of
the most potent OF the cures. There
are three large fields in Japan. But
out of more than 4.oee. .600, 900 tons IN
Hokkaido, less than 557.000.0o0 are
W "a hopiC. NJ fhOEe
tons of the kyushu fields. from which
We are getting the best quality of
coal and in greater quantity than
from any other mines, less than
l."00.000,000 tons are workable. The
H9naau and Shikoku mines have
something like s74,006.000 tons under
the ground, but less than 173,oo0,0oO
of them are workable.
Tstal Of CsaI.
In nthar vrnr6c ho y.J
of workable coal deposit OF Japan is
less than 1900. 100000 tons. In 1920
the United States produced nearly
go, OOO. 600 tons Of COAL At that rate
the total coal wealth Japan COM
mands Is less than three years out
Comparison is said TO be an odious
thing; this one is more odious than
usual. The price OF coal in Japan
is about twice the normal American
price. Freight charges account for
the high price in one way. The prin-
cipal coal fields are far from the in
dustrial centers--except in kyushu
The half of the price Of Hokkaido
coal, for example. shipped either at
Muroran or from Otaru to Toxic. is
for the freight.
MinerD Are inefficient.
1nefficiency Of the japanese miners
is another reason for the high price
Of coal. At the Yubari mine, for ex-
ample. the daily output Of Japanese
miner is GA ton. Even in England
1t was IS ton per worker in 1915. In
America 1t is put at 2.27 tons per
worker in anthracite and @.7I in BIZ
luminous fields. 1t is not altoge
the fault of the Japanese miners. OF
course. For the chief reason of this
poor showing is the leanneSS OF the
japanese coal seams and the local
conditions which prevent Il more ex-
tensive use of machinery. But the
fact stands
Thus the wages OF miners sprouted
sudden wings since the war. In the
pre-war days lie mining cost of coal
in the three largest mines nearest TO
Toxic was 80 Yen per ton t$1.5O.
In 1922 it was IL yen. or Sc per ton.
Since 1919 coal production of Japan
has been on the decline. 1t has de-
clined at the rate of 1872 per cent.
tion increased SOS per cent. Quite a
contrast.
Lack of OIL supply.
The Oil fields Of Japan tell a still
sadder tale. In Niigata, along the
Nippon sea, are the chief oil fields of
Japan. and the Kurokawa district in
Akita was sensation of 1913. But
less tnan 100000 koku, or 2.s50,o0O
gallons. In 1921 the total oil pro-
duction Of Japan was slightly less
than 71.500,000 gallons. Now, that is
about so per cent Of the private con-
sumption Of oil in Japan. But the
as much oil as all the private con-
sumers Of the empire put together
Therefore the total output of oil in
Japan is not satisfying more than
one-third Of the country's demand.
In 1913 Japan adopted the Ameri-
2vnfon in sinking
wells and the output mounted until 1,
reached the apex in 1916. amounting
to nearly 120 million gallons of crude
oil. But since then the output has
this steady decrease Is shown in the
face of the steady increase in the
amount of capital invested in the in
dustry. The paid-up capital Of vari-
Gus oil companies in 1917 amounted
to little more than 49.500.000 yen
In 1921 it was more than 6S.300.000
yen. That is the reason why many
Of the men interested in the industry
feel pretty blue and take an exceed
ingiy dark view of the future Of the
oil business in Japan. They are sure
that the oil reservoir of Japan Is
being exhausted fast.
salvation In Water Power.
Japan, therefore. had to look 70,
her Industrial salvation outside OF
coal and OIL. Ana Bne mas lOunQ IL
in her hydro electric power.
Nature has been a stepmother 70
Japan in almost all her gifts in the
shape Of substantial raw materials
But she does weep over Japan with
OFFICIAL NOTICES.
OFFICE OF THE C0LLECTOR OF TAXEs.
District Of Columbia. October
81, ls2S.-Taxpayers Of the District Of Co.
iurnhia will take notice that the unde erstGned