Evening star., 1923-09-09


north and west of Toxic. Here the
flatures are located for reeling the
silk into hanks, which are sent to
Yokohama generally, in one or two
bale lots, for conditioning and ship
ping abroad. None of these large
storage districts have been affected
by the earthquake or fire.
Rice In Storage.
The food situation is much better
than people in this country have gen
! orally supposed. Cabled reports ds
of September I. show about 3S4o-
100000 pounds of rice in storage all
over Japan. OF that total there is a
record of 25,000.O00 pounds in storage
in Toxic, or considerably less than
one-half of per cent
The larger stocks are in Kobe and
in the hands of the farmers. Daily
consumption is at the rate OF $4,000
600 pounds for the entire island. That
gives a f1fty-day supp!--. - is cal
culated that this viii be enucs. to
tide them over until the harves:
comes in October. when they will be-
gin to consume the new crop.
Just about this time every year
| there is a shortage of rice and con
sequent rise in price. 1t will be re-
called that the rice riots in 1918 oc-
CURED about September Is. That is
when the shortage begins 10 be mani
fest. Japan consumes about per
cent more rice than she produces. and
has TO import that deficit. This year
| the government authorized the pur-
| take care of the annual deficit. Tney
| had already ordered on August :. for
sixty days delivery. 100000 pounds,
or more than 10 per cent of the total.
This is now on the way to Japan from
southeastern Asia, principally from
Saigon, Rangoon and Bankok, all Of
which have large surplus of rice for
export.
During July the United States
shipped 100000 pounds of rice from
the west coast TO Japan. This Ameri
can-grown rice is of a quality much
preferred by the Japanese to the rice
| of southeastern Asia. Large quaint
| ties were also shipped in August. A
great deal Of the Japanese rice IS
| grown in Formosa and Korea. For
mosa has two crops with an export
| able surplus. There is available for
use in Japan about 320,000.000
| pounds Korea has one crop and
] usually ships about go, ,000, 900 pounds
| a year to Japan. This is a late crop,
and should be available about octo-
Der 10.
The food shortage that exists i'll
( II Sh "a at q hni
| about two weeks. If the japanese
government moves quickly and loads
f! the rice at Kobe onto warships, or
available steamships or seagoing
| 1unks the people can be fed.
Shelter Immediate Need.
! Toxic gets its rice supply from the
| surrounding valley of the Sunida
river and as soon as rail communica-
! ton Is restored a great deal of rice
now held by the farmers will be read
I ily available.
/! The greatest immediate needs
! therefore. are for shelter and medical
and hospital attention.
That Japan will look to the United
States tc furnish building materials
! is shown by our normal exports. In
1922 Japan took a7,7S5.7e5 pounds Of
non-fabricated steel plates. She also
| took 44,s41,624 pounds OF galvanized
| iron and steel sheets for roofing, and
| 356,366,113 pounds Of black STEEL
| sheets, principally for manufacturing
hardware, kettles, utensils and small
| machinery. The canning industry in
the north took 62,Ss7,22s pounds OF
! tin plate. We also shipped to Japan
i 71,554,7o1 pounds of wire and S5.-
549.44s pounds of wire nails.
Japan's total imports of machinery
in 1922 amounted to s57.1S55s7, OF
(which 40 per cent came from the
United States and 90 per cent from
Great Britain. This machinery was
principally for the textile industry,
refYigerating, cement and glass MAX
ing.
The exports to Japan from the
United States in the fiscal year ended
! June 80, 1928. were the largest from
| any country in the orient. and totaled
$212,957 ,967. while in the fiscal year
1922 they were s24s,534,S39. The i'm
ports from Japan are about 60 per
cent raw silk. The imports in the
fiscal year ended June 80. 1923,
amounted to s372,507,s33, while for
the fiscal year 1922 they were s3oT,-
514,995
10 Per Cent OF Exports.
Our trade with Japan amounts 10
! about 10 per cent of our total i'm
ports and about per cent Of our to-
tai exports.
OF interest in connection with the
requirements for building materials,
which Japan will make upon the
United States to rebuild homes In the
| devastated area is the fact that nor
mally Japan consumes American lum-
ber tathe rate of 100.000.000 feet a
| year. This is mostly in the form Of
Japanese squares" which are huge
timbers of, Douglas fir, eighteen to
twenty-four inches square and TWEEN
! tyfour to forty feet in length.
| These are sawed in Japan for floor
| ing and the outside sliding DOORS
| The inside sliding doors are OF pa
per-. This is practically all the ma
terial they require for their homes.
The roofs are of tile, made locally.
Part of the work of food relief will
be to induce the people in the north =
ern section Of Japan to take Ameri-s.
can -four and other wheat products
| and leave the rice for the people inS
the south who do not eat wheat.
| Cash from the United States will
| probably be sent to the PhilinpineS