The Washington times., 1936-02-24
Human Side of News
BIZ EdUin C.. Hill

ing, no sudden sideswipes.
There IL more rhythm and
WORLD TRADE
AS we swing into 1885. as bet
ter times glow rosily over this
horizon the United States, like
Great Britain (both seeking to ex.
pand world trade) fears the pres
sure Of japanese competition.
Never in the history Of either has
either encountered a commercial
rival so formidable. And both
great countries ponder one Of
the most important prob
lens OF the day-how to meet
the competition Of a Shrewd
and determined rival whose TEEN.
ing millions of workers can live
on a few cents worth Of rice
day, and whose daily wage is far
less than white mans labor
gained a whole century ago.
What a thrust of the old world
into the new is this commercial
outreach of Japan! And it be-
gan with a woman, strangely
enough, and in Japan of all
countries! In fact, I have told
this story before, but it is worth
telling again. Three hundred and
thirty-four years ago a japanese
woman started business enter
prise which has grown through
the centuries and which today en-.
meshes the world. Today the
cables bring news of Japan'S
worldwide commercial attack.
MITSUI FORTUNE
And back of this powerful i'm.
pulsion is the gigantic momen.
tum of the ancient Mitsui for.
tune, a worldwide technical, in
dustrial and financial establish
ment, which thrusts forward the
sharpest peace-time challenge of
recent decadeS-poSSibly of cen.
turies. And motivating. energiz.
ing and guiding all this is the
penetrating intelligence of a little "a
old man-Baron Mitsui, last Of
the descendants of that daughter
Of the Samurai who, in the
year 1900, turned from the
ancient ways of japanese women.
The beautiful Schubo, an ex-
quiSite bit of cloisSone, reared
in the gentle dalliance of luxury
and idleness, married Tokub Nit
sui, the Prince Of Khigo. scion Of
an old and famous family. Exist
ence in the stuffy old castle bored
her inexpressibly. So being the
fortnight lady she was, she did
something about it.
1t happened that the Khigo
clan made excellent wine. One
day the prince, riding home, was
astounded to find a sign, "The
Prince of Khigo's excellent wine
for sale here"
It was undreamed of for a fam
lily of the S a mural to enter
trade, but the charming princess
prevailed on her devoted hus-
band to let her continue. The
/ wine business flourished. Soon
thereafter, the princess estab.
lished a money-lending business.
not unlike the small loan enter
priSes of today. And then came
still more flourishing ventures in
merchandising. finance and com.
merce.
CAREFULLY PLANNED
The princess had three sons.
One Of these, HoShirobi, inherited
her genius. He established in
Japan the first department stores
the world has ever known. His
was the first cash-andcarry
system.
By the beginning of the eight
zenith century, the Mitsui fortune
was gaining an acceleration
which never has been stayed. To
day Shrewd, reticent Baron Mitsut
is rated one of the wealthiest men
in the world-Steamship lines,
banks, railroads, trading depotS,
fisheries and industries.
The present commercial drive Of
the Japanese, underselling the
world, was carefully and Gun.
ningly planned. Government,
technique, industry, labor finance
all were deity integrated at the
zero hour of Japan's attack. In
New Rochelle or Tanganyika.
Africa. they can lay down a first
class bicycle for $6. Their floods
Of rayon close mills in Tennessee.
They land electric bulbs in Amer
lea for five cents. They undercut
the world on silk, cotton and wool
garments, toys and rubber goods,
china ware, electric equipment.
linoleum, and almost anything
else you can think of.
Their plants are virtually 100
per cent. up to date with the newest
and best machinery. This they do
with meager raw materials and
energies, with only limited de.
velopment of hydro o-electric power.
They buy scrap iron and steel here
and in Canada. They have large
supplies of lead, bought in the
United States at the low ebb Of
depression prices, when American
users were afraid to buy anything.
They buy cotton here and in
India. Tariff barriers? They de-
value the yen and leap all barriers.
Even more than Germany back
before the great war, Japan drives
ahead to commercial domination.
How, in the next few years will it
affect us?
copyright. 1886, by King Features