The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-12-15
AMERICAS SILK-CLAD ANKLE
 RULES JAPAN

With Japan sweeping over China, We talk of guns, of battleships and aerial defense bases. But is it not true that Japanese success economic and military, rests in large degree the comedy sken clad ankle of American womanhood?
 Recently group of coeds at Northwestern Uni versy in Evanston, Ill., in protest against the Jap anese invasion of China, abandoned the shimmering silk stocking in favor of cotton Silk they said is Japanese while cotton is good old American product And not the girls entirely logical in their thinking?
 Being university students they evidently aware that the annual import of silk from Japan to the United States since 193O has averaged in of sixty million pounds with annual value of be- tween two and three hundred million yen. In Am erican cash that is around $10OOOOOOO year pay Japan for silk which incidentally is the free list In other words there is tariff against its impor taton.
 And so eager have we been to get that silk that until the last few years silk trains the trans continental routes from the Pacific Northwest rushed the country under special orders Everything was sdetracked for the silk specia' which travelling under penalty of heavy loss unless it arrived at the eastern silk factories from Seattle and Vancou in a stipulated time. More recently the Japanese have acquired fast silk ships and most of the traffic is direct from Japan to the east coast via the Panama Canal and it is little short of surprising the speed with which the Japanese push those silk freight the to the lucrative American market And why shouldn't they? The United States takes 85 percent of the total export of silk from Japan and in 1885 that percentage actually valued BPS 91 900 yen approximately $1O9,637,OOO in American money
 But why did those university girls choose cotton? Why not rayon? some will ask. The coeds at North western probably also that Japan is second in the world production rayon and its total an- nua output in recent years has been valued at more than 2O00OOOO yen But it is that such large portion of that came to the United States as in the silk trade.
 There countless other articles which flow into this country from Japan helping to keep up it's mili tary funds Toys a big item; linens dishes and, of course, the Japanese oranges with which all are familiar at this of the year.
 But silk is this country's golden word to Japan 85 percent of Nippons total annual output flowing into the American market
 There is much talk of boycottng Japanese goods. It is suggested against the invasion of Alaskan fish cries in the Boring Sea; is suggested in protest against the present invasion of China; it is whipped to fervor with the sinking of the American gum boat Panay in the Yangtze river But the fact re- mains that the boycott which would have drastic effect Japanese coers would be the cutting off of her silk trade with this country.
 With American and their sken-clad ankles rests the failure of an economic boy colt against Japan If the girls decide to forego silk financially for Emperor Hirohito and his warriors
 But you predict what they are going to do Experience has taught us the folly of certain fore casts.
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