Montana labor news., 1939-08-31
Washington Scene
By HENRY ION

at the moment, IN a desperate
struggle to GUST all %westerners from
the continent of Asia.
For centuries the western world
has regarded Asia as its own par
ticular source of treasure. From the
time of Marco Polo, who was the
first white mar to learn of and re-
cord the wealth of the orient, to
Admiral Dewey, who opened Japan
to trade, Great Britain, the United
States and other western powers
have thought of the Far East as q
storehouse of wealth.
1t seems strange, therefore, that
these same western nations should
be the very ones giving the greatest
impetus to the present japanese
drive to Gust them. It seems illogical
that the Japanese war machine
should derive its strength from the
enemy.
Yet the truth is, according tc
authoritative figures published here
that without the exports of Great
Britain and the United States, Japan
would be unable for a moment tc
continue its ruthless bombings of the
Chinese people and its campaign Of
conquest in Asia.
The figures are contained in g
paper entitled "Japan's Problem OF
Procurement of Strategic War Ma
terials" published by the Chinese
Council for Economic Research, and
written by HUI Tun-yuan. Though
the Chinese council is not, of course
a nonpartisan organization, the fig
ures used are from official source:
and easily checked.
"Of all countries that furnish wal
materials to Japan, the United States
is far and away the most important
supplying Sc per cent in 1888 as com.
pared with 81 per cent during the
previous year, the paper says.
"The British empire ranks second
with 20.69 per cent in 1888 against
22.33 per cent in 1887. Netherland.
India takes third place, furnishing
1862 per cent in 1888 and 9.35 per
cent in 1887.
"The three of them-the United
States, British Empire and Neither.
lands India-together supplied 1851
per cent in 1888 as against 1922 pei
cent in 1887. Germany follows the
Big Three in order of importance
with 1853 per cent in 1888 against
3.O5 per cent the preceding year.
at should be noted that the Soviet
Union, which possesses in abundance
most of the strategic war materials
that Japan needs, had sold nothing
to her in either 1888 or 1887"
This country, the paper shows, lee
all the others as the supplier of the
six great essentials to Japan for wal
purposes, namely, oil, all iron ma.
~terials, Woodworking machinery
copper, aircraft and parts, and auto.
mobiles, parts and accessories.
The United States, in 1888, sup.
piled IS per cent of the oil imports
81 per cent of the Woodworking
machinery, 80 per cent of the copper
rs per cent of the aircraft and parts
"a per cent of the automobiles, parts
and accessories, and 63 per cent o.
the iron materials.
The increases were in sales of oil
aircraft and parts, and the decreases
were for automobiles, parts and &C.
c~essories, iron materials, copper, anc
Woodworking machinery. The rise
in sales of aircraft were the greatest
soaring from $2,484,OO in 1887 tC
SIT, asa 900 in 1888, an increase Of
SOB per cent.
The British Empire is the leading
provider of almost all of the non.
ferrous metals to Japan as well as
rubber, leather and ores. 1t has beer
the exclusive supplier of asbesto:
and mica. Netherlands India comes
into the picture as Japan's second
Ito the U. S. largest supplier Of
oil, accounting for 1859 per cent Of
the oil shipped in 1888.
In political terms, the figures
mean that the democratic powers
supplied over So per cent of the
materials which are essential fol-
war purposes. The "axis" group tc
which Japan is formally allied, how
ever, composed of Germany and
Italy as well as Austria and Czecho-
slovakia, supplied only 1886 per cent
of Japan's war needs in 1887 and
1854 per cent in 1888.
1t is noted that Japan, as a whole,
is relying more and more on imports
of war materials to keep its economy
going. In 1887, for instance, the
proportion of war material exports
to all exports to Japan from various
countries was 1912 per cent while
in 1888 it rose to 40.43 per cent.
The figures hardly need pointing
up. They display the greatest feat
of international suicide in the history
of the world.
At the moment they are under
serious consideration by the State
department and if action to stop the
Japanese is forthcoming it will be
as the result, in a large measure, Of
the impact of these figures.
Fritz Kuhn, reelected Fuehrer Of
the German-American Bund, called
for opposition to foreign politica.