Evening star., 1939-04-23
first OF a Series)
BY BLAIR BOLLES.


meet special requirements re-
quirements of war. It also is largely
trade in Woodworking machinery,
which whirrs in Japanese factories
with belligerent purpose, But the
trade in scrap iron. which recently
was considered spectacular, is
slumping.
Almost all Japanese purchases
overseas today are made with the
Chinese war in mind. Yet she buys
nothing like what she bought in
1887, when the war developed from
"the North China incident" and she
buys generally less and less from the
United States.
But she takes in large quantities
the commodities which might JUS
tify the complaint now frequently
made In Congres-that we SUD-
port" Japan at war by supplying
her with the essential special re-
quirements.' Fifteen bills are on
the House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee calendar which would tend to
eliminate practically all trade with
Japan on the theory that such step
would impede Tokios Chinese ag-
gression.
Except for war materials, Japan,
since 1887, in desperate domestic
economic strait, has gradually been
taking herself out of the world ex-
port-import market. Then she
bought goods from us worth $685.
$4,000, more than twice as much
as she bought from all of Europe
and almost the equal of her pur-
chases IN Asia. She sold us COM
modities worth $204,201, 900.
The story was changed a year
later. Then our exports to Japan
amounted to $239, ,620, ,000 Her sales
to the United States were only s126,-
100000. Ten years ago they
amounted to $43l 1878 900.
Picture Changes in Year.
The decline causes concern In
Japan. which wants to import but
which finds herself in a quandary.
Because she cannot afford to be
lavish with her foreign exchange.
she does not want to import beyond
. her exports. To effect favorable
balance Of trade, she has set up
import controls. She has prac-
tlcally eliminated the use of i'm
ports for any purpose except the
business IN China. To obtain gold
to supplement her foreign ex-
change, she is exploiting her gold
mines vigorously, but still she can
not import all she needs.
Her p,rrboeoe +h~~
her sales. But, paradoxically, her
wartime economy cuts down her
sales by prohibiting her manu-
1actur1ng in large quantities the
goods which ordinarily she con-
sldered export commodities'-
ton goods, for instance.
The United States, her first
market, has suffered from a recess
sion in business. Her goods meet
boycott In the South Seas and
Southeastern Asia, where the mer-
chants are usually Chinese. And
while commodity prices have been
low IN this country and Great
Britain from late 1887, they have
oeen going up in Japan. This state
OF aHairs puts japanese goods at a
competitive disadvantage in world
trade.
According to the Toxic foreign
office, the Imports to meet special
requirements" in Japan are crude
OIL and heavy oil, machinery, metal
manufactures. ores, zinc, brass and
pronze, copper, hides and skins
nemp, lead and tin. From the first
bali OF 1896 to the first half of 1927
Japan's imports of these goods rose
sspectacularly. But in the first
nall OF 1888 they fell. Their total
value in the first six months of
1887 was 9l5.646,0OO yen; in the
nrst SIX months of 1898, 839, ,745, 900
yen.
U. S. Supplies War Goods.
In spite of the general falling off
OF our trans-Pacific commerce. how
ever, the United States has con-
tlnued to play an important part in
supplying war goods. New statistics
pelng compiled at the Commerce
Department throw some light on
our share in the trade in special
requirements
Year to year, from 1896 to 1888
tnere has been a steady increase in
our sales to Japan of crude pc
troleum, machinery, hides, lead and
copper. At the same time there
has been a decline in some war
goods like iron and steel scrap, pig
iron and other goods. A resume of
our sales OF these commodities to
Japan in 1886, 1887 and 1898 might
make the situation clearer. Thus:
Refined copper, 1896, 1882 900
pounds; 1887, 145, $4,000; 1888, 217,-
100000.
Crude petroleum, 1896, 1o,381 900
barrels; 1887. 15,995, 600; 1888, 21,-
200, 900.
Lead, 1896, 17,257,ooo pounds:
1887, 14,640,O00; 1888, 60,4O6, 900.
Cattle hides, 1896, 1857 900 pounds:
1887, 1902 900; 1888, %, 3,113,0OO.
Machinery, 1896, $2O,459 900; 1887,
$34.203 900; 1898, $49,O19 900.
The booming machinery trade
chiefly is in metal-working mach
inery. Japan bought altogether ST.
45O,440 worth in 1887 and $35, ,54O,-
986 IN 1888. The 1885 metal-mach-
inery purchases were $5,359, TOT. Most
OF the machinery came last year
from the United States, 23,811 ,4O8:
Germany, $9,437,737; United King
dom, $l,516,555, and Switzerland,
SITS, 5,286.
Scrap Iron Trade Declines.
In most discussions of Japanese
trade, the subject of scrap iron and
other ferrous metallic forms are en-
phasized. But this trade is going
FREE lECTlJRE