OUR ALLY JAPAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 59, 10 March 1915, Page 2

OUR ALLY JAPAN.

tN SEARCH OF TRADE OUTLETS Visiting journalist's ' impressions/ , After a trip round Auckland Harbour -yesterday, Mr. Motosaku Teuchiya, a Japanese journaliatj has ejepreascd-tfee opinion that in the matter of chipping facilities Auckland i« more fortunate than most q{ the cities he has seen in. various \parts of Ihe world. "I am sor*y to /say," he remarked to a representative|of this paper, "that we have not in j Japan 'siich. fine harbours as Sydney and Auckland."" Jlr. Teuchiya. came to Australia and New Zealand for the purpose of inquiring into commercial condition*. He is impressed with the trade possibilities in AuckJaiid, and says that ho we.uld'llkc to see a Consul for Japan in Auckland as well .is id. Wellington. He also thinks that Japanese merchants might profitably. establish ajiqnqieg in Auckland, sp as to avoid the preecnt necessity for utilising Sydney as a channel of trade, and farther that a direct line of cargo steamers calling at tho principal islands of the Pacific mijrfrt very well be established. "Besides being the largest city of New Zealand, , ' he said, "Auckland is nearest to Japan, and is therefore of considerable'commercial importance." A MOVING PICTURE. The visitor has formed favourable impressions of both the Australian and New Zealand people. He has been much struck, he say*, by the absence of those eigne of poverty which are so prominent in the cities of England and America. Very little is known in Japan of these Dominions, and it ia his purpose, through the nemepapere which lie. .represents, to inform them of conditions as they are. "I want," he quaintly remarked,- "to givo them a moving picture of Australia and New Zealand, and to turn their attention to the south instead of solely to the west." He added that the Japanese wfiuld-W content with sharing, in the trade of New. £ealnjid w without desiring to coinc here a.s'immigra'nle. Of course, they would come if they were wanted. AustiaKu ami• tvnv-Zeatattd- were known in Japan—and, .very little., was known about them—as the countries that refused to. allow Japanese to enter, lie realised that our lttWM were the outcome of the agitation of the working classes against allowing Japanese labourers to come in and lower tho wages,, and, personally, -he did not blame them for arguing in that way. ' At" the same time lie. had. been, pleased to tlnd that the fooling towards the Japanese was cordial in both countries —much more so than in America. COMMERCIAL OPENINGS. Referring to commercial opportunities, the visiting, journalist cxpreseed the opinion:-that Japan might be able to carry on some of the trade which had hitherto been done with Germany. For instance, the latter country had been sending a quantity of Portland cement to Australia, and Japan could now supply "that Just ns she had been supplying coment to San FrancUco since the great earthquake. Several people had Written to-him expressing their dfsiro to open direct trade with Japan. "You have a very small population in {Ms country."' Mr. Tsuchiya added, "but your purchaeing power is very big on account of the high wages maintained. Not only can we buy wool and produce from you, but I think wo can also sell quite a lot *>f things to you. He. had noticed in the newspapers that Japan was negotiating for the purchase of practically the whole of the wopl tops produced in Xβ* , South Wales for .the year. - That ' was partly because - she was supplying large quantities of textiles to Russia during the war. She was also assisting Kngland in similar ways. FRIENDLINESS FOR ENGLAND. The visitor remarked that the feeling of the Japanese toward England was of. the -most friendly nature, because of what Great Britain had done tor them in" the past. He said" that on'one occasion lie fook a party of "57 Japanese, oii behalf of his paper, for a tour through Europe, England, ami America, and those, who travelled likod" England best of all.' Feeling towards Russia" was ateo very cordial now. Before the Russo-Japanese war the people of the litttcr country- had regarded, the Russiane ti£" jjri'.ogant and aggressively iniclined. During tile war, however, they had cause to know that the Russians were good fellows. The war had cleared awdy the misunderstanding, particularly the impression that' Japan did not count as a< -nation, and now the two countries were in harmony. Sir. Teuebiya said he did not regard seriously the suggestions which had appeared in the cable news of" the present war to the effect that Japan should lie invited to send troops to" Europe. "England and France' oh the one sideband Russia" 6ri the' other," he observed, '.'are quit?. enongh_ for ,the Germans. There can be no doubt of the ultimate tticceefl;flf;tlie A.Hjes.'f .•;..;;