RISE OF JAPAN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 160, 22 June 1935, Page 6

RISE OF JAPAN

IMPRESSIONS OF VISIT Determined on Strong Navy COMMERCE & SHIPBUILDING The commercial rise of Japan, with seme special reference to her shipbuilding activity and her rapidly increasing output of manufactures of woollen, cotton, and. silk goods, was dealt with in an address given to the Hastings Rotary Club yesterday by Mr H. E. Grainger, of Hastings, who returned recently from a journey to Japan and China. Japan, proper, said Mr Granger, con sisted of four large islands and some

hundreds of small islands. Its popula. tion at present was 07,000,000, and it was about a fifth larger than New Zealand, but it stretched from the subArctic to the tropics. Its mean summer temperature was 85 degrees, and in winter 35 degrees. The population of the capital, Tokio, was 5,500,000, of Osaka, “the Japanese Pittsburg,” 2,750,000, of Majoya 1,000,000, of Kobe 800,000, and of Yokohama 700,000. The Imperial House of Japan had a history dating back to 600 8.C., according to Japanese authorised chronology. Their first Japanese Emperor was enthroned in 000 8.C., and there had been an unbroken line of rulers ever since, though not all of the same house.

The principal religion was Buddhism, which was established in tho country in 552 A.D., and had held sway ever since then. That religion, however, was not inconsistent with Shintoism, or ances-tor-worship, which was still actively and proudly practised by Buddhists. THE JAPANESE DRESS. “In the towns,” Mr Granger added, “the men, such as clerks, shop assistants and so on, wear European dress, but the women and girls still wear the traditional Japanese costume —the kimono, the houri coat, and the outer coat bundled tip on their backs so that they have a somewhat humpbacked appearance.” They wore long heavy wooden shoes or sandals in the streets, and once, in a muddy street, he had seen women wearing wooden shoes some live inches in depth. One of he strange experiences that he had was to see the women shopping and putting all their parcels in the wideopen sleeves of their kimonos, in which they carried great weights. Agriculture was still the greatest Japanese industry, but Japan was making tremendous progress in manufacturing. She was gradually extending the scope of her secondary industries, and rapidly becoming a competitor with Western manufacturing nations. He had seen a large ship which th<Japanese were building for a French firm, and for which they procured the contract in competition against many nations. “If Japan takes seriously to building ships,” said Mr Granger, “it will be a grave matter for the British shipbuilding industry.” In many parts of Japan he had seen signs of activity in the shipbuilding yards, and had seen many merchant and naval ships on the stocks. “Japan is determined to have a big navy,” he added, “and they make no bones about their intentions.”

Japan’s increase in the production of cotton piece-goods and silks in the past five years had been remarkable. In 1934 over 32,250,000 square yards of Fuji silk, valued at 18,500,000 yen, were exported. In the same year Japan exported 20,500,000 square yards of woollen goods, valued at 40,000,000 yen, and paper manufactures valued at 20,750,000 yen. (The yen is valued at about 1/6 in New Zealand, currency). SECRET OF HER SUCCESS. The secret of Japan's success was the low cost of production. Artificial silk produced in the U.S.A, cost £l4 8/- a 100 lbs., in Britain £l2 8/-, in Germany £lO 12/-, in Italy £7 6/-, and in Japan £5 4/-. It was very much the same with rubber goods, woollen goods, electrical goods, and many other manufactures. “Tariffs will never keep them out, said Mi Grainger. “The only thing would be a complete prohibition against their goods, and that would mean war.’" Mr Grainger went on to quote some of the prices for manufactured goods in Japan, giving some surprising examples of the cheapness with which many everyday articles can be produced.

Referring to the population problem of Japan, Mr Grainger said, “We don’t need to cry over it. Japan has Manchuria, North Chilia, and a whole host of islands suitable for habitation, but not yet inhabited.”