THROUGH THE FAR EAST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15558, 16 March 1914, Page 9

THROUGH THE FAR EAST

MERCHANT'S OBSERVATIONS.

THE STATE OF CHINA

PROGRESSIVE JAPANESE.

A vkry interesting journey, productive of numerous striking impressions of developments in the Far East, has just been made by Mr. E. H. Patterson, the New York representative of the firm of G. \Y. S. Patterson a.nd Co. Mr. Patterson arrived yesterday by the Riverina from Sydney. and is staying with his brother. Mr. G. W. S. Patterson. Mr. Patterson stated yesterday that he left New York shortly before Christmas for I/Ondon, and crossing to Paris, travelled overland to Ualny by rail, and then, southwards along the Chinese coast. The distance from Paris to Shanghai, between eight thousand miles and nine thousand miles, was covered in 14J days. He spent about seven weeks in China, travelling up the Yangtse Kiang, a* far as Hangkow, where the recent revolution broke out, and visited a number of other important Chinese ports. From Hongkong ho travelled to Australia by way of Singapore and Java. China's Need of a Ruler. Speaking of the vendition of China, in which country ho is greatly interested, from a business point of view, Mr. Pat terson said that he did not think that there is a mind in that country competent to judge what is likely to take place there. The entire nation is in a most unsettled state. The Republic, as far as can be judged from the experiment so far, is not a success. He heard rumours everywhere, and very persistently on the Yangtse River, that within the near year or two the present President of the Chinese Republic, will probably assume the position or either dictator or Emperor. Most people seem to think that this is what China needs — strong hand at the heln.. It seemed impossible that a Republic ever could be a success in such a country, where it would be impossible for more than a handful of the population to take any part in the government. The people in the interior are not paying their taxes; and while the business men in' the treaty ports seem to think that another revolution is. perhaps, some distance off, they can assign no sound reasons for their belief. .The last revolution. Mr. Patterson said, was quickly suppressed, because Sun Yat Sen's forces were not properly organised, i besides which he probably did not have as many followers as he thought he had. He is now. according to report, somewhere in Northern Japan. China will be open to the occurrence of rebellion, said • Mr. Patterson, till it has a strong t'kivernment; and that meant the establishment in power pf a. man who. if not a dictator, was next thing to it. The Chinese themselves are peaceful people, desiring ' nothing but to be left alone ; but their [ country is so great and its resources so valuable that it is quite impossible for the other nations to leave it in peace and prosperity. There is a general scramble for 1 business. Competition in trade in China r ; is probably keener than anywhere else in . the world. It is .1 case of the survival of [ the fittest, and the older nations of the world will have to exert themselves to hold their own against the progressive Japanese. ' The Success of the Japanese. j Many instances of the keenness of the j Japanese were quoted by Mr. Patterson, who said that whatever prejudice is felt ' against that nation, it must, from the point of view of cold business, be admitted ■ j that the remarkable success of the Japan- I ese is due to the fact that they are, in |' the American phrase, "always on the 'i job. ' They are out for business; they j • are doing all they can to get it; thev are • preparing for it—and they are getting it The;' borrowed large sums of money from • foreign nations, notably England and I ' America, to carry on "their war with > Russia; and they are using the great part • which is left to help them in their compe- • tition in trade against the nations from which they borrowed it. 3 An illustration of the successful methods 8 of the nation is to be found on the Yang- - tse River. Mr. Patterson said he had been told by shipping men that it is ale most impossible to compete against the - Japanese in the carrying trade on that i huge inland waterway. They had bought 8 old vessels in Britain and elsewhere at ! < low prices, fitted them up for the trade, i 0 and entered into the contest with all the | advantages of low first cost. Another indication of the Japanese methods was. according to information he , had obtained at Nanking, found in the ' claims lodged by Japan in connection with ' the Japanese property damaged in the rej cent revolution. The claims totalled over j a million pounds sterling— amount far 1 in excess of any loss that all the Japanese . in Nanking and its vicinity' could in any '' circumstances have sustained, and only 8- three individuals were actually cons' cemed. The claims were being "morally enforced while he was there by the prer sence outside Nanking of three or tour e warships. 6 g 'Warships and Foreign Prestige. e j This led to mention of the maintenance j of prestige in China. In every treaty port ho visited, and in every port on the Yangk tse River, there were anchored in front h of the port from one to three Japanese e warships, to let the makers of trouble see e the power of Japan England and America ( were represented in the same places by a j number of obsolete vessels, often onlv , small gunboats. One had to go to Shango hai or Hongkong to see any large British warships. The Germans, French, and ' Italians all maintain large fleets at Shang- •' hai. It is such demonstrations as these, ■ he said, that create prestige in the East; and Japan is regarded in China as the •> "top clog." Russia and Japan. .Russia, said Mr. Patterson, is moving immigrants in- large numbers into Manchuria, apparently with the idea of filling it with a Russian population. This will have a great effect upon both Russia and Manchuria and possibly upon Japan as well, for apparently Russia hopes in time to be able to recover some of the territory lost to Japan, and this i« one means towards that recovery. Manchuria is an immense and fertile country, very sparsely populated, but capable with an industrious population of producing anything that will grow in temperate regions. Along with a great part of Siberia, it inspires the traveller with the firm belief that the world is as yet very far from being over-populated. Its climate is good, with scarcely three months of winter, a.nd much milder than that of most of Siberia. Speaking of the military aspect of the Japanese, Mr. Patterson said that for the first time he had had an opportunity of seeing their soldiers at work. There, was a great number of them guarding the South Manchurian railway, and he had been tremendously impressed by them. He was certain that the whole world will have sooner or later, to reckon with them in the Far East, and to treat them with the respect due to men who will not lightly be brushed aside. There were indications of the possibility of another war between Japan and Russia. If it should occur within the next five years within which time it would be impossible for Russia to duplicate the trans-Siberian railway so as to he able to mobilise qnicklv or effectively, he believed, after seeing the- soldiers of both nations, that the Russians would be "smothered'' again as they had been before.