PROGRESS IN JAPAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22243, 18 October 1935, Page 15

PROGRESS IN JAPAN

INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE WIDE USE OF ELECTRICITY Tho extraordinary progress made by Japan in industry and commerce in the last 50 years greatly impressed Mr. R. Sanders, of Parnell, who returned to the Dominion recently after spending nine weeks in Japan, and visiting some of the principal cities. The very great extent to which electricity is used throughout. Japan, making it the most thoroughly electrified country in the world, was remarked upon by Mr. Sanders. Half the factories were electrified, and 95 per cent of the houses, belonging to rich and poor alike, had electric light. Trains driven by electricity were marvels of punctuality. The manufacture of electric light bulbs was a huge industry, and in 1932 there were 35,000,000 bulbs made for home consumption, and 280,000,000 for export. One-fifth of tho bulbs used in the United States were of Japanese origin. Another large industry was the manufacture of radio sets, of which there were 1,500,000 licensed in Japan. Japan now equalled France as the third largest consumer of rubber in the world. There were over 700 factories making all kinds of rubber products. The silk, rayon and cotton industries were of outstanding importance in Japan. In an amazingly short time rayon had become Japan's third most important export, after cotton goods and raw silk. Tho manufacture of cement had developed into another huge industry, and tho production was 20,000,000 barrels a years. When new plants now being built were operating, this output would probably bo doubled. A contract had just been accepted from the Russian Government to supply a large order at 11 yen a metric ton, equal to 16s 6d a ton in New Zealand currency.