IS EASTERN COMPETITION TO BE DREADED?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10560, 6 January 1896, Page 4

IS EASTERN COMPETITION TO BE DREADED?

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —I read with interest your leading article in to-day's issue. Ifc raises a queftion that is of national importance to Western civilisation, and the wonder is that it receives so little attention as it does. Your article sets out the simplicity of Japanese family life and the cheapness of their living in an attractive form, and draws attention to the formidable.competition that may be expected from this clever people if they commence to manufacture and export to Western countries. -That they are already doing so seems to ba a generally accepted fact. Of that there is no doubt. Seeing in thiß case is believing, and the consular reports from all quarters show that not only iv Japan, but even in hide-bound China, cotton factories have started up like mnshrooms within the paot few years. "The Japanese send matches to these colonies—" they supply the Straits Settlements with umbrellas, and are beginning to do so with portmanteaux, boots, paper, pianos, and even Portland cement." Are these countries, then, to be swamped with the products of Eastern labour ?

Ib seems to me that the answer to this quesi tion can only be arrived at by asking another— that is, What caused fche Japanese to " threaten Western' manufactures" and to send out matches, umbrellas, &s. ? Reading your article, tbe inference is that Japanese simplicity of wants and life, their ancient civilisation and their intelligence ara the causes for this. But is this logical ? The wants of these psople and these mode of living have not changed. ' If they can n»w travel for a year without work on, lOdol, thay could do the same any time during tha past 20 years. What then is the explanation ? Obviously it is something that has happened daring the past few years. That something, as Mr Gaudry has pointed out, ig the increased power of gold in buying silver. The closing of the Indian mint and.the sfcoppaga of the purchases of silver by the United States Government in 1893. accelerated what we call " tha fall in silver." That is, China, Japan, Mexico, Argentina, and those countries whose money is not gold caa get more of their money for every sovereign's worth of staff it suits them to produce, and sell. But for the very same reason their money will nob go so far in buying a sovereign's worth of stuff they wont to buy. " Hence these tears I " Ifc might more aptly be called " English folly." The evil was caused by the demonetisation of silver through the laws "of various countries closiug their mints. They are willing to repeal these if England will join. Seyd in 1871 foretold the thickheaded prejudice on England's part tbat would ruin English commerce from this cause, and every day tends to verify his wonderful prophecy. Bafc probably it is a dispensation of Providence to enable eastern nations to again lead in the van bf civilisation.-— I am, &s., January 4. Rudolf. P.S.—The moral is that if the value of silver is restored by bimetallism, there is no occasion te fear Eastern competition.—R.