A BUSINESS MAN'S OPINIONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 26

A BUSINESS MAN'S OPINIONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, February 5. Mr Ambrose Do Ath, who has had 35 years' business experience in Japan, is now in Wellington, and ha<= been giving an interviewer some interesting facts that have a bearing on the present situation in the East. Ho pointed out that Japan had made great progress in maritime matters. The Government to-day subsidised lines of mail steamers to London, San Francisco, Seattle, and Mexican, Ind.an, and Australian ports. The subsidies for this purpose amounted annually to £600,000, which was tho second largest subsidy paid by any Government in the world. Many of the mail steamers subbidised wore subjected to similar conditions imposed upon British mail steamers. — namely, that they should be capable of being converted into armed cruisers during war time. The Japanese na^y has been exceedingly well organised along British line?. Indeedmany of its best officers were trained afc Woolwich and on boaid English men-o'-war. The most capable of Ja.parv.ese admirals, and the one who was most Yi)ce\y to command the soa forces in the ©vent of war, hag

received British- training. The navy has fceen reorganised during recent years by British naval experts; whilst the Japanese, army was reorganised by French and German officers. The military system is founded on German lines. All classes have to send their sons for training in the army. The army reserve is 700,000 strong. The Japanese are a nation of soldiers, and have an inherent love of fighting. A proud and aristocratio race, they have a very high Opinion of their ability as a fighting force, fend this belief is strengthend by the very Wraterial fact that the Japanese have never t»een conquered. They are a well educated people, being very much superior in intelligence to some European nations, and particularly the Russians. Russia has long been looked upon by Japan as her bitterest foe, : and < for the past 10 years the anti-Russian feeling has been growing more and more antense. Apropos Of this, Mr De Ath gave a-n insight into the methods of the Japanese Intelligence Department, which he considers is amongst the beat in the world. Twenty years ago a school for the commercial training of young Japanese was opened in Shanghai, China's seaport. That school, "which has such on innocent appearance, was the beginning of Japan's Intelligence Department, and instead of using the institution for commercial purposes- the "pupils of the school " were trained in Chinese methods for purposes of espionage. Ten years ago the spies so trained were sent out in the guise of pedlars, itinerant tradesmen, cooks, etc., to spy out the land, take surveys, make plant?, and ferret out State secrets and armaments in China, Siberia, and Manchuria. The statesmen and diplomatists of Japan had long\ foreseen trouble in China, and, •with the Russians, and during the recent inarch of the Allies to Peking it was the Japanese who had the best plans of the city and country. Mr De Ath feels confident that even on the Russian men-of-war Japan ha.3 spies, and that if war results the Japanese will give a surprisingly good account cf themselves.