THE REAL CHINA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 186, 16 November 1910, Page 7

THE REAL CHINA.

THE RETURN JOURNEY. NOTES BY THE WAY. NO. 1. (Written for the Taranaki Daily News by James Thorpe, C.E.) Homeward bound, in a Japanese boat, and somewhere in the neighbourhood oi the southern-most island of -the Philip-1 pine group. We have quite a variety of coins aboard this ship, and have hacj to use them at different ports. Those! who took ship in Yokohama had of cotose to use the yen (almost 2s); then at Hongkong, the Mexican, Singapore ov Hongkong,-dollar held sway (dollar here equals- about la 9d), while at Manila we bad to r buvr with pesos (one of which equals • about 2s-)< Now in a few days we enter.the rpgion of civilised coinage. .A'.UNIVERSAL TALISMAN. But. ;^myh6w r it .is a most gratifying feature., to .tl)p . Britisher that in any country he touches at the British sovereign is a sovereign truly among coins and .will buy. anything. I took this boat (the Yawata Mar-u) purposely to acquire a -first hand knowledge of Japanese seamanship and', management, and I must admit I can hardly wish for better. That-calls to my mind again another most,, gratifying thought to the Britisher—the East speaks our language. E.V6)7wHe-ijfr-the.Phi!ipino converses with the Jap .or-.Clifnk-jin English; the Japanese anil fha-;Glii ! B.k talk broken Eng-, lish at the Italian contractor., .ditto the whole East ! r F' don't know how it strikes! efiieFr travellers, but it plestees me mostj that the sovereign is a''sovereign , wjierpver it is presented and . of communication the English language. 'itjits of it. Most of the in the, East is-'duq-ta American influence. This is- ) the,. clearly, of course, in the Philippipesj, much so in ,, AMERICAN INFLUENCE. ' "■ • ■'} ■■■ P 7;r n V / ~-Mest' of are taught in .dpra.'eil, .Yale, etc. And the China shores' are being over-run with battalion~"after TJattalion of American tourists, financiers, commercial men, railway Mrftn,Y&f<i, sif fact, all sorts of Americans. The Americans will surely work tlifr-Chiftar-yroposition for a'.l it is worth. They are. but getting a start now.' it'Stfra't'l)e%ng before their business'wi'tft hum again. You just stet---' 10 ' ' Talkiilg -oE'lto'eM'caiis,- all those I came (thftia. 'I found very nice fellows. '. - r _Tl(ts?y ,! co»Ve away from the States _ : \vith h peculiar notions conas men, and concerning "tM' SBi&nM mode of government: of them, a doctor "a back paddock called-'T&isy} Was 'sb fearfully ignorant of 'Bi'itisii <&I«WM 'government that he asked ■'rie,^' - W€flf i %hk f t tribute do you pay By tight to that table till l hftd iSt'ii big'broad stream of daylighl 'MoTWa!h- ; brain. Yes, sir, he was a jieW'insA by- tihfe time I had finished \yi"th : liifti. 3 -I s met liim again a few weeks' a'gtf^n-'-liik-'return from Hongkong, wlife'r'e'-'lie-' had been staying for some and : it was really good to hear hjWi'speak' feo glowingly of British institutions-as lie -experienced them ana their kindly treatment of the native population everywhere.

it would'lie an action with far-reach-ins.inil gbod'Pflfec'is that would bring the Amcrica-hsP fnto • constant contact with British eeloaiils. ■■XUan we not do something in Zealand and Australia! Say, through an' interchange of commercial Visits fot a start. Were the Americans 'better acquainted with us ol the British .colonies, rid themselves of the peculiar- flotiofls they have of British management of British colonials nowadays; the! Americans, I feel sure, would "entertain ' more charitable ana kindly feelings towards the Old Country —the Old Country which caused the Boston trouble, but the dear old country again that would acknowledge her errors and prove her repentance and wisdom ■ by her latter day and present colonial I do think the bufv „£>i iAJiftViwns-i ihd they are inland people; Tirdge""England by the Boston trouble period. Even now, behold my friend"the doctor from Texas? Now, if through our efforts and through observing us the Americans can come to entertain ;a correct and kindly view of our motherland, why the effects of international intercourse would be great and fraught with much happiness. And would we not thereby repay a little <\i the debt of gratitude we owe? i NEW ZEALAND WOOL IN JAPAN. Xew Zealand wool will be before v\ry lohiqj manufactured into cloth by Japan. For Japan has .started to manufacture cottons and woollens for the Orient. She „li£.«,vv : ji Tit

takes wool from Australia as it is. And it won't be long before she will have boats calling at Wellington for Romney wool. Japan is going to lick creation in manufactures for the East. For she has the push and the cheap labour. She has some plant up and is pushing up more. The day even will come when her surplus manufactures will be thrown aboard her ships as "ballast and dumpea into Australia and New Zealand in spite of tariff walls. She has started on cottons and woollens, fancy goods, and is hitting the Germans hard with straw hats and crockery. And who can possibly compete against Japan? Not America, for flier carriage is too far and her labour, at one dollar and a hall, puts her straightaway out of the running. Not England, surely, for her carriage is likewise far and her labor cheap compared with the American. Not Australia—absurd thought! Neither has New Zealand a "possible." Germany is in the same category with England. So you see as clear as a pikestaff that Japan rules the roost. There is one way by which to compete against Japan. Let foreign capital build factories in Shanghai or Hankow or Tientsin and utilise Chinese labour at 30 to 40 cents a day (fid to 8d). This is the only possible way that I can see. Otherwise the Eastern market belongs ito Japan solely. She knows it, she is working for it, and the more grease to her elbow, say I. SHALL WE TRADE?. ' Now a very serious question presents itse'i for New Zealand thought. Will you trade with Japan? Will you allow her boats to call at port after port and do your sea carriage for you, or will you start boats of your own to carry the wool to Japan and return with crockery, Xmas toys, and fancy goods? In any case, through the channels of trade and the desire to benefit by trade your scruples concerning the Asiatic will weaken, and your merchants will press your bankers and your bankers will press legislators, and many who are clients of banks, to lessen the restrictions upon Asiatics, and then you will have first a few Japanese traders, then more Japanese, coolies to the traders, then more and still more. Finally the Chinese will ask why should you discriminate. If you allow the Japanese, why not the Chinese? And you will remove the restriction on the Chinese even, and a lovely hotch-potch you would maike of your country. Don't remove or modify any restriction, but rather, especially in regard to the Chinese, increase them. Raise the £2OO entrance fee to £SOO. What do we care if the Chinese retaliate? We have no trade with China, and. further, let it be at once enacted that every coolie who leaves New Zealand stays away. There must be given no return passports, and so in, the course of 30 years we should rid New Zealand of every Chinaman. The Japs are, to my mind, of superior grade, though even in their case what is sauce for the goose must also be for the gander. However, a detailed scheme on this Asiatic question, with, I beg, favorable inclination to the Japanese, I will leave to others more experienced. I should certainly place the Japs in quite a. different grade from the Chinese—absolutely.