APAN, A satan of Consular reports concerning Japan reached us by last mail. They all tell the same story of native energy in pushing trade, adapting foreign methods in manufacturing and seel new outlets for the restless ingenuity of the people. Mistakes are made and losses are incurred no doubt, but it is as certain on the other hand that the balance is largely to the credit of Japanese enterprise. And judging from the reports of banks, cotton manufacturing mills, iron-founding, brewing and other. industrial concerns which have been published, a very great and unusual measure of success has attended most, or at all events a very large nun-ber of. joint stock companies in Japan. It may be that the day of reckoning for too rapid expansion of these concerns has to come, but even if the most gloomy anticipations of the prophets of evil days are realised, there will doubtless be still remaining what will leave a large balance of good in hand. Such crises have occurred in every country and the harm which they have done has been only temporary. Osaka is the centre of Japanese manufacturing according to foreign methods, and Mr. 'Troup, the British Consul there, reports a considerable increase in the productive power of a large cotton manufacturing mill at Sangenya, It now contains 28,380 mule spindles and 30,620 ring spindles' or 59,000 in all. Other mills in the same place had some 9,000 spindles going and 5,500 not actually in operation at the end of last year. We have before alluded to the prosperity which the Osaka Mill Ca. has enjoyed since its formation, and we have since then furnished with fuller accounts of its working. From these we learn that the capital on the 30th June last amounted to 750,000 yen—6 lacs in "old" and 13 in new "capital aceount—and the Reserve Fund to 180,000 yen. The balance of Working Account for the half year was slightly over 210,000 yen, which with 40,000 yen creased brought forward from the previous year's Profit and Loss account enabled the directors to pay 18 per cent, for the halfyear, on the old capital of lacs of yen, to transfer 123,000 yer to their Reserve Funds and pay considerable gratuities to the staff. A statement of the Working Account informs us that the cost of the cotton which was spun during the half year was 370,000 yer, and that the yam manufactured therefrom realised 505,000 yer, and the cotton refuse 7,319 yen, the profit on the yarns being 130,016 yen which is equal to about 30 per cent on the outlay for cotton. The quantity of raw cotton used in the 143 working days in the half-year was 2,703,038 Ibs. which produced 2,406,394 Ibs. of yarn, equal to a-daily production of 14,825 lbs. of yarn, the number of men and women employed in the will being 1,309—their ree were from 4 to 45 sen a day—and the consumption of coal 35,492 piculs. In English money the lowest wage is about 1}d., and the highest 1/5d. per day. Itis in the low wages that the secret lies of the the success of the cotton manufacturing mills in Japan, yet the wages paid by them are higher than the same working people would derive from employment in native industries. The Consul at Hiogo refers to the simple but efficient cotton ginning machines, the invention of which is claimed by a Japanese, and which are in use in the Ningpo district and will soon be at work in other places in this country. Among other industries established near Hiogo are the making of leather, and of boots and shoes and military equipments; sulphuric acid, which is largely ex to China; vegetable dives which "are rich and effective," and an imitation of Portland cement. Brick making, the manufacture of strawboard and paper, repel seed crushing by machines, and the refinement of the oil, were all being commenced when Mr. Troup wrote. The manufacture of hemp carpets and rugs has sprung up within the last year or two; hair rugs have lately been made while the cotton rugs which have been manufactured for some time have greatly improved in quality and have become cheaper, and cotton flannel is largely made one prefecture. The rice polishing mills at Hiogo were bumed down last year but two others were being erected in their place, capable of tuming out 200 tons of polished rice daily, besides another in the neighbourhood of i the port. At Shimonoseki another was being erected with a daily capacity of 150 tons. The export of camphor had i: increased, supplies of it being apparently available when the prices ofered sent sufficient inducement. Of: miscellaneous articles the export of matches to China again showed a large increase; and also that of such articles as screens bamboo-ware to Europe, Ray America porcelain and pottery, lacquer an
and the Colonies had continued to The import trade with Britain lal 58 per cent. and the whole trade with Britain 30 per cent. during the year. The articles of British import which shewed the greatest improvement were cottons, woollens, and metals, From Nagasaki Consul Enslie reports that "there has been a lange development of progressive business ideas among the "Fapanese of the district, and the manufacture of fancy articles, peculiarly Japanese, tends to shew that the place "is awakening from the apathetic and helpless. state into which, it gradually fell upon the opening of Kobe and Osaka." The Consul draws attention to the increase in business with China which has followed the establishment of Japanese merchants in Tientsin. This has given an impetus to the local wood and porcelain business, the latter having increased very largely, as'Japan makes cheaper pottery than China. The Corean trade at Nagasaki continued to hold its own, though the absence of drawbacks was against it,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.