This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com 501 Economic Review The Oriental A Fortnightly Summary of East Asian Affairs , VOL . I New York , November 10 , 1910 . N U The Oriental Economic Review Conter Published twice in every month , on the Ioth and 25th days . EDITORIAL AR Subscription : Single copy 10 cents ; one year $ 1.50 . OUR AIMS I Postage free within the United States postal limits . ) ( THE FINAN C 407352 AND ECONOMIC MOTOSADA ZUMOTO Proprietor and Editor ........ MR . SITUATION IN JAPAN 2 Associate Editors . Prof. Masujiro Honda and Mr. Tsunego Baba . THE CHINESE LOAN 3 , Publishing Office — The Oriental Information Agency THE KOREAN SITUATION 4 No. 35 Nassau Street , New York , N. Y. All checks and money orders payable to Mr. Mo NOTES AND COMMENTS 4 tosada Zumoto . THE POLICY OF THE JAPANESE GOVERN Agency MENT The Oriental Information 5 New York , N. Y. " REPRESENTATIVE JAPAN " 35 Nassau Street , 5 Telephone : 4920 Cortlandt . JAPANESE COMMERCIAL AGENT IN New 5 This Agency was established in August , 1909 , with YORK the support of the leading financiers and merchants COMMERCIAL NOTES of Tokyo and Yokohama , for the purpose of dis INDUSTRIAL AND seminating in the United States and elsewhere , re affairs in Japan and FROM JAPAN 6 liable information concerning MILITARY ATTACHÉ AT WASH the Far East in general , with particular reference JAPANESE to the financial and economic situation in that part of the world . INGTON 6 It is hoped that the spreading of such knowledge will materially contribute to the promotion of In PUBLIC DEBT OF JAPAN 7 timate relations and incidentally also of friendship and good - will between the nations of the East and JAPANESE LABORERS IN BRAZIL 8 West . Beside the publication of the present REVIEW , the JAPANESE AEROPLANES 8 Agency undertakes for nominal charges : JAPAN To supply , upon application , information on any HUMANE WORK IN 9 on matters connected subject about Japan , especially JAPAN IO with finance , trade and industries . ELECTRICITY IN To introduce would - be traders with Japan to suit houses there . THE INTERNATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS able mercantile JAPAN To arrange for lectures , illustrated or otherwise , AND II by competent Japanese , before clubs , schools and " TRAMPS IN DARK MONGOLIA other institutions , on subjects relating to Japan , 13 China , Korea or Manchuria . To translate from English into Japanese , and vice versa . MOTOSADA ZUMOTO , Director . Our Aims MASUJIRO HONDA , Associate Director . TSUNEGO BABA , Associate Director . This modest journal is published in the interests of commerce and peace Japanese Money , Weights , and between the East and the West in gen Measures eral and of Japan and the United States about 50 cents ( U. Yen = 100 sen , 25. 0/2 d . , or particular . S. C ) . in developments have taken place Kin = 160 momme . ..1.323 lb. avoirdupois Mighty the past few Kwan = 1,000 momme . .8.267 lbs . avoirdupois in Eastern Asia during Sün = .... 1.193 inch decades , but still mightier developments = ( 10 sün ) 11.930 inches Shaku may be expected in the coming quarter Ken = 6 shaku .. -5.965 feet century The spirit of change and re = 60 ken . mile , 5.4229 chains . Cho 1/15 throughout the whole Ri = 36 cho ... .2.44 miles birth is abroad Ri sq . = .. • 5.9552 sq . miles breadth and width of Asia , but it is no Cho , land measure . .2.45 acres where more active or more widely · 39.7033 gallons Koku , liquid . spread than in the eastern section of that Koku , dry ... .4.9629 bushels To , liquid . 3.9703 gallons continent where the situation is fraught To , dry .. 1.9851 peck with many political and ethnical problems most far - reaching consequences to Besides , the system of weights and meas of the acknowl ures based on the metric system is the welfare of the human species . What edged as legal in the following ratios : future of the Yellow races ? How I metre . ..3.3 shaku is the awakening affect th posi I gram . .. .. ..0.26667 momme ( 4/15 momme ) will their 2 THE ORIENTAL ECONOMIC REVIEW . tion of the Occidental Powers ? What is The Financial and Economic the immediate outlook in the political sit Situation in Japan uation in China ? Will not a hasty intro We want particularly to call the atten duction of a parliamentary system in tion of our readers to the clear and com China in the present chaotic condition of prehensive statement by Marquis Kat its government tend to precipitate a dis sura , the Premier and Finance Minister , astrous dynastic conflict ? What will be of the policy of Japan , a translation of the future relations between Japan and which is printed elsewhere . China ? What will be the future of It is very gratifying to learn from the Japan in its new career of continental ex highest authority in the land that the pansion ? These are only some of the scheme of naval increase which the Im problems that are now attracting the at- perial Government will recommend to tention of the world . From time to time the Diet in the coming session is ex we shall venture to submit to our readers tremely conservative , as may be inferred an Oriental view on some of these ques from the fact that the outlays required tions , and should any of our readers feel will be only 80,000,000 yen ( $ 40,000,000 ) so inclined , they will always be welcome to be spread over six years . What is to utilize these columns for the ventila- equally satisfactory is that all this expen tion of their ideas on these and similar diture will be provided for by the ordi subjects . nary revenue of the Government . But the questions to which we pro What is also most reassuring is the pose to devote our especial attention are declaration that , notwithstanding the in those relating to commercial and econom creased demands upon the national treas ical development in East Asian coun ury from this and other causes , the Im tries . These are of all questions the most perial Government will not depart from practical and of the most immediate im the policy of setting aside a yearly sum of portance , and unlike political and ethnic at least 50,000,000 yen for the redemption problems , admit of a more definite hand of the national debt . It may , in passing , ling by the use of statistics and other data be observed that , thanks to this wise pol equally easy of verification . Thus while icy , Japan has already succeeded in re addressing ourselves to all classes of paying 300,000,000 yen of her debt since people , the diplomats , the politicians , the the late war . It had been feared in some scholars , etc. , it is our ambition to ap quarters that the alleged demand for peal in a particular manner to the finan naval expansion on an extravagant scale cier , the merchant and the manufacturer , might necessitate the temporary discon in a word to those who take an active in tinuance of this sound financial policy ; terest in the unique opportunities for but either Marquis Katsura has been able legitimate profit offered by the economic to repress the ardor of the more extreme awakening of five hundred millions of section in naval circles or possibly the hard - working and intelligent people in rumored scheme for a radical increase of one of the oldest and richest quarters of the fleet was merely a rumor after all . In the globe . any case , we are pleased to learn that It will be seen that the task we have set no untoward departure is contemplated in the Government's financial policy . before us is one very ambitious in scope Marquis Katsura takes an encouraging and character . We enter upon our career view of the economic situation in Japan with small diffidence , as we are keenly no -a view in which he is sustained by sensible of our own shortcomings . ample evidence . Apart from the reviving We fondly hope , however , that with activity in the promotion of new com due encouragement from the enlightened panies and the enlargement of the old public of the Occident , it may be within ones , to which reference is made by the the power of this humble publication to Premier , there are other unmistakable make some contribution , however small , signs of returning prosperity . In the first to a better understanding between the place , prices generally are slowly but East and the West and to the cementing steadily rising . According to the index of the two more securely with the surest numbers of prices of the forty - six prin and strongest safeguards of peace , com cipal commodities , prepared and pub merce and trade . lished by the Toyo Keisai , the leading THE ORIENTAL ECONOMIC REVIEW . 3 economic journal of Japan , the movementject of the loan is to enable China to of prices reached its lowest point in April , carry out the much - discussed and long 1909 , when the general average stood at delayed reform of her I 22 . For about a year it remained impossible cur nearly rency . In the same breath , it is also stationary , until May , 1910 , when it be stated that a portion of the proceeds gan to show a decided upward of tendency , the loan will be diverted to industrial and this has since been steadily kept up , purposes in Manchuria and other parts the average price for the first week of of China , and that a large part of the October , 1910 , the latest date available , money will be invested here in the form being 130 .