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BRITISH INDUSTRIES AND GERMAN VIEWS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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[December 10, 1906.
Above all, aom.
free
There can be no doubt that British the glorious syst›m of free trade, to which manufacturers are heavily handicappel by Great Britain owes so much of her greatness, the trade unious, who have made them and to intro lura protection. The English their obedient servants, prescribing the have always shown themselves to be the best number and kind of workpeople to be judges of what is conducive to the advance. employed, the wages to be pail, and whit. "ment of their interest, but W3 may piece work may be done and at what rates, the pardoned, our contemporary goes on. and permitting or inhibiting labour-string if we venture to predict what will be the machines at their pleasure. But after all consequ mess of such a policy, as Germany the want of thorough scientific training of is seriously concerned in the matter.
It is masters and men is the chief cause of the hardly probable that the erection of works slow progress of British industry at the on German lines will pay in the long run, present moment. There are few works for a system of protection cannot be long- up-to-date in England and hardly any of live in England. A young plant miy those vast organisations such as exist in the benefit by being kept under glass but a United States and Germany which combine full-grown forest tree would sicken and die. all elementary industries for the purpose of The British manufacturing trule will never uniting under one management the different reconquer foreign markets under protective branches required to produce the finished laws, for it is the fight and struggle for article. The textile industries alone en- supremacy that keeps the technical faculties tinue to maintain the lead, but more from frash and progressive. If England, trusting commercial than technical cause. The to protection, does not keep pace with other great coal mines are worked on very primi- countries, her colonies will no longer take tive lines; the metallurgical establishment her goods, which may eventually led to will not stand comparison with thos of serious complications. Ameries or Germany, although, or perhaps mercial predominance demands a because, the economic conditions are exchange of com no lities, with ut which much more favourible. The chemical tra lo Great Britain cannot expect to retain the has lik wis; been left far behind, English, mmopoly of the trade of the world and har science not having succeeded in turning the proud position as the centre of it. Bat endless ramifications of this black art into a can she afford to sacrifice her industrie: common technical channel nor been able to to this? Certainly, for her geographical, supply the army of scientifically trained economic and civilizing mission is, in our assistants which issues annually from the opinion, to "rule the waves and to universities and technical high schools of be the Rialto of the world. Her agricul the fatherland. Another cease in point is tural interests have already been sacrificed electrical engineering. When this industry, and her industries must follow of a in laying the foundations of which British neessity, but in adhering to her true physicists so eminently distinguishe 1 them- vocation England will higher than ever sølves, began to become a trada, it before. There are people of restricted mostly in the han Is of empiricists, many of views who look upon Great Britain in the whom by boldly groping in the dark as it light only of a small island, and they fail were often forestall - the results of scientific to un-lerstand that the island kingdom is research. For a time England kept pace with the exchange and mart of the world and the the Unitel States, but when practical ex- seat of Government of over one third of the perience no longer sufficed and scientific inhabited globs. Whether a little hammer- methods were being introduced and pering, forging and spinning goes fected, she fell back, although her scientists have emtinued to render most valuable assistance in research work. Some of the most important factories passed into the hands of foreign capitalists, but for the reasons mentioned above, the tra le remained con- fined to the home markets, not being able to meet foreign competition abra 1.
Was
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(Daily Press, 1st December.) An article on British industries in the Zukunft of October 13th seems to. deserve attention, for although parts of it may be overdrawn, it contains truths which manufacturers in England would do well to lay to heart. The final conclusion the writer arrives at will, however, hardly be acquiesced in by anybody at home or abroad. The British manufacturing industry is, he says, the oldest of modern times and up to within the last thirty years reigned supreme. Whoever erected a factory in Germany, France, the United States or elsewhere, had to obtain the plant and machinery from England. The causes of her predominauce lay in the great mineral riches of the country, ber wealth, her extensive home trade, the intelligence of her people and the easy access to foreign markets. The trade of Great Britain continues to expand, but, compared with the unprecedented development of that of Germany and the United States, at a very slow pace. Since the cessation of the wars which for centuri-s made Germany the battlefield of nations and drained her resources, the purchasing power of the people has gradually i creased, giving a stimulus to industry; they have accumulated capital until at the present time they have become independent of English money, which they no longer require for the building of railways, waterworks, &c. In America things took pretty much the same course. With the increase of wealth and a steadily growing demand for home consumption, technical knowledge, following closely in the, wake of scientific research and discoveries, made rapid progress and branching out into numerous different channels rendered specialisation more and more necessary. The devising of new and improved methods of manufacture on scientific bases became a special study, for which an enormous apparatus was required. To this the English people, who prefer to turn their great intellectual powers to what lies within their immediate ken, never took kindly. A healthy race and proud of their muscular strength they are fond of work but will not sacrifice everything to it; they demand short hours, a weekly halt-holiday, games and a certain amount of country
It may be safely asserted that the English life. The German on the other hand loves people with their practical minds are quite his work above everything, is insatiable of aware of the position they hold in thò in- knowledge and when his energies begin teruational race; the ill-feeling towards to flag, his innate conscientiousness steps Germany which unimportant political in- in urging him on to renewed efforts. Then cidents have served to increase, has its real again the English, owing to their long origin in the rivalry of workshop and experience and glorious traditions in the arsenal. The causes however of her being manufacturing business, have acquired a
left behind are of too serious a nature and habit of extreme conservatism in their too deeply sented to be easily removed so ideas. They are not easily persuaded to long as British industrias continue to be make experiments, and hesitate before carried ou on the sim- economic and in- adopting new methods, asking "Will it tellectual lines.
A radical change of pay ?" until they find out that they are
methods is the only effectual way for thi being left behind in the race; whereas the to retrieve their position. Tustad, how-ile that between East and West and American is attracted by the risk a novelty ever, other means have been tried; the North and South of such a vast country may present. He rushes into new enter- first measure was the "Made in Germany" there were barriers of sentiment an 1 feeling, prizes, knowing full well that, if one out of act, which is now generally admittel to that occasionally threatened to make "the a hundred turns out a success, he will be have been a great m stake, as it shovel United States a misnomer; but it his repaid a thousandfold. Even the more buyers abroad where to go for their gools, bem left to “An American Exile," in a careful German is nowadays prompt in Then an appeal wils male to
British letter in the Times, to draw attention to a giving new inventions and new methods a patriotism and it has become a rule with very weak spot in the Constitution.
After trial, if, on mature reflection, he considers government and municipal balies receiv-reading this letter, we are tempted to offer that they are likely to prove advantageous-ing teaders for the supply of goods, to give the explanation that the American Govern. even if there be as yet no mathematical the preference to their own countrymen, ment includes a trinity of non-authoritative certainty of success, a certainty which in although offers from foreign makers may authorities-the Executive (a President fact is rarely attained until too late. H be more advantageous. But all this has failed who cannot execute) the Legislativa has become sufficiently Americanized not to to give the British manufacturer the hip (whose laws, when unpopular, don't count) be deterred by big figures, the rapid he needs, and it seems no longer doubtful (to expansion of banking enterpriz ant the the Zukunft) that, though the present joint stock system having widened his government may be able to pit off the evil horison.
hour, the next will be compelled to abandon |
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corners of this vast edifice is of small consequence. England derives her mans of sulisistence from ruling and protecting others, whilst the remainder, like mechanics and artisans, live by the work of their bands, It is an interesting commentary On Dr. SCHMIDT's opinions previously
reviewed..
ARE AMERICAN TREATIES
WORTHLESS ?
(Daily Press, December 3rd.) The United States of Am ›rica ar uaited by a system more ingeniously complicated than many non-Americans are aware of; and the fact that the unity is not so actual as the grandiloquent title would imply has never been made so apparent as by the recent Japanese troubles at San Francisco. The outside world his always hal soine
and the Judicial, (which is in may. respects injudicious). To select the Presid eat, cach Stats appoints a number of electors, equal to the number of its Senators
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