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Chinese goods. Japan's biggest purchases were made at the shop of her Ally, Great Britain alone contributing £11,885,246 worth, against America's £8,196,721. British India sent goods value £7,581,967. Germany obtained Japanese custom to the extent of $1,185,574.
The number of vessels entering Japanese ports during the year was 13,831, with an aggregate tonnage of 20,336,695 tons. The total tonnage of Japanese vessels entering and clearing was a million and a half more than in 1906, while the foreign tonnage decreased by about 300,000. Steady increase is taking place in the tonnage of imports and exports which are carried in Japanese bottoms." Not only that, but the nature of the goods carried has to be noted. It is surely not impossible to understand and sympathise with the point of view from which the following passage was penned :
It need hardly be here added that an exC388 of imports over exports is not necessarily a matter for grief or alarm, for according the condition of the country, the circumstances of the time, and the kinds of commodities imported, it may even be a presage of prosperity. Upon reviewing the condition of our import trade, we are greatly strengthened in mind by the fact
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[July 6, 1908.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
before crossing the thoroughfare leading to | morality will be sure to say that Pedder's wharf. The theory responsible for disclosure is still more heinous, it is perhaps this is that if the trams did not so stop, there advisable to confess that the present writer would be a likelihood of collisions with other received and acted on precisely the same vehicular traffic emerging from the two hint some years ago. Certainly no one who- sections of the thoroughfare that is there sees all the foreign papers in Japan will crossed by the tramway. It is an easy mat- regard as ter to show that a safer system is possible. statement that they all do it."
too greatly exaggerated the For- If this cross-street were in a city in one tunately for the editor of the Japan of the countries previously referred to, Mail, he is in a position to bear a good the westward bound tram would stop at deal of that without feeling burt. If Jardine's corner, with its rear just clear of it amuses the mosquitoes to attack the Pedder Street, and the eastward going car elephant, the latter beast can afford to let would stop opposite Kruse's window, with them. As we have taken a similar view of its rear in line with the corner of Mr. BETHELL'S conduct in Seoul to that the Hongkong Hotel. And there would taken by Capt. BRINKLEY, we presume that so be less likelihood of accident than we also have, in the eyes of some of our there is at present. Passengers in chairs Japan contemporaries, been disgracing or ricshas, going to or from Pedder's wharf, journalism. Much depends upon the stan have at present to run the gauntlet of dard involved, and if the state of grace we the two trams, to pass between a Scylla have fallen from be that recognised in the and Charybdis that have the additional sanctums of the Japan settlements, we shall terror of moving simultaneously upon the be in no hurry to rep nt. The Japan traveller. Often at each side of the tram. Herald, which, with some others, is always way there is a block of chairs and richas, ready to condemn the Japan Mail without waiting till it is safe to cross, and the a trial, thus virtuously complains: spectacle may be seen any day of the coolies making a tentative plunge forward with suddenly darting back again, to her dis- some unhappy and helpless lady, and comfort and danger. Foot passengers going tram just starting, and making a rush to towards Pedder's wharf see the westward
clear it, find themselves in immident peril of A SMALL MATTER
being knocked down by the eastward one. Here is the situation, one of excited and (Daily Press, 2nd Jaly.)
risky burryiuga, or of safe but annoying We all are familiar with the trite reflec-delay. If the trams were stopped in the tion that in their sum the smaller matters of
that while there is a marked increase in the import of raw materials, a gradual decrease is observable in the import of manufactured articles; and it cannot be long before these
increasing imports bear fruit and lead to a great expansion of our export trade,
life have the greater importance, but it can easily be shown to be true that there are lots of little things which by themselves individually affect us more than do details of broader aspect.
Straws show which way the wind blows, but a tiny fragment of one straw misplaced-say in the wayfarer's eye-causes him more inconvenience than the biggest gale that could buffet him. From this we may go on to conclude that those reformers best serve humanity who devote their attention to the so-called minor ills, just as the largest fortunes have been made by inventors who, ignoring perpetual motion or flying machines, bave turned their genius to the task of supplying some petty daily requirement. A bootlace that would not break in the hand of an impatient man who has got up late should have more money in it than an aeroplane, and a really good collar-stud would have a greater moral influence on mankind than all the libraries that CARNEGIE could possibly give away. In view of these preliminary observations, we may be excused for? giving some prominence to a matter that many people will be sure to say is! hardly worth considering. assured by both observation and report that it does cause considerable inconvenience every day to a number of the public, and as warn that representations were ineffect- ively made to the management quite a year ago, we have decided thus to put it in the public eye. What is it all about? The question was here inevitable, and making at once an end of mystery, we divulge the fact that the subject to which we invite attention is the method of stopping the electric street cars at what is called the Post, Office station."
In accordance with
As
we are
tramway custom in England, a custo discarded in more progressive countries, such as America and Australia, the west roing traming at the frontage of the Topgkong Hobefore crossing Pedder et. The eastward bound tram stops at ner of the new Post Office, also
reverse way, there would always be a per- fectly safe and uninterrupted passage for traffic between their rearward ends. obvious that there is no trouble for expense It is involved to the tram company in making the change, yet we understand the simple suggestion has been ignored for a whole year. Perhaps the Police, or other Govera- ment department, could induce the manage- ment to show this small consideration for the public convenience and safety. only objection they can urge against the The chauge is the theory that if the trams were to continue across the street, other vehicles might run into them. This is not a real danger. The trams would naturally cross slowly, as the change of stopping place only means about twice their own length, and in any case the danger of this very thing is greater under the existing arrangement. Any reader interested has only to loiter on the scene about tiffin-time any week-day to satisfy himself of the absolute reasonable- uess of the suggestion.
JOURNALISM IN JAPAN.
"The Japan Mail this morning takes upon itself to decide a case which is now in course of
The Editor of the Mail must be aware that in hearing at Seoul, and to do so in terms which appear to us to be a disgrace to journalism. his own country such action would lead to very hesitate in regard to an action being tried before serious bonsequences, and yet he does not a British Court in a foreign country to publish statements markedly detrimental to the defen- been expected to render such action impossible dant. A sense of fair play alone might have for a self-respecting person."
and it might be unanswerable if the Japan This is theoretically a correct line to take, Herald and others had not been so busily publishing anticipating the same trial, and themselves mental to the complainant." It is true that "statements markedly detri- we should never assume the guilt of an ac- used, but it is humbug to pretend that in the Seoul case there was ever any need to as- ed from time to time the purport and effect sume anything. Certain things were publish.
BETHELL of which no sane person could doubt. Mr. Japanese authorities in Korea, and he was
confessedly against doing all he could to hurt them, and in- cidentally to make himself a forca to be reckoned with. He was no Garibaldi, no Hampden, but a smart man of business who thought he saw money in a certain line, and that ine he took. The delivered judgment of the British Judge, whose fairness surely will not be doubted, coincides in every way with our own views and the views of the Japan Mail. The carping of the others,
was
the
with
their extraord nary bias, is the disgraceful feature, and their humbugging references to "fair play." A newspaper condemnation of an unconvicted accused person may be bad for the newspaper, if it leads to its punishment for contempt of court, but it is unlikely to prejudice the accused's case, certainly if he be coming before a British Judge. If it be Immoral, and a disgrace to journalism, it is at least on all fours with a newspaper acquittal of accused is himself a journalist who has an untried accused, especially when that added to the disrepute of his profession.
(Daily Press, July 3rd.) The trial and condemnation in Seoul, by a British Judge, of a British journalist whe has undoubtedly been doing his utmost to make the Japanese administration of Korea as difficult as possible, has provoked a very acrimonious discussion in the foreign news- papers of Japan, which, to anyone unfamiliar with the queer habit of those journals, would seem extraordinarily uncalled-for. The | Japan Chronicle approvingly quotes theJapan Herald as saying that certain comments in the Japan Mail are a disgrace to jour. nalism." We have grounds for stating that At the Magistracy on June 30th -before-Mr. when a new recruit to Yokohama journalism. H. Kemp, Cho Fang-chi, merchant, of 149, arrives, it is not unusual for him to receive Connaught Road Central, was charged with advice somewhat as follows, "When you the sum of Yen 89 to Yan-8,775. Mr.F. B. attering and altering a bill of exchange from are hard up for something to write about, Deacon (of Messrs. Deacon, Looker and Deacon) abuse Capt. BRINKLEY of the Mail, We all do it."
appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Otto As those who seem so much | Kong bing for the defence. The houring of concerned about that eminent authority's the case was adjourned, bail Being Exéd-að
disgraceful" lapses from journalistic1 $5000.
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