Directory_and_Chronicle_1914 — Page 757

CHOSEN

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treaty of friendship and commerce was signed by the Corean Government at Jenchuan (Chemulpo) with Commodore Shufeldt on behalf of the United States. A Treaty with England was signed by Sir Harry Parkes on the 26th November, 1883; in 1884 treaties were also concluded with Germany and Russia, and later with France, Italy, and Austria. The population of Corea is estimated to be between 12,000,000 and 14000,000. The foreign population in June, 1909, exclusive of Japanese, who numbered over 144,800, was, according to official statistics, 13,062, of whom 12,332 were Chinese and 153 British. The latter are mostly missionaries. One small English newspaper, the Seoul Press (conducted by Japanese), is published in Seoul.

The industries of Corea are mainly agricultural. The foreign trade reached the high-water mark in 1911 both as regards imports and exports. The value of the trade amounted to yen 72,944,637, as compared with yen 59,695,599 in 1910, and yen 52,897,658 in 1909. Japan's share of the trade in 1911 was yen 47,398,985 Great Britain comes second (with a total of yen 7,923,505), China third and America, Russia, and Germany in the order given. It should here be men- tioned that in annexing Corea, Japan engaged for a period of ten years not to interfere in any way with the commercial rights enjoyed by foreigners in the peninsula under the old régime. The old customs tariff is to be maintained for the period named, to be applied indiscriminately to foreign and Japanese goods alike. The port of Masampo has been closed to foreign trade, but the others-Chemulpo, Fusan, Wonsan, Chinnampo, Kunsan, Mokpo, Songchin, Shimoyu and Chongchin-continue to be open ports. The jurisdiction of Consular Courts was abolished under the proclamation of annexation, and foreigners are therefore now amenable to the Japanese courts, as they are in Japan proper.

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The principal articles of import are cotton manufactures, and of export, rice, beans hides and live stock. There is a considerable paper-making industry, which is entirely in the hands of the peasantry, its great drawback being lack of capital. Gold mining has in recent years become an important industry, the value of the output ap- proaching half a million pounds sterling per annum, There are several gold mines now being worked by British, American, French and Italian syndicates. A number of placer and other mines are worked by natives on a small scale and by Japanese. tween September, 1906, and December, 1908, 285 concessions were granted to Japanese, 47 to Koreans and 29 to other nationalities. Anthracite coal is mined by the Government at Pyingyong. The largest of the enterprises at present is the Wunsan mine operated by an American syndicate known as the Oriental Consolidated Mining Co. Nearly 3,000 hands are employed, and the Company pays to the Government an annual royalty of yen 25,000; the British concession, worked by the Korean syndicate, is in the Su-an district of Hu-wang province; both the French and the Italian concessions are in the province of Pyong-an. The Collbran-Bostwick Development Co. of America has the most important copper mine, situated in the southern part of Ham-Kyung province.

A brighter era dawned for trade and commerce and much else in Corea when the agreement of 1904 was negotiated, giving to Japan virtual control of the administration. Japan lost no time in exercising the power she had acquired. The reform of the effete, incompetent and corrupt administration which had for centuries been in vogue in Corea was a task of no little magnitude. The old order of things cannot be changed in a day, or a decade, but a most promising commencement has been made during the five years Japan has had the direction of the country's internal affairs. She has set to work organising, as among the first essentials of good government, a judicial system which will guarantee the honest and impartial administration of justice by trained judges. A beginning has also been made with the codification of the laws of the country. Gradually the system of local administration is being reformed in a manner which will eliminate old political abuses and lead up ultimately to a system of local autonomy. Reform of the financial administration has received a great deal of attention with excellent results, and among other branches of administration which have been already inoculated with the leaven of reform are the Educational and the Police systems. Public works undertaken include the construction of four main roads traversing some of the most productive regions of the country; waterworks are being provided by the Gov- ernment at Chemulpo and Pyeng-yang, while at Seoul, and one or two other centres, the Government has established hospitals for the sick.

The initiation of all these undertakings involved the expenditure of a large sum of money, which the depleted Corean exchequer could not provide, and recourse was had to a loan from the Japan Industrial Bank for 10,000,000 yen, but accepted at 90 yen per 100 yen, with interest at the rate of 6 per cent., and the Corean Customs receipts were pledged as security for repayment. Half the amount (Yen 4,500,000)

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