Directory_and_Chronicle_1917 — Page 747

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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 native population of Corea is estimated to be slightly over 15,000,000. The foreign population in 1914, exclusive of Japanese, was 18,025, of whom 16,882 were Chinese and 230 British. The latter are mostly missionaries. The Japanese population in 1914 was 290,455 as against 271,591 in 1913. Since the Russo-Japanese war, the Japanese population has increased at the rate of between 20 and 30 per cent. One small English newspaper, the Seoul Press (conducted by Japanese), is published in Seoul.

The industries of Corea are mainly agricultural. The foreign trade of the country has shown steady development under the fostering care of the Japanese. In 1904, the total value of the country's foreign trade was yen 34,933,306. In 1915 the value was yen 108,691,682-exports yen 49,492,325, and imports yen 59,199,357. This shows an increase of more than 15 million yen in exports, but a decrease of 4 million yen in imports as compared with 1914. Japan naturally does the bulk of the trade, her share in 1915 being 706 per cent. of the imports and 82.6 per cent. of the exports. China comes next with 135 per cent. of imports, and 11.3 per cent. of exports. Great Britain is third on the list and the United States fourth. Jinsen (Chemulpo) was the most important port in the foreign trade of the peninsula for a long time, but the foreign trade of Fusan has increased largely in recent years and to- day it leads all the rest. 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.

The significant growth in exports, establishing a record for the export trade of the Peninsula, was principally due to agricultural and industrial development and to the effect of the European war. The export of rice, the principal agricultural product of the Peninsula, alone amounted to 24,516,622 yen in 1915, showing an increase of 7,418,039 yen as compared with the preceding year. There was increase also in other agricultural products, mineral products, etc, such as beans, ginseng, gold ore, coal and cocoons. There was a great demand for Corean cow-hides and live stock in Russia, so that exports of cow-hides rose in value to over 3,538,790 yen, being an increase of nearly 2,000,000 yen as against 1914. The decrease in the import trade was due to financial dullness occasioned to a certain extent by the war, and to the replacement of foreign products by domestic products. Gold mining has in recent years become an im- portant industry. 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. There is a tendency to increase in the output by Japanese operators, for mining is beginning to attract the attention of capitalists of good repute in Japan. Anthracite coal is mined by the Govern- ment at Pyngyong. The largest of the enterprises at present is the Unsan mine operated by an American syndicate known as the Oriental Consolidated Mining Co. Its annual output is over 3,000,000 yen. 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. In 1912 its output of gold was worth 1,096,000 yen, in addition to which silver and copper valued at 140,000 yen was won. The French and Italian concessions are in the province of Pyong-an. The output of minerals in 1913 was worth yen 8,110,412 as against yen 6,815,113 in 1912. Seventy per cent. of this output consisted of gold.

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. Japan 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.

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