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February 14, 1895.]
TRADE BETWEEN JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA.
The press in Japan, both native and foreign, has given some attention to the visit of Mr. JEROME DYER, who has been commissioned by a group of Australian merchants and producers to promote a more extensive trade between the two countries. The Japan Gazette, after noting a con- troversy between the Kobe papers, goes on to For ourselves we really fail to see say "what Mr. DYEE's mission is expected to achieve. The merchants in Japan are fully alive to the advantages of new markets and had Australia offered op portunities of any inoment they would have been seized with avidity. tralia has only a population of some 3,000,000, a population burdened with debt and distributed over a wide area "of territory. Obviously there is iL
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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has to be taken into account. In the his original decision Commander HASTINGS "twentieth century the Pacific will probably says he acted under Section 39 of the "be dominated by four powers principally, Magistrates Ordinance, which section pro "viz., Federated Australia, Japan, Chili, vides that where, as in the case of the Build- “and California (as representative of the ing Ordinance, no mode of levying a fine is United States). Between Australia and expressly provided, a distress warrant may Japan a large trade will have sprung up, be issued, but that where it shall appear "and the preservation of amity between the to the Magistrate that the issuing of a "two countries will have become a question distress warrant "would be ruinous to the "of supreme importance." Japan" by the "defendant and his family' "the defendant into prominence as
with China has brought herself may instead be committed to prison with or 3 great power, and without hard labour. Commander HASTINGS in obedience to the spirit of enterprise has arrived at the conclusion that to impose and progression that characterises her imprisonment in the present case under that things, seek to extend the sphere of her in- upon it. people, she will, in the natural course of section was to put a strained construction Not only a strained construction, fluence, both commercial and political. The his Worship might have added, but Japanese population in Hawaii, which al-supremely ridiculous one. The section of ready numbers some twenty-six thousand, the Magistrates Ordinance under which he are said to be making their presence felt might more appropriately have proceeded there, and Japan will no doubt be prepared would have been section 31, which provides "limit to its consumption of curios and of possibly even to use force for the protection proved but the offence is in the particula case to keep a close watch on their interests, that where the Magistrate thinks a charge is "rice. As to Japan, frozen mutton is not, of those interests should she deem it neces-of so trifling a nature that it is inexpedient "nor for many years to come will be, a popular dish, and very few persons can
sary. Trade is also being pushed with to inflict any punishment, or any other than "afford wool. There is doubtless room commercial activity will likewise be felt complaint without proceeding to a convic
the Philippines, and before long Japanese a nominal punishment, he may dismiss the "for a certain expansion of the present in the "trade. but that expansion cannot be abundant warrant, therefore, for the pro- BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE
Netherlands Indies. There is tion. The offence committed by Mesurs. accomplished, though it may be assisted, phecy that Japan will become
was essentially "by an exchange of courtesies between the dominating powers of the Pacific, tence.
one of trivial and resulted entirely from inadver "Government officials. It must "through the medium of private enterprise, relations with Australia.
come and as such she will be brought into close tention of a correspondent whose letter will
We agree, necessarily, with the con and private enterprise does not flourish correspondent of the Japan Mail suggests, consideration should be shown to Messrs. An Australian be found in another column that no special "when business is unremunerative. If
bowever, that there are serious difficulties BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE on account of the Mr. DYER wishes to test the honesty in the way of Australia's participating in the amount they contribute to the revenue or of Japanese merchants by giving them benefits to be derived from the stipulations on account of their position. "extensive credit, by all means let him of the new treaty, on account of her policy the law all men are equal.
Before attempt the experiment. Experience is with regard to immigration. The members the defendants had been
matter who a harsh but effective teacher." Writing of the labour party, he says, would scout the flicted would have been out of all propor penalty in- of this description is as useful for the pur-idea of allowing Japanese to enjoy equal tion to the offence, which was simply failure pose of advertising the mission as laudatory rights with Victoriaus, and notwithstanding to give notice to the Public Works Depart- comments would be, perhaps even more so, that the merchants, manufacturers, and pro- ment of certain works which were being and on that ground will no doubt be appre-ducers of Victoria are anxious to establish carried out in connection with the sugar ciated by Mr. DYER, though it does not markets for their produce in Japan, as shown refinery at Quarry Bay or to apply for display much perspicuity on the part of the by Mr. DYER's mission, as long as existing permission for certain technical encroach- writer.. То say that because Japanese laws remain in force, Australia's commercial inents. Had the works been such that the merchants are alive to their own interests dealings with Japau must be very limited department could not have approved of them therefore it is useless for the Australians to compared with the trade of countries that there might have been a suspicion that the trouble themselves is carrying the doctrine are prepared to follow England's new depar- firm wished by proceeding clandestinely of laisser faire to its most absurd ture. conclusion. The immense trade now done remembered, are excluded from the operation Ordinance.
The self-governing colonies, it will be to evade the requirements of the P with England in Australian products has of the treaty unless notice of the desire anything of that And, and as regards one been built up not so much by the indepen- to be included is given with a specified for the charges the permission that should dent efforts of English importers, who are as period. As regards Austrain the immigra- have been applied for in the first instance much alive to their own interests as are the tion question undoubtedly presents a serious Japanese, but by the vigour the Australiaus difficulty, but it may perhaps be surmounted. the summons came on for hearing. In such was actually applied for and granted before have displayed in pushing their goods and In the treaty recently concluded with a case as that the infliction of anything in cultivating the market. The attempt of the America Japin has Australians to open up a large trade with right to control immigration as she may viously uncalled for.
conceded America's the nature of a deterrent penalty was ob- Japan may prove less successful than the think fit, and possibly a similar agreement for the result of the Police Court procee
Some responsibility promoters hope, but no one can blame them might be arrived at with regard to Aus-ings perhaps rests on the defendants for for making the trial; on the contrary, their tralia and embodied in a supplementary action is, like all other legitimate develop-treaty or convention. ments of commercial activity, worthy of commendation. Commercial and industrial ezhibitions are held for the purpose of enabling people who are alive to their own interests to learn more of each other's pro- ductions, and such missions as that of Mr. DTER are despatched in pursuance of the same policy.
as
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But there no suggestion of
not having taken steps to place their defence as fully and clearly before the Magistrate as they did in their letter to the HEAVY FINES UNDER THE Government after the conviction, but they
BUILDING ORDINANCE.
were apparently under the impression that the case was not oue of which a serious When Commander HASTINGS decision yesterday in the case of Messrs. BUT- admission that a techuical offence had been review ed hview could possibly be taken and that their TERFIELD & SWIRE's infraction of the Build-committed would naturally have been ing Ordinance he said Although no large development of the
he was sorry if he followed by the infliction of a nominal had hurt anybody's feelings." But hurting penalty only. trade between Australia and Japan may people's feelings is a small matter; what a Public Works Department could have been in What the object of the take place immediately there can be little Magistrate has to look to is to do justico. instituting the prosecution we fail to perceive, doubt that the commercial relations between By removing the offensive alternative of two and the Magistrate's decision appears out of the two countries are destined ultimately months' hard labour which he originally im- all reason, even to be very close. The Melbourne Argus, posed in the case Commander HASTINGS given to it yesterday.
the modification in its commercial
Such proceedings column, referring modified the injustice of his original decision only serve to bring the public service and some little time age to the now treaty, but he allowed the fines, amounting to $200, to the administration of justice into contempt said:" One of the articles of the treaty remain, although the penalty appears altoge- We have a good sample of the character of "concluded between Great Britain and ther out of proportion to the offence. The mere Government work in the drafting of the *Japan is of vital importance to the Austra-mount of the fine is of course a matter of Building Ordinance, which, now that its de- lian colonies, and should lead timinediate small consideration, except that it implies fects have been brought into prominence, will "action being taken. For it is not only the that in the Magistrate's opinion the offence have to be amended by another Ordinance. present but the future of the commerce of was a grave one, whereas in fact it was Section 84, for instance, provides penalties "the Pacific Ocean-and a Commonwealth a purely technical and trivial one. In for infractions of sections 51 to 66 both "of Australia will be a Pacific power-that imposing the alternative of hard labour in inclusive, while the side-note reads,
after
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