Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/143

 181 it  account. Th re;st arresting figures are those relating to matches. They show to what a remarkable extent Japan was able to capture the Indian market for this commodity. In this connection the following remarks taken from ho Review of Trade of India for 1914-15 will be found illuminating. "Until recently ma;ohes 'made in Sweden' or 'made in Norway' monopolised the Indian market, but cheap Japanese Matches have since 1912-1 been a tormidable competitor. The influx o! Japanese matches has erormously increased owing, it is said to (1) oheap freights, () existenoe of a Japanese league of manufacturers and shippers, and (3)the formation of a regular servioe sailing from Japan to Caloutta vii Rangoon. Japan has now oaptured the major portion of the Indian matoh trade. Imports from Sweden and Norway continue to show a noioeable decrease. The reason is that Japanese matches are very much cheaper han Swedish matches. The monthly-average ('o! import from Japan ) for the last four months of 1914-15, showed au increase of 221 per cent as against the corresponding period o! the previous year." This is how a practical people backed by a practical Government set about .heir business. No amount o! mere talking, even though supported by commissions, can help to industrialize a oou. try. The following table gives some details about Japanese imports from us :--- VALU OF CHIsF CO.IMODTI8 I.POBTED FRO.! INDIA. Commodity Rco ... Indigo ... Cotton, Raw ... Flax, Hemp, Jute and China grass ... Wool ... Oil-ake ... 1918 20,080,917 01,488 14.%089,17fl 1,158,058 5,888 1,912,084 1914 7,465,677 20,899 141,447,591 8f1,.11 12,408 1,269,888 1915 64 7,874 146,024 189,704,522 1,-80,548 5,650 511,572 It will be soon from this table that, compared with 19111, our export o! riee to Japan has in 1915 praetteally dis-