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years ago I was shown a specimen of flannel manufactured by a flannel factory at Osaka. It was white flannel, such as is used for our military and naval uniforms. The flannel for these uniforms was imported from England, and is also used for other forms of clothing. The manufacturer who showed me the sample had a strong desire to improve the quality of the flannel until it would be possible to replace the English make. He repeatedly proposed to our Government to encourage his industry, but the Government would not consider it because the English flannel was both cheaper and better. At length the Government, sorely beset by the earnestness of the man, arranged to purchase the flannel from him, provided the price was made lower and the quality improved. In the course of a few years this was realized, and to-day the Osaka flannel is produced in such excellent and low-priced goods that the English make cannot surpass it. This end could not have been accomplished without the help of the Government—an obvious result of the economic policy.

We often hear that the safety of the country cannot be insured so long as we are not able to manufacture our own military equipment—rifles, cannons, gunpowder, etc.—and yet we take no measures to meet this situation, but rely upon the imported material for the clothing of our soldiers. When we hear similar utterances in Europe and America it means less than it does to us. It means that such things as military instruments, clothing, shoes, and other things are, of course, made by themselves. We can never be independent from a military point of view so long as we are relying upon foreign countries for our army’s clothing and even for rations. And for this reason I advocate the independent supply of military goods as well as of military instruments.

It cannot be expected that this proposal of mine should be followed immediately. It may, nevertheless, be adopted by calling to it the attention of the proper officials. When I say the Government supply should be confined to the products of our own country, I must warn the Government against the improper arrangement of terms. In arranging, for instance, with the flannel manufacturers, we should make a contract for a fixed period—say four years—and a promise should be required of the manufacturers that, after the expiration of a fixed period, they should provide their factories with such necessary machinery, materials, and men as would insure the production of goods of prescribed quality, and that if the goods fell short of the required quality they should be refused. This would inevitably lead to the improvement desired in the course of four or five years.

I might give here another illustration of the merit of my