During India and Japan mechanization in their cotton industries between the 1880s and 1930s experienced a rapid rise in their production. The increment in output resulted in both positive and adverse effects felt by both the Indian and also the Japanese workers. Notable similarities are that in both countries the workers had to deal with poor working conditions and they were lowly paid with no benefits attached. The significant differences noted in the two nations mechanization was included in the gender differentiation while in India a large population was male as opposed to Japan whos dominating population was women. Also, there were negative impacts in India in existing handloom industry that Japan did not experience.
The similarities between Japan and India mechanization in their cotton industries between the 1880s and 1930s.
Document 1 and 2 illustrates the rapid growth that was witnessed in both countries upon introduction of machine-made cotton whose inception was in the 1880s. For Indias case there was quintupled of cotton produced in just 30 years, and with the launch of the machine, the yarn output quadrupled as well. The same was for Japan whose production went up as illustrated in D2 to an approximate production of 666 million pounds within the same period.
Workers in India and Japan faced poor working conditions. Illustrate in Documents 3, 5 and 9. With the little pay and poor working conditions affected both country production. Moreover, in Document 3 gives a further account of how girls in Japans were forced to work into the night with little to pay and their sleeping quarters were infested with diseases. Moreover, in Document 5 Shunsuke openly acknowledges how he gives the workers low pay and with hi insinuation that the workers have nothing to worry. Instead, they should be contented with their pay and should even be grateful of the share they receive. However, as illustrated in Document 4 the amount of remuneration the workers received was barely enough to feed their large families that were depending on the employees. Also, in India, the British Labour Commission Report in Document 9 asserts that the cotton millers were living in slight huts with their families. These conditions presented them with challenges to survive. Also for many years, the Millers had to go with low wages.
Differences in Japan and India mechanization in their cotton industries between the 1880s and 1930s.
There are notable gender differences among the mechanized cotton employees. In document 3 is of two women who give an account of experiences working in cotton mills as young girls. In Document 8 it shows that most of the cotton workers were women whose income was paramount for their families as illustrated in document 4. From the three documents, there is an evident illustration that young girls working in the fields were imperative for the Japan population. However, Indians labor force has a sharp contrast to many of the workers were male. Document 10 a photo taken in 1935 how only men are working in the textile mills. Moreover, the disparities clearly illustrated in document 7 where it demonstrates approximately 80% of the workers in Japan are women while about 80% of the workers are male in India. Furthermore, at the time, there is an indication through the photos that the factory owners were not conscious of the workers working conditions. Thus resulted in many workers endangering their lives while working in the plants.
Mechanization in Japan and India mechanization in their cotton industries between the 1880s and 1930s led to disparities in Indian and Japan. However, India was much affected by the mechanized cotton production. The noted difference is because India was already mature in its cotton production and thus there was a significant shift witnessed with the introduction of mechanization in the cotton production. In India, as illustrated in document 1 indicates the decrease in hand-spun by 1914 yarning. However, interestingly between 1884 and 1914, there was a notable increment in the hand-woven cloth production despite the reduction in hand-spun yarning. One of the principal reasons for the decrease in hand-spun is with mechanization the Millers could no longer contest with the low rates and the machine-made product flooding in the marketplace. Thus, this resulted to undermining Indias long tradition of handmade handloom and textiles illustrated in documents 6. However, there was no job replacement witnessed in Japan as those observed in India as Japan small cotton production of 1884 has suggested there be no substantial cotton industry at the time as noted in document 2.
The essay has managed to argue both in Japan and India on how they saw an increment in cotton production as a result of industry mechanization. In both countries, they witnessed poor working conditions for the workers and they also had poor pays. However, they differed in two fundamental ways where. Japan was predominantly constituted of working women while Indias main population was primarily male. Moreover, the hand weavers in India were put out of work because of the heavy mechanization as the hand weavers could not be able to bit the low prices set in the market. But for the Japanese, they were not put out of business because of the small cotton production of 1884 that protect them. However, there is need to have additional documentation to confirm some of the claims noted in the documents. Concerning the poor working conditions and poor pay to the workers, there is need to conduct further analysis and find out what are some of the reasons that caused the situation to prevail without the intervention of the government. Additionally, there is need to provide more financial information to compare on the workers pay with that of other professions at the time. Furthermore, the documents present to showcase on the poor working conditions; there is a need for further information on the peoples actual working conditions and an interview with some of the photographers at the time will give more details on the noise levels, air condition and temperatures illustrated in document 8 and document 9. Additionally, so as for a show that India suffered more job displacement as a result of mechanization because of their large population in the hand-woven industry before the 1880s. There is a need for further information on the Japanese statistics that will showcase on the Japan hand-spun verses machine-spun cotton yarn. With the information availed the conclusion arrived at that India suffered more job disparities in comparison to Japan will result in the figures shown in India raised the confidence levels.
References
Document 1 Data gathered by British colonial authorities.
Document 2 Data from the Japanese Imperial Cabinet Bureau of Statistics.
Document 3 Two women recalling their girlhoods working in Japanese textile factories, circa 1900.
Document 4 Buddhist priest from a rural area of Japan from which many farm girls were sent to work in the mills, circa 1900.
Document 5 Tsurumi Shunsuke, Japanese industrialist, circa 1900.
Document 6 Radhakamal Mukerjee, Indian economist, The Foundation of Indian Economics, 1916.
Document 7 Data from Industrialization and the Status of Women in Japan, dissertation, 1973.
Document 8 Photo from an official company history, Nichibo cotton mill, Japan, 1920s.
Document 9 Report of the British Royal Commission of Labour in India, Calcutta, 1935.
Document 10 Arno S. Pearse, British official of the International Federation of Master Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers Associations. Photo from a report on Indian textile mills, 1935.
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