Memoirs of Robert Dollar
Vol. 2 - Chapter Nineteen

We arrived home October 27th, and was real glad to see San Rafael after an absence of just seven months of a lengthy and profitable trip.

I received many calls to address associations; but declined them all with the exception of the Commonwealth Club, before which body I spoke at a luncheon on November 10th.

ADDRESS BEFORE COMMONWEALTH CLUB

We must all commend President Warren Harding for his wisdom in calling together at Washington the representatives of the principal nations of the world. This meeting should be of the utmost importance and hopes for success and best wishes of the American people are with the President, and every effort must he made to make it a success.

As to the personnel of the conference, there appears to be some doubt.

The Japanese members will be either military or naval, as Japan is under complete control of the militarists, and it will not be wondered at. that they should send such representatives. Although militarists are in the minority, they are kept in power by the limited franchise. The big majority of the Japanese people have no voice, for if they had, the personnel would be of an entirely different caliber and would be represented by merchants, manufacturers and working people, who are strongly opposed to war.

The Chinese delegates will be peace loving men who will do everything in their power to do away with war.

England will be strongly in favor of peace.

The French delegates are all military or naval men, or backed by this class, and will not favor disarmament.

The same can be said of Italy.

The best men of the United States have been selected, and we can rest assured they will do what they can to secure permanent peace and disarmament. So while we have great hopes of success, we cannot help but feel disappointed in those members who will not favor peace. It is not reasonable to expect that they will vote to put themselves out of business and out of the way of making an easy living. However, we must not despair, but hope for the best.

As nearly as I could ascertain, the standing armies of the various nations are approximately: United States 138,000, United Kingdom 280,000, while Japan is variously estimated to be from 600,000 to 1,000,000.

These figures are significant. Before the war Germany was looked upon as the great danger center of the world. Now Japan has taken her place. Therefore, as it were, a great black thunder cloud hangs over the western side of this Western Hemisphere. Japan claims she must continue her conquests to make room for her fast increasing population, Let us see how they have expanded in the last dozen years.

The Island of Formosa was the first conquest, and is of such importance today, that it practically produces all the sugar that Japan uses. Manchuria, her next conquest, is not more than half populated and is a very rich agricultural country. Then Korea fell into her lap, a country offering great opportunities for expansion. She next acquired a big slice of Mongolia which is a very sparsely populated country. Siberia, drawing a line from the Bering Straits to Lake Baikal and thence to Harbin, may be said to be Japanese. In this great territory there are comparatively few people. Last, but not least, the Japanese acquired Shantung, a country rich in minerals and agricultural possibilities, with over forty millions of inhabitants. They have always said they would return this

Province; but when the Chinese asked for an explanation of the delay, the Japanese mentioned the conditions that would make this possible. When the Chinese learned what those conditions were, they theoretically threw up their hands in despair, as the conditions were impossible. It would be pertinent to ask what more they want, as it is quite apparent that the plea of overcrowding' and the necessity for more territory is a myth, unless they are looking some thousands of years ahead. In addition, twenty-one demands were made of China, which if accepted, would give to Japan the entire country. I have been reciting only actual facts as I have the most kindly feelings toward the Japanese. We should make every effort to prevent strife or ill feeling, and to promote a lasting peace between America and Japan.

Inasmuch as the Pacific Ocean in years to come will be the great center of the world's commerce we cannot help being intensely interested. We want our share of this great trade that is increasing so rapidly. China is to show the greatest development in the near future and it remains with us not to do anything that would provoke strife or prevent our getting a portion of this great wealth of commerce.

All true commerce is an exchange of commodities. Buying is as necessary as selling, as we must get return cargoes for our ships. One-way cargoes mean nearly double freight charges. As time goes on our need of foreign trade increases. Mr. Redfield, ex-Secretary of Commerce, has stated that the factories of the United States could manufacture sufficient for our requirements in six months, therefore, we must either sell our surplus products in foreign countries or our men will be idle. The importance of foreign trade must appeal to us all. as there is no one not directly or indirectly interested.

The British have long been alive to this situation, and in every port of the world British ships are to he seen, and merchants and bankers have long been established. When we go after a share of this trade, we must expect to meet with keen competition as others have held the trade for centuries. Some of our American merchants and shipowners take serious exception to this, evidently expecting to be received with open arms, as if they were a long lost brother. It is for this reason there is so much newspaper publicity concerning the unjust discrimination against Americans. I call this by its proper name: ''The keen competition for the world's commerce.''

The British are thoroughly organized and have competent men to manage their business, men who thoroughly understand conditions, Many of our people are without previous experience, and it is not to be wondered at that they do not succeed. They, however, return home stating that foreigners employ unfair methods into play against them. Therefore, I want to say to you: Before going into foreign trade, be sure you have the man before you start.

I find humanity the same, the world over stripped of its racial peculiarities and customs—man is the same. It is environment that has changed him.

To illustrate this further: When I was in London last year I was invited to attend a luncheon of shipowners, bankers and merchants, at which the Lord Mayor presided. Lord' Robert Cecil delivered an address on the League of Nations. I was the only person at the speakers' table who was not a nobleman. The presiding officer then called upon me to address the meeting, but I refused, .stating that I was a comparative stranger and it would be entirely out of place. He would not take "no" for an answer telling the guests that I did not want to speak because I was a stranger, and asked if there were any who did not know me to hold up their hands, but not a hand was raised.

I had to be careful in commenting on the League as our Congress had refused to accept it, so I explained that we favored peace, but considered the conditions of the League unworkable. I said that a league of English speaking peoples of the world would be a far better combination and would make war almost impossible. This turned out to be the keynote of the day, as the entire audience rose and cheered so that I had to stop speaking for quite a tune. I apologized to Lord Robert for getting so much more enthusiasm than he, but he replied, "You struck the keynote that we all want." Many came up afterward and thanked me for the suggestion.

I rind in my travels around the world that the Germans and Belgians are underbidding us in various commodities, especially in products of iron and steel. 1 had an experience in Peking which illustrates this. When bids were opened for freight cars, the lowest American bid was $2,095,000; the lowest British bid, $1,342,383; and the Belgian bid, to whom the contract was awarded, was $1,126,850. There were seven American bids and twenty-nine of other nations. Wages have a long way to drop before we can compete . We cannot get business while staying at home, and must go out and hustle for t and only our best men should be sent, as they have to compete with the best that: other nations can produce.

I will give you an illustration of the difficulties we have to contend with in China. When I arrived in Ichang, which is on the Yangtse river. 1200 miles from the ocean, I found that the town had been sacked and partly burned by soldiers, and the contents of our office had also been destroyed. This was not the first time our office had been looted, it having happened six months before. We went to work, however, and after replacing what had been lost, are now doing business "at the same old stand."

1 wrote my friend, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the 'Peking Government, that twice a year was too often for this to happen, and I thought once a year was sufficient. lie replied in the same strain, stating he agreed with me and that he would endeavor to limit the occurrence to once a year in the future.

If internal military turmoil was going on in any other country such as it is in China, business would be paralyzed. In China however, fighting, killing and the killing of people is prevalent, while ui cities only fifty or seventy-five miles away, business is transacted as usual.

From Ichang we have passenger steamers that run to Chungking, hut have had considerable trouble on account of bandits and soldiers attempting to hold them up. This has necessitated our installing bullet-proof shutters to protect the officers from gunfire. I saw where many bullets had dented

CUFFS RISING PERPENDICULARLY FROM THE WATER

the iron plates. Recently the attacks became so constant that we had to give up operating vessels for a time.

The trip through the Gorges from Ichang to Chungking is one of the most interesting and picturesque that I have ever taken. The walls of solid rock rise perpendicularly on each side and the great river is confined to such a narrow space that ii rises to unheard of heights. This summer it reached a point 330 feet above low water. The steamer service opens up the great Province of Szechuen in which there are something over sixty millions of people that heretofore have been practically cut off from communication with the outside world. They produce everything 1hat they require. A great variety of minerals are to be found within its borders and it is very rich m agricultural land. The city of Chungking, the terminus of our service, is 1600 miles from the ocean. A recent census places the number of inhabitants at 800,000.

A very encouraging condition that prevails in China which must be of interest to Americans, is that the American population has increased very much since the war. An American Chamber of Commerce has been formed in Shanghai with a membership of over 300. This body made a vigorous effort to have a Bill put through Congress permitting the incorporation of companies for the purpose of doing business in China and putting them on an equality with other nationals as regards taxation. The Bill, however, failed to pass through lack of knowledge or comprehension of what Americans are doing in China. The same may be said of Congress with reference to changing our navigation laws so as to permit us to operate American ships irf foreign trade. The subject has produced considerable amount of discussion, but without results. To those engaged in this trade it would seem as though discussion were unnecessary as it is so plain to us that all that is necessary to enable us to operate ships under the American flag is to have our laws exactly the same as other nationals, under whose dogs we are successfully operating.

I made an address before the Bankers' Association of California at Santa Rosa on Banking in Foreign Countries, and its connection with foreign trade, and also gave them

a short synopsis of our trip up the Yangtse River and through the gorges.

It seems to me that I never let up to take a rest, but keep at work every minute of the day; and my health continues to be so good, that I recently told some friends that I felt as much like working as I did thirty years ago. Plenty of work and good health are the greatest blessings one can enjoy. It was certainly a great pleasure for me to meet quite recently, all of our thirteen grandchildren.

I found the Chinese Y. M. C. A. building in San Francisco had made no progress since I left, hut I had a promise of $100,000 while in New York, and I gave $25,000 toward the total cost of $200,000. The association owns the lot free of debt.

I learned that a Y. M. C. A. building for American young men in Shanghai was very much desired over there, and as Ambassador Crane gave taels 50,000, I also agreed to give a like sum toward a building which is to cost taels 300,000, as I am sure such a building will be beneficial. It will be built on the principal residential street facing the race track, where all kinds of games are played, a fine place for recreation.

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