Abstract
It is useful to know for which reasons the manufacturing industries or enterprises are actually located. For the purpose, we should take more considerations to select inquiry items of locational conditions on the questionnaire than to statistical technique of gathering data, or else the results will have little significance. Hence, the basic concept of locational condition should be clearly defined.
The two terms, locational condition and location factor, seem to be sometimes confusedly used. The location factor originates in the conditions of the area, however, it matters not the condition itself but the effects or forces of the condition. In order to understand the characteristics of the locational condition, we should understand the meaning of the location factor, and to know the location factor we should understand the theory of location which is founded on some selected location factors.
For a geographical study we need to know what kinds of conditions effect on the location of manufacturing industries and enterprises, or else we shall be satisfied to simply arrange various items of conditions one by one. From this view-point the author has examined the location theories of various types, the characteristics of location factors and its effects, and got to design the following criteria of sorting and setting location factors. This criteria is to settle the standard of classifying a number of locational conditions.
1. The character of locational advantages.
a. cost advantages
b. marketing advantages
i. monetary income
ii. psychic income
2. The character of location forces.
a. balance of tractions: proximity
b. alternatives: bindingly
3. The scope of effects.
a. spatial
b. spot
4. The community of effects.
a. common advantages
b. individual (personal)
5. The continuity of effects.
a. one time, temporary
b. continuous: constant
: changeable
6. The computability of effects.
a. computable
b. conjecturable
It is difficult to ascertain the cause of localization by the appearance of geographical distribution pattern. For instance, we know that the industries located in the consuming centre are not always consumer-oriented but oriented owing to various other location factors. One condition of location has an effect in an area only when balanced by other conditions of location, and although a condition is good enough, it is of little significance in the area at least, if other conditions are unfavourable. Furthermore, conditions are so much differently estimated by various industries or enterprises that a study of the condition of the specific industry's location loses meaning if we leave out the characteristics of the manufacturing enterprise or the specific area.
