Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0053, 1945-12-07.

Summary:

Finance Minister SHIBUSAMA announced at the 3 December Budget Meeting of the House of Representatives that a supplementary budget of about 200,000,000 Yen for the purchase of food is now being prepared for submission to the Diet.

The budgets to be submitted include the Farming Land Law, Recovery of Damaged Salt Fields, Subsidy for the Salt production and Encouragement of powdered Foods. A11 these items require Governmental subsidy, and require the issuance of bonds to cover expenses. As bonds issues requires permission of the Supreme Allied Headquarters, Permission has been asked. The budget will shortly be submitted to the Diet.

Full Translation:

The Finance Ministry has announced that foreign exchange banks shall be exempted from restrictions and duty prescribed in the detailed regulations of the Law of Foreign Exchange Control and in Ordinance 88 of the Finance Ministry. This applies in cases where payment is made not to exceed 1.000 yen for remittance or collection drafts, the following conditions are net: 1) the amount of the draft is expressed in our currency; 2) the notice of collection abroad of the remittance draft or the collection draft arrived in our country before 23 November 1945.

The remittance draft mentioned above implies a remittance bill, a remittance cheque, a postal order, a remittance transfer note and all other means of remittance. The collection draft implies all means for the collection of credit abroad.

Full Translation:

Although suspended during the winter of I943 - 1944, the Japanese whaling industry has been permitted to resume operations in Japanese waters, according to a Public Relations office release, 3, December 1945.

ECONOMIC SERIES: 53 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

In this regard, Lieutenant-Colonel H. R. FIEDLER, Chief of Fishery Department of Natural Resources Section, stated on 28 November:

"JAPAN has been allowed to whale in the waters surrounding the OGASAWARA Islands and IWO-JIMA. The order has permitted a whaling fleet to go through the channels during the period from 1, December 1945 to 31, March I946. The whaling range has been limited within the sphere of 20 and 27.30 degrees, north latitude, and between l40.5 and 143.30 degree east longitude."

Thanks to the order, this is one means of solving the food problem. JAPAN, mobilizing her seaworthy whaling ships, will be expected to catch 550 whales in the waters surrounding the OGASANARA Islands. Captured whales will yield 5,500 tons of flesh and 920 tons of fat. This amount will meet the average annual demand of 240,000 Japanese for marine food and enable the production of 420 tons of by-products.

Full Translation:

To reduce suffering caused by exposure, bedclothes and other necessities are being distributed to air-raid victims in TOKYO under the direction of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Already distributed and presently being distributed are 186,240 blankets out of a total 315,938 allotted for war relief. All will be distributed by the middle of December.

Of the allotted 347,576 pieces of bedclothing, 143850 have already been distributed, and the remainder will be in the hands of the needy sometime in December. The total amount of cotton earmarked for distribution is 366,000 gan. Of this amount, 12,000 gan has been released or is at present being released. Distribution of the remainder is being delayed for various reasons, However, 71.000 gan is currently being processed in factories.

The number of paper vests allotted for distribution is 631,956, of which 174,172 are already in use and 94,401 will be distributed before long. The remainder is being manufactured.

More than 92,000 army blankets, of an allotted total of 112,000, have already been distributed. In addition to these items, 127,000, silk padded vests, collected by the Metropolitan officials, are scheduled to be distributed soon.

Full translation:

Throughout the war, lignite was widely used as one of the important coal substitutes, and as such its production increase was the object of great expenditure of effort. Present coal shortages and transportation difficulties have again focussed attention on lignite.

Lignite mines are located in the TOHOKU, KANTO, and CHUBU Districts, all of which are located close to centers of consumption. On the other hand coal mines are few and situated in such remote districts as KYUSHU, HOKKAIDO, and JOBAN.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 53 (Continued)

ITEM 5 (Continued)

In 1943, 2,800,000 metric tons of lignite were produced, while in 1944, the figure dropped to 2,300,000 metric tons. Production for 1845, up to the present, is 1,500,000 metric tons, due to limited production and engineering difficulties. The industry has been in a slump since the end of the war, but with new stimuli, it is steadily regaining its vigor.

Reportedly, 50 to 60,000 metric tons of lignite will be released shortly for industria1 and domestic consumption. During the war, research disclosed that lignite could he used successfully in such industries as the textile and porcelain. Housewives have found it objectionalbe because of its smoke, smell, and the large amount of ash. However, the lignite distributed hereafter will prove satisfactory to housewives since its dificiencies have been eliminated by a drying, or dry-distilling process.

The first of the new type lignites is the dry-distilled lignite with colloidal, reversible, and moisture expelling properties. It weighs very little, has a high caloric value, and produces little ash. It is dried by artificial heat.

Another type is calcined lignite which, though smoky, combined with coal to provide greater heat, and is excellent for bath heating water and for warming rooms. This type of lignite is hard, but lighter than the dry-distilled.

The third is lignite coke, a refined product containing only about 20 per cent of the volatile content, and actually producing no smoke. This type is most satisfactory for household furnaces, charcoal hand-warmers, and motor vehicles. It is glossy, soft, and non-cohesive.

Lignite, whether it has the properties of wood or coal, contains more water, produces more ash, and has a lower caloric value than coal; moreover, its cost is higher than coa1. For limited purposes, however, It is superior than coal when properly used. Lignite combined with coal produces the best results.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 53 (Continued)

Extracts:

AWA GUN

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 53 (Continued)

ITEM 6 (Continued)

ASA UE GUN

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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