Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0159, 1946-01-14.
Date14 January, 1946
translation numbereconomic-0753
call numberDS801 .S81
Persistent Identifier
ECONOMIC SERIES: 159
ITEM 1 Lectures for Women Voters - Part II (Continued) - The Budget, by Haseda, Taizo - Provincial Newspaper Kahoku Shimpo (Sendai) - 7 January 1946. Translator: T. Ukai.
Summary:
The budget is divided into two parts, i.e., into annual expenditures and annual revenue,
and these parts are subdivided into
working expenses and emergency funds. We will first give the estimated expenditures
of the general account for 1944.
Estimated annual expenditures of 1944:
Imperial Household | 45,000,000 yen |
Foreign Ministry | 483,000,000 yen |
Home Ministry | 16,330,000,000 yen |
Finance Ministry | 130,300,000,000 yen |
Army Ministry | 21,000,000 yen |
Navy Ministry | 10,000,000 yen |
Justice Ministry | 782,000,000 yen |
Education Ministry | 4,373,000,000 yen |
Welfare Ministry | 4,200,000,000 yen |
Great East Asia Ministry | 4,069,000,000 yen |
Agriculture and Commerce Ministry | 16,810,000,000 yen |
War Supply Ministry | 16,154,000,000 yen |
Transportation Ministry | 8,153,000,000 yen |
Total | 201,730,000,000 yen |
The allotment to the Finance Ministry is the greatest, including special expenses
for war supplies, as well as those for
cabinet, Diet and other constitutional organs. The majority of the expenses of the
Agriculture and Military Supply Ministries
is composed of subsidies for increased production of food and military articles. Expenses
of the Army and Navy Ministries may
turn out contrary to our expectation, for, with the exception of a few items, their
main expenses the past three years have
been transferred to the extraordinary war funds of a special account. The Transportation
Ministry's expenses includes pensions
of 568 million yen.
When the above expenditures are classified according to their purposes, we have:
Imperial Household | 45 million yen (0.0 %) (TN: sic) |
National Loan | 33,463 million yen (16.5 %) |
Annuities and pensions | 5,682 million yen (0.2 %) |
Administration | 107,804 million yen (50.4 %) |
Subsidies | 39,716 million yen (19.6 %) |
War (military affairs) | 18 million yen (0.0 %) |
National reserve funds | 21,000 million yen (10.4 %) |
Total (TN: sic) | 201,730 million yen (100.0 %) (TN: sic) |
ECONOMIC SERIES: 159 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
The administration expenses which are the greatest, included, among others, war funds,
state liabilities for compulsory
education, etc. Subsidies are, for the most part, governmental grants for paying fixed
prices on certain important articles
such as rice, wheat, coal, iron, aluminum, etc.—the total sum of these subsidies increases
annually to such an extent that it
can result in an inflated currency, for national loan expenses, to pay principal and
mainly interest do not decrease as long
as loans themselves are not redeemed and remain in inverse proportion to rise and
fall of prices.
Previous, though less in amount and devoid of elasticity, become greater in war time
and do not lessen in postwar depressions.
War funds appear to be on a small scale, but, as previously explained, are really
a tremendous amount; we should be aware of
the fact that those expenses for national loans, pensions, etc., are mostly due to
the occurrence of war, troubles, or
emergency. The reserve funds are provided, according to Article 69 of the Constitution,
for possible cases, in which the
Government is obliged to pay more, or for other purposes, than is justified by the
Diet's approval; but this item despite its
many advantages can be frequently abused by growing even greater in amount, avoiding,
though lawfully, the approval of the
Diet.
In the coming year expenses for reparations, repatriation, reconstruction, unemployment,
etc. will replace various military
expenditures, a large part of subsidies, etc., and the budget itself will experience
a reformation. We expect a great increase
to be introduced by peaceful cultural expenses. In our next installment we will discuss
the annual revenue of the budget under
the heading of "Public Loans and Taxes."
ITEM 2 Co-operative Unions in Tokyo - Nippon Sangyo Keizai Shimbun - 12 January 1946. Translator: S. Kinoshita.
Summary:
The first consumer's co-operative unions organized in TOKYO are the KUGAYAMA, OMIYAMAE
and EGOTA. Since the organization of
these three unions, 20 others have been formed in the localities around NAKANO, and
these unions forms the Federation of
Co-operative Unions of Western TCKYO (SEIBU KYODO KUMIAI RENGO KAI). These unions
not only undertake collective purchasing of
daily necessities but also aim to promote the welfare of members on principles of
mutual aid. The unions are contemplation
collective farming, management of bathhouses, renting of houses and many other measures
for making urban life comfortable.
Their present activity is limited to purchasing, particularly cereals, but the amount
handled is very small. This is due to
the inexperience of officials in such transactions and the limitation of operating
capital.
Last December, the Federation bought tangerines from SHIZUOKA and distributed them
to members at the rate of 500 momme per
household and 18 yen per kan, plus two per cent for the Federation's expenses. Getas
and sweet potatoes were also handled by
the unions.
The KICHIJOJI Co-operative Union (KICHIJOJI KYODO KUMIAI) is contemplating salt manufacture
and, at the same time, is
undertaking collective farming on the uncultivated land near INOGASHIRA. A union in
SAGINOMIYA is operating a bathhouse which
was turned over to it by a street association. Circulating libraries, forming of dramatic
troupes, and many other diversified
undertakings are reported by these union.
The unions under the Federation have from 300 to 1,000 members each. Subscription
of individual members is 30 to 50 yen.
Therefore, even the largest union has only 50,000 yen in funds. The limitation of
- 2 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 159 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
funds is one of the reasons why these unions are not capable of doing their business
more vigorously. In view of the recent
rapid rise in prices of commodities, it is necessary to raise subscriptions to continue
their activities. The salary of
officials is between 200 and 400 yen. Expenditures are paid from the brokerage fee
which is two per cent of total
transactions. Monthly transactions, at the most, are about 150,000 yen with a profit
of 3,000 yen.
On the whole, the movement is still in an immature state, but its future seems quite
hopeful. It is feared, however, that the
co-operative union's interests may clash in the future with the interests of retail
shops. The solution of this problem will
be one of the Federation's greatest concerns.
The co-operative unions, based on workshops, are able to offer collateral for their
purchases of food and other necessities,
while cooperatives based on localities are unable to do this, which leaves them at
a disadvantage. It is, therefore, advisable
for the co-operatives based on localities to work with retail dealers.
DISTRIBUTION: "X"
- 3 -
Loading...