Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0234, 1946-01-30.

Full Translation:

The agriculture and forestry authorities, who have done their best to repair the fertilizer factories, and convert munitions factories into fertilizer factories, took definite steps to raise the prices of fertilizers in order to maintain the planned production of fertilizer so as to increase agricultural production. The increase of the prices of fertilizers is as follows. (Including government grant).

These prices are set as above in order to increase normal prices and the subsidy for fertilizer industries, which had been adopted since 1940 will be abolished. (but the whole sum of the government grant in 1945 is 150 million yen). Especially is it worth noticing that the prices of fertilizers increased to ten times the official price; for example, ammonium sulphate.

According to the investigation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the farmers will have to bear the expenses of the increase and accordingly the prices of staple foods such as rice, barley and wheat will be raised considerably. The above increase of the prices of fertilizers will be applied from January to July 1946.

On the other hand, production has not been going well. For example, the production of Ammonium Sulphate is 15,000 metrictons of actual production instead of 20,000 metric-tons of the expected production in November 1945, 16,000 metric-tons instead

ECONOMIC SERIES: 234 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

of 20,000 metric-tons in December 1945. The actual production in January will not come up to the expected amount, considering the actual production of 4,000 metric-tons in the first week, 5,000 metric-tons the second week. The expected production of fertilizers from January to December 1946 is 600,000 metric-tons of Ammonium sulphate, 160,000 metric tons of nitrate of lime, 600,000 metric-tons of superphosphate, of lime, 32,000 metric-tons of potassium fertilizers, 7,500 metric-tons of fertilizers made of fish and 6,900 metric-tons of oil-cakes made of various vegetables.

Full Translation:

Secretary of the Financial Minister, WATAN[illegible]E, came to OSAKA on the 28th January in order to explain the three new taxes including the property tax, and to listen to opinions on the taxes from the financial circles in OSAKA. With regard to the new taxes, the Financial Bureau of the OSAKA Prefectural Office made the following statement. "It is rumoured that an urgent Imperial ordinance or a mandate Imperial ordinance based on the POTSDAM Declaration will be used for operating the three new taxes which are an urgent need of the present economy of our country. However, we consider it most appropriate to put them into practice after the bills have obtained the approval of the Diet.

The session of the Diet will be delayed owing to the general election which is to be held in April or later. But, the authorities are proceeding with technical and preparatory steps necessary for the collection of taxes, or the supposition that the bill will be passed by the Diet at the end of March. The property tax originally aimed at the appropriation of the financial resources of our economy, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, and also at the relief of national economy from inflation. However, we fear this aim is made obscure in the Government draft. Also, from the above point of view, there is a feeling that it is too late to put it into practice."

Full Translation:

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will open a parliamentary council on 30 January to investigate the bill for the Economic Union Law (KEIZAI KUMIAI HO) which is to take the place of the Commercial and Industrial Union Law (SHOKO KUMIAI HO). An influential opinion on the new bill is that the labor union should be conducted on the principles of freedom and control, and should include agriculture. That is, the unions should be managed on the one hand, as free labor unions which would display collective power by mutual cooperation, and on the other hand, as control unions which would have control in a democratic way over the production and distribution of essential materials The present Industrial Union Law (SANGYO KUMIAI HO) will naturally be abolished if the Economic Union Law becomes effective, involving agriculture.

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ECONOMIC SERTES: 234 (Continued)

Full Translation:

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, to stimulate the delivery of rice, in carrying out a special system of the distribution of fertilizer in proportion to the amount of rice products demanded.

Parallel with this, the Ministry was preparing a special distribution of farm implements in return for rice delivery by the same means. However, this step was revealed only recently. Further, to secure the commodities for this purpose, an increase in the prices of such farm implements as hoes, spades, weeders for use in rice-fields, electric thrashing machines, axes and hatchets was decided on at the rate of 2.3 to 3.5 times the present prices. This was notified to those concerned on January 28.

The special distribution method is based on the actual results of rice delivery. For example, those farmers who have completed their allotment and in addition have made a delivery of one to three sacks more would be given either one hoc or two spades. In the same way, to those who deliver over four sacks, one weeder is given.

Next, those farmers who deliver 80 per cent of their allotment and in addition, one to five sacks extra, are issued with one hoe. In the same way, those who deliver over six to ton sacks, are given either one hoe or two spades, and those who deliver over eleven sacks, are given one hoe and one spade. Consequently, those farmers who have completed, their allotments, and made a delivery of one sack more, are to have the double issue of one hoe, which comes under the first instance, and one hoe and one spade, which comes under the last instance.

The revised prices of farm implements, hoes, spades, weeders and electric thrashing machines show an increase of approximately 2.7 to 2.9, 2.8 to 3.2, 3 and 3.3 to 3.5 times respectively compared with present prices. And the production schedules for these items in future is 1,000,000 hoes, 2,370,000 spades, 30,000 weeders and 5,000 electric thrashing machines. On the other hand, in the third quarter, 830 tons of steel and iron will be distributed for the increased production of axes and hatchets which is very necessary for the present urgent work on the reclamation of waste land. New prices will be increased 3.1 to 3.2 fold, while the price of motor roll bound in rubber, which is used for hulling rice, is to be increased 2.3 to 2.8 fold.

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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