Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0371, 1946-12-06.

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We can hardly get to work. The government railway service authorities have announced a 250% raise in fares, to he effected from 1 March, under the pretext of improving the working conditions of its employees and of making up its deficit. Empoyees may ride free of charge. In addition, the family pass system is available for their families. Such being the case, raises in fares never affect them.

However, I urge the authorities to consider more seriously the situation of the common salaried m[illegible]n. Of course, the existing fare is rather low from the viewpoint of the inflated prices today. However, a large percent increase in fares will result in the acceleration of [illegible]ious inflation. While it may be inevitable to raise fares for passengers in general, everyday freight, covering the necessary commodities of the people and fares for those who travel to their offices should be considered specially. Usually, carfare for the salaried man represents about 30 percent of his living cost. Moreover office workers are being forced to travel to their offices from distant places, because of the poor housing conditions in the heart of cities.

To raise fares under this situation, is bound to cause the present inflated prices to soar even more. As a result, the burden for producers will become too heavy. It will bring about a rise in the cost of production. Then prices will rise even more. It is a matter of course that communications have a close relation with the development of a nation. Such being the case, I am suspicious of the authorities who failed to take other measures in order to make up the deficit o f the government railway service system. I desire a reply in this respect from the newly-appointed Transportation and Communication Minister. (a salaried man)

The Government officials are, as usual, going to make more trouble for us. The railway fares are to be raised 300%. I cannot but wonder if the authorities will execute such a reckless, unreasonable raise without any consideration of the consequences. It is bound to accelerate vicious inflation.

If it were executed, our salaries, considering our fares, would be zero. We worked with all our efforts in the munition factories' as contributing employees (TEISHIN TAI) during the war, immediately after graduating from schools. Confronted with the defeat, we were at a loss to know what to do. We made known in the newspapers the unlawful management of affairs by Government bureaucrats as well as the military men and we had been deceived. Submitting to those abominable facts, we have little hope for the future by taking up jobs again.

As for me, I have aged parents and a younger sister, whose appetites are always unsatisfied. My elder sister is a teacher in a national

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school. Her salary is 75 yen per month, When I took my job, my parents were glad. However, this gladness lasted only for a little while because it is difficult to live under inflated prices. In addition, train fares are now to be raised. What will become or our livelihood? The Government bureaucrats are again going to cause us great trouble. In fact, this a matter of life and death. I am being forced to leave my occupation which I could only take through much trouble.

The raising of fares, no matter how exhorbitant it may be, will not affect at all the employees in the railway services, because they have a free pass system for themselves and their families. Is it reasonable to discourage our hope by such an imbecile measure as that?

(IGARASHI, Sumiko)

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The democratic revolution in CHINA is at last to bear fruit. At the last general meeting of the Political Consultative Council, Generalissimo Chiang, KAI-SHEK stated as follows: "What the Chinese nation expected to fulfill has now been accomplished. Where there is no real national unity, there cannot be any real democracy. In CHINA, no private army or provincial government, harmful to the unification of the administration and the command, is any longer in existence, what is most necessary for CHINA today, is peace and social stabilization. "The new epoch has now come into Chinese history, and they have accomplished the establishment of a base for the peaceful unification and democratization of CHINA.

The results of the Political Consultative Conference show in brief, the influence of the Kuomintang on the government to be about half the total. In the State Council which is the supreme legislative organ, for instance of the total membership of 40 the Kuomintang occupies 20, the communists and other parties 10, and independents 10. Similar conditions seem to prevail in the allotment of chairmanships of each department in the coalition government and in the membership of the national assembly. These facts indicates the leadership of the Kuomintang in democratizing CHINA, and show, at the same time, the new departure toward the construction of a democratic CHINA, putting an end to the Kuomintang dictatorship.

It was notable in the course of the conferences, that each party was successful in reaching a final agreement, surmounting all obstacles, [illegible]gard for each others' situations and with a cooperative and [illegible]attitude, in the common aim of the democratization and peace [illegible]ication of CHINA. Moreover, the success of the Council was [illegible]from the beginnings by the sincerity showed by all representatives. Many examples how that settlement was made by compromise even [illegible]the ease of serious gaps between the demands of the Kuomintang and [illegible]proposals of the Communists. For instance, the allotment of seats [illegible]far from the three member system demanded by the Communists, [illegible]they are now at a great disadvantage in numbers. On the other hand, [illegible]e communists succeeded in getting concessions from the Kuomintang to the extent that the members of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang were obliged to give up their posts as delegates, in order ho be returned as members of the National Assembly. The draft of the constitution projected by the Kuomintang was almost nullified through thorough modification. The reduction of the authority of the Generalissimo and the adoption of a bicameral system show the fact that the demands of the communists and other factions were admitted. In these

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points, the communists were successful in unifying the democratic union and other factions into a democratic front, to oppose the Kuomintang which has an absolute majority.

As is commonly known, a bloody struggle was going on between the nationalists and the Communists in the past. Their standpoints of course [illegible]iffer. Both parties, however, had common aim against JAPAN, and it was with this common aim that both parties joined hands during the war. Disruption and conflict seemed to be inevitable once the war was over, and this was the common view of postwar relations between the parties. Now this has proved to be entirely false. By replacing the slogan "fight against JAPAN" with that of "Unification and democratization" they have succeeded in overcoming the crisis of internal disorder.

The current tide was a powerful element in making it possible for them to give up their individual view point. The mediation by American Special Ambassador MARSHALL might of course have played an important part. Most important, however, was the passion and the sincerity of each party which courageously undertook the task of unification. That Generalissimo Chiang, KAI-SHEK made efforts to unify all the forces under the general aim, and that the Communists concentrated their efforts in the democratization of CHINA by cooperating and joining with other parties, must be highly esteemed.

There are some points which cannot be passed over by us on the movement for the democratization of CHINA. There are especially, the complications between the nationalists and the communists in the past and their roles in the future. It cannot be expected that each party or faction, fundamentally different in respective viewpoints can work together without any friction in the future. As a matter of course, plots and conflicts between both parties as to the leadership of the government will probably occur. Most significant, however, is the fact that all parties and faction could be unified under the same banner aiming for the democratization of CHINA. This fact is very suggestive to the Japanese engaging in the work of the construction of a democratic JAPAN. Furthermore, it is necessary to reflect on our past, at the time CHINA is being unified. What we must reflect on is how excessively and severely Japanese militarism ruined CHINA, violated her sovereignty and obstructed her unification. It is true also that Japanese military pressure on CHINA expedited the progress of unification. However, we see the irresistible tide in history in the fact that the error of the Japanese militarists provoked the war and through the course of the war, became in result an element in uniting CHINA.

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The places of commodities have risen so suddenly that consumers do not know exactly the rate of the rise. Consequently, dishonest dealers are making many illegal profits. For instance, medicine has risen to over five time its former price. Even druggists are unaware of the prices of some medicines which have recently appeared on the market. Consumers are very uneasy over this inflation.

According to the price list for medicines at a certain honest physicians's place in KITAZAWA, SETAGAYAKU, the rise in medicine prices by October last year, was more than five times the price during the war. The price of San[illegible]onin a worm medicine, has risen to three yen eighty sen over six times from sixty sen for one gram. Oxol, a substitute for Oxyfull has risen to four yen form forty sen for five hundred grams. Aspirin has risen to thirty five yen over twenty times its price of one yen sixty sen for five hundred grams. It is difficult for us to get these medicines and there are many bad substitutes for sale. Consequently, dishonest physician

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or druggists have illegally raised the prices of such medicines. Under such conditions, we could not live even though our salaries were increased by two or three times. This inflation applies not only medicines but also for any kind of goods.

The situation should be made clear by the merchants. It is true democratization for both retailers and consumers to understand each other. Then, the public should consider a means for true democratization.

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