Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0114, 1945-12-30.

Full Translation:

Permission to use the harbor equipment of the Thir [illegible]aval Fuel Arsenal (DAISAN KAIGUN NENRYO SHO) has been given to TOKUYAMA City. Owners of harbor enterprises and 20 others interested persons have established the TOKUYAMA Harbor Management Committee (TOKUYAMA KOUNEI IINKAI) to proceed with various plans to give the City one of the greatest harbors in the Inland Sea.

Its first meeting was held in the old KAIJIN KAIKAN Building on 17 December. At the meeting, Mr. UMEDA, Toshiichi, insisted strongly that the establishment of a sulphate of ammonia factory at the site of the fuel arsenal will have a bad effect upon the harbor. The pros and cons of the question were actively discussed by the committee. Also, the Free Conversation Association (JTYU KONWA KAI) in TOKUYAMA City, which is composed mainly of young people under the leadership of Mr. SASAKI, is also opposed to the establishment of the factory and will hold a mass meeting of citizens to expose the matter to public opinion. Thus, the problem of the sulphate of ammonia factory has become a serious question for TOKUYAMA City as it reconstructs itself from the devastation of war.

Regarding this problem, Mr. UMEDA stated, "It seems clear that the Government intends to produce sulphate of ammonia, most urgently needed at present, by making use of the remains of the fuel arsenal. But it must be said that this is a short-sighted project for it spoils a good harbor and is not in accord with either the National Land Allocation Plan or the local development policy. Moreover, there is no need for even mentioning how badly men and animals have suffered from the manufacture of this product. We can see its actual effects at HIKOSIMA, ONODA, and UBE. We cannot help criticizing this shortsighted policy, which aims at establishing such a harmful factory at the TOKUYAMA Harbor, which is someday going to welcome magnificent foreign steamers."

Full Translation:

The Agriculture and forestry Ministry on 26 December announced that the selling price of the 1945 rice crop would be raised from the present

ECONOMIC SERIES: 114 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

46 yen to 75 yen per koku. The highest selling price per 10 kilograms of unpolished rice, unhusked rice, polished rice, or half-cleaned rice is 6 yen in TOKYO and OSAKA, 5.85 yen in KANAGAWA-Ken, AICHI-Ken, KYOTO, HYOGO-Ken, HIROSHIMA, and NAGASAKI, from 5.75 to 5.85 yen in HOKKAIDO, and 5.75 yen in other prefectures. This selling price is the price at the distribution offices. However, when the rice is distributed to the home or neighborhood association, a profit of 20 to 35 sen is to be added to the selling price by authority of the prefectural governors.

Full Translation:

To prevent the threatening black market in the major export goods, such as raw silk, silk cloth, and other silk products, the Commerce and Industry Ministry and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry on 27 December promulgated a special act based upon the Emergency Imperial Edict. It consists or the following two major points:

• 1.Reports covering the stocks of raw silk, spun silk, "Chinese" silk (SAKUSANSHI), and other products on hand up to the end of December will be submitted by those engaged in their manufacture and sale. The silk and silk products mentioned include also spun silk goods containing 50 per cent silk, electric wires, parasols, and rubberized goods, but exclude goods made of short silk fiber.
• 2.Investigation will be made of all these goods, so that they maybe kept in as good a condition as possible, in order to prevent black market activities. The silk manufacturers and the silk dealers who are under the jurisdiction of the Commerce and Industry Ministry are to submit the reports concerning their goods to the prefectural governor of the places where the goods are stored, and those who are under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry are to submit their reports on 15 January.

The scope of investigation will cover the weavers, control functions, retail dealers, and brokers. Each group will decide on details at its own meeting. They are allowed to complete the goods now under the process of manufacture, and to sell them to the control organs. The Allied authorities have a special concern in regard to all the raw silk and silk goods, and in order to maintain the status quo of all these articles, spot inspections will be made in co-operation with the Japanese police. In case false reports are made by industrialists, whether corporation or individual, a punishment by penal servitude up to a maximum of three years or a fine up to a maximum of 5,000 yen will be imposed.

Full Translation:

On Thursday the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry report estimated the summer and autumn silkworms gathered from egg-paper and cacoons at 19,102,058 grams and 7,607,790 kan, respectively, as of 25 September, This is a 49.6 per cent cut in the output of worms compared with that of last year, or a decrease by 18,824,434 grams. In other words, there was a 55.5 per cent or 9,473,169 kan decreased in the cacoon output.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 114 (Continued)

ITEM 4 (Continued)

The drop is said to be due to the food shortage. Acreage reduction of mulberry farms went on even after the restriction was lifted and industrialists were quite perturbed over the unadequacy of materials and manpower. Unfavorable weather checked the growth of worms, especially in the KANSAI District and westward.

Meanwhile, spring cacoon estimates amount to 16,096,000 kan. The total estimate of cacoon output is 23,703,790 kan, which is a 41.2 per cent drop compared to that of last year's figure of 40,312,661 kan. In 19l40 and 19[illegible]respectively, 87,412,521 kan and 53,933,001 kan of cacoons were pro[illegible]. Estimates of cacoons locally represented are as follows:

(* Indi[illegible]decrease in production)

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 144 (Continued)

ITEM 4 (Continued)

Full Translation:

Varieties of fake fertilizers have made their appearance in many farm villages in HYOGO-Ken distributed by people taking advantage of the sudden decrease in fertilizers distributed by the Government. These would-be fertilizers cause much damage and gravely menace farm production.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 114 (Continued)

ITEM 5 (Continued)

Prefectural authorities are doing their utmost to expose this fraud and are watching the traffic of such "fertilizers" carefully. Aid is being sought of the Fertilizer Examination Offices (HIRYO KENSA JO), Agricultural Experimental Stations (NOJI SHIKEN JO), and fertilizer laboratories either damaged or burned down in air-raids, but still functioning.

There are many kinds of fertilizers that proved useless, and the Agricultural Section (NOMUKA) of the Prefectural Government has discovered more than 80 such varieties. The majority turned out to be of no use, at all and it has been brought to light that they are in most cases conveyed personally to the farmer, packed in a cloth or rucksack, and sometimes in a mass on horseback or brought by a group and not really personally conveyed by fertilizer-dealers or agricultural associations (NOO[illegible]O KAI) The rate of exchange is one. kan for one sho of rice.

The authorities understand that these black-marketeers are not only committing evils in the farming communities, but also check efficient rice delivery, through encouraging the black marketeering of rice. This might result in serious consequences, and action should be taken to counteract these frauds.

Frauds and where they occur are as follows:

Ammonium sulphate fraud:

Possibly alumi-stone: IPO Gun
Possibly phosphate of lime: MINO Gun; KANZAKI Gun; TSUNA Gun; and MI[illegible]ARA Gun.
In the form of acid in triangular grains: IPO Gun.

Cubic nitre fraud:
White translucent crystals - AWAJI Gun.

Phosphatic manures fraud: in the small black or rough grains — IPO Gun.
Similar to super-phosphate of lime—AWAJI Gun
Very similar to chemical fertilizer—AWAJI Gun.

Imitation fertilizer:
Grains very like corundum: MINO Gun; KANZAKI Gun.
Light red grains—AWAJI GUN; in
Light brown grains—MINO Gun; in
Dark brown grains—KANZAKI Gun, SHIKAMA Gun and the City of HI[illegible]JI.

Oil cakes fraud:
Similar to real oil-cakes—KAKO Gun; In-NAMI Gun.
Like rotted saw dust—ARIMA Gun HIGAMI Gun.

Fertilizers on black market are:
Ammonium sulfate—SHIKAMA Gun, IPO Gun; AKO Gun; City of HIMEJI.

Air-raid cereals—AKASHI Gun (including the city of AKASHI) IPO Gun; KANZAKI Gun; MUKO Gun; KAWANOBE Gun; and KAKO Gun.

Air-raided phosphate of lime—KANZAKI Gun; AKASHI Gun; KAKO Gun; and IMNAMI Gun.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 114 (Continued)

ITEM 5 (Continued)

Air-raided cubic nitre: ARIMA Gun; and KANZAKI Gun.

Dregs: IN-NAMI GUN; SHIKAMA Gun; and AWAJI Gun.

Dried sea-weeds: AWAJI Gun.

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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