Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0127, 1945-01-05.
Date5 January, 1945
RepositoryRauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
Call Numbereconomic-0622
Call NumberDS801 .S81
Persistent Identifier
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ECONOMIC SERIES: 127
ITEM 1 January Coal Quotas Fixed - The Sangyo Keizai (Tokio) - 31 Dec 45. Translator:
T. Ukai
Full Translation:
The program to provide for the supply and demand of coal for January1946 was decided
upon by the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry and reported in the cabinet meeting on 30 December by Minister OGASAWARA.
The amount of coal to be committed to
distribution, according to the program, will be increased by 60,000 metric tons beginning
with December1945. This amount will
be assigned to the railway services, basic industries of iron, salt, and fertilizer,
for heating in. HOKKAIDO, for exportation
in general, for making coal-gas (for light) and cokes, and for home use (restricted
to an amount that permits the minimum
standard of living).
To supply sources: for the increased production of coal.
To shipping: for transportation of coal and commodities in general.
To foreign regions: 70,000 metric tons for KOREA, 7,000 metric tons for HONG KONG.
To railway services: they had been given an increase of 50,000 metric tons from the
previous month; services are not, however,
essentially improved due to snow falls and deteroriation.
To iron manufacture; for heating in three of eight factories; one of four steel-pipe
factories in YAWATA; three of seven
factories in WANISHI; one of four factories in KAMAISHI; factories in HIRCHATA remain
as yet without supplies, one of them
(there are two plants), will be compelled to stop if left to its own stocks.
For making gas and cokes; for use in six greater cities as well as IDIROSHIMA.
For manufacturing ammonium sulphate; for preparing fertilizers as collateral for
(rice) deliveries (a reasonable amount of
coal has been distributed already).
For salt-manufacture: has been given as much as yielding capacities of extaut salt
ponds will allow.
To others: majority of 150,000 metric tons for Occupation Army, the rest for preparing
articles requested by the Occupation
Army and medical institutions in general.
The program of supply and demand is as follows:
Supply | HOKKAIDO | EASTERAN PART OF HONSHU | WESTERN PART of HONSHU | KYUSHU | Metric unit: 1,000 tons Total | ||||||||||||||||
Minimum to be Assured | Goal to be Attained | Minimum to be Assured | Goal to be Attained | Minimum to be Assured | Goal to be Attained | Minimum to be Assured | Goal to be Attained | ||||||||||||||
Stock to be disposed of | 230 | 252 | 120 | 125 | 35 | 48 | 415 | 475 | 800 | 900 | |||||||||||
On mines | 30 | 39 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 80 | 84 | 130 | 148 | |||||||||||
On railways | 30 | 39 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 80 | 84 | 130 | 145 | |||||||||||
On wharves | 20 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 90 | 118 | 110 | 142 |
(Including 10 to be disposed of at WANISHI to the JAPAN Steel Company MITTETSU)
Army & Navy | 20 | 25 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 68 | 90 | 8 | 50 | 91 |
Total | 80 | 103 | 14 | 21 | 56 | 87 | 170 | 210 | 320 | 421 |
Total | 340 | 355 | 134 | 146 | 91 | 135 | 585 | 685 | 1,120 | 1,321 |
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ECONOMIC SERIES: 127 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
Allotment | Metric unit: 1,000 tons | |
Minimum to be Assured | Goal to be Attained | |
Total | 1,120 | 1,327 |
To be consumed by mines | 276 | 232 |
Shipping fuel | 45 | 50 |
For abroad | 88 | 88 |
Railway | 410 | 440 |
Private Railway | 5 | 5 |
Iron Manufacture | 28 | 42 |
Gas and cokes | 42 | 50 |
Ammonium Sulphate | 65 | 90 |
Ammonium Salts | 11 | 25 |
For Heating in HOKKAIDO | 60 | 100 |
Others | 150 | 199 |
Refineries are in poor condition because of the lack of capital and necessary materials,
unsatisfactory labor sources, and so
on.
As the coal supply becomes smaller, more and more high temperature furnaces will
cease operation. This necessarily, influences
the production of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and so on, and urgent effective
measures are requested by the industries
concerned. Mining industrialists are taking negative measures due to the persimictic
outlook on conditions seen in production
data, especially that with regard to the supply of coal and coke assigned to refineries,
and the number of high temperature
furnaces being shut down, despite the fact that they are endeavoring to make use of
lignite and coke. Since the coal supply
has [illegible]refineries at MURAKAMI, HIBI, YOKKAICI, NAOJIMA, MIYAKO and ASHIO have stopped work.
Others,
at HITACHI, OSARUSAWA, KAMIOKA, MILKE, HIKOJIMA, KOSAKA, SAGA-NO-SEKI, HOSOKURA and
HATSUS KARI are coming to the same point.
Even the predicted output in 1945 and in 1946 will be very difficult to attain.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry estimates the output of metals as follows;
1945 | 1946 | |
Metric ton | Metric ton | |
Gold | 12.8 | 5.0 |
Silver 57. | 57.0 | 75.0 |
Copper | 23,000.0 | 330,000.0 |
Lead | 9,[illegible].0 | 77,000.0 |
Zinc | 15,000.0 | 2[illegible],000.0 |
As for lead and zinc, the shortage of labor sources will more seriously affect production
than shortage of coal. As for copper
the shortage of coal and the problem of labor are the chief causes for holding back
production. These conditions which prevail
are also causes for the decrease in production of gold and silver, which must be corrected
by immediate measures.
Checking decreased production of lignite
The increased production of liquite is urgent in order to alleviate the serious conditions
which have arisen out of the
shortage of coal. The production of lignite decreasing since the termination of the
war. Those concerned are demanding that
immediate, concrete measures be taken by the authorities based on the principles decided
in the cabinet me time on 13
December, regarding the "increased production of lignite and encouragement of its
use."
In spite of the 1945 plan for a lignite output of 2,500,000 metric tons, the output
actually attained in the first six months
was 738,000 metric tones. The estimated output in the latter half of the year was
set at only 700,000 metric tons. Shortage of
labor became acute, since Korean
- 3 -
ECONOMIC SERIES 127 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
laborers were being repatriated, and Japanese laborers, owing to the high cost of
living, were leaving the mines in great
numbers. This made a sharp decrease in production inevitable.
Actual output since April (in 1,000 metric tons): April - 174; May - 15; June - 108;
July - 93; August - 109; September - 93;
October 60.
Local production to the end of October: the TOKOKU Region: 367,000 metric tons; the
Eastern region: 338,000 metric tons; and
the Western region: 92,000 metric tons.
In order that these deplorable conditions might be improved to some where near the
standards of 1943, where monthly production
stood as high as 280,000 metric tons, the following measurements must be taken, in
line with Government decisions: 1. Increase
the rice ration for laborers concerned; 2. Necessary commodities and materials must
be assured props, powder, carbide, etc;, 3
More efficient collection and distribution of coal.
Others are demanding a revision of the prices of lignite and lignite coke and are
submitting their request to local
governments.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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