Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0338, 1946-01-31.
Date31 January, 1946
RepositoryRauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
Call Numbereditorial-1051
Call NumberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 338
ITEM 1 Reckless Revision of Rail-Fare - Yomiuri Hochi - 30 Jan 46. Translator: H.
Arai.
Full Translation:
The Ministry of Transportation announced that the increase in passenger fares and
freight charges on government railways will
become effective on 1 March. The rate of the raise will amount to nearly 2.5 times
in passenger fares and about three times in
freight charges. We know that the Ministry took the new measure in order to cover
its expanding expenses resulting from the
current soaring prices. It desires to improve the treatment of the Ministry's employees
and to repair and restore the rolling
stock, buildings, and facilities damaged in the war. As a result of the projected
raise, the Ministry of Transportation is
expected to increase its annual income by approximately 3,400,000,000 yen for the
1946-47 fiscal year and to make up for the
large excess of expenditures over revenue.
Did the Government consider the new raise in rail-fares from the viewpoint of price
policy? It will result in upsetting the
price policy and raise general commodity prices. In a sense, the raise in passenger
fares and freight charges is a heavy
taxation of the general public. Furthermore it will have a serious and evil effect
upon general commodity prices.
For instance, as a result of the raise in passenger fares, many salaried-man, students
and laborers will be severely affected.
The cost of going to work by train is pretty great. Since in cities there are no houses
in which to live, many war sufferers
must go to their offices from the country districts in which they live. The Government
has no housing program yet, and the
construction of simple residences is making little progress.
It is very rash to raise rail fares without considering war sufferers or working
people. We think that the irresponsible
Government has no intention of checking inflation. Moreover, it may well be said that
the Government has assumed the open and
cruel attitude of letting the people eat if they can afford it or starve if they can't.
Thus a low-salaried person has to pay
more than half of his salary for rail-fare and this will affect his living condition.
The Government often stated informally
that with the formation of labor unions, laborers' demands higher wages would merely
promote inflation. Nevertheless the
Government itself is going to raise rail-fares, which will menace workers' living.
How heedless and contradictory that
is!
EDITORIAL SERIES: 338 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
The present rate on freight is one per cent of its price, but the raise will not
only be a burden on the people, but also
encourage rise in the prices of daily necessities etc. Communication facilities are
related to economic activities. However
high the railfare becomes, we must still utilize trains. For that reason, the bad
influence upon national economy and the
economic mentality of the people may be beyond imagination.
Considering the fact that the Ministry of Transportation decided on the measure by
itself, we cannot help thinking how
ignorant of economics and how negligent its officials are. The Ministry should democratically
discuss the revision of
rail-fares with representatives of the consumers, labor etc. We recognize the railway
workers' efforts since the war. A great
deal of rolling-stock was damaged during the war because of over-use and air-raids,
and the transport capacity has become very
low. Furthermore, as the food situation has become acute, and those, who travel to
go to work increase, passenger congestion
on all the Government railway lines has become terrible. Rather than decrease, the
number of rail passengers will increase,
unless the current food situation is not relieved.
The Government must not think in such a superficial way as to aim at the restoration
of railway facilities and the improvement
of the treatment of railway workers by charges on passengers. In order to relieve
passenger congestion and have passengers
travel comfortably, it is necessary to strive for the rationalization of management,
the elevation of efficiency, the
retrenchment of expenditures, to consult the convenience of passengers, to better
the treatment of workers. These things
should be done before the lack of balance between revenue and expenditure is made
up at the expense of passengers.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Transportation has decided on a rash measure which outrages
the original and public mission of
railways without accomplishing its intended objective. This testifies to the reactionary
character of the present
Government.
ITEM 2 The Meeting of the People in HIBIYA - Asahi Shimbun - 30 Jan 46. Translator:
K. Nobunaga.
Full Translation:
We were not satisfied with the people's welcome meeting for NOZAKA, Sanzo held at
the HIBIYA Park, because we could not feel
the quickening of a revolution at the meeting. We debt whether the speakers and their
speeches were studied carefully before
the meeting was opened.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. KUROKI, Shigenori spoke with a chuckle as if
he expressed his pleasure at the
attendance.
Mrs. KAMICHIKA, Ichiko spoke to the crowd on "An illusion of the ignorant masses."
xi representative, of the demobilized
soldiers, an ex-lieutenant explained the 15 May and 26 February incidents. Next, HASUDA,
Kenji spoke followed by FUJITA,
Susumu who had instigated the masses to a warlike attitude in his speech on the sea
battle off MAIAYA. Was he asked to speak
in order to attract as many people as possible?
A speech was made by MUROFUSHI, Takanobu, who was once opposed to democracy or liberalism,
surprised us beyond all
expectation.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 338 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
Despite such an insult, the audience only giggled. As soon as Mr. NOZAKA, Sanzo finished
his speech, the great majority of the
audience left the place instead of hearing other speeches.
Even serious speeches were apparently made to announce their political views on the
general election. The object was to gain
votes, but not to portray the real life of our people. We did not gather to hear the
announcement of their political views,
but to find persons who sympathize with our people. The great majority of the masses
were trying to find sympathizers in the
Social Democratic and Communist Parties.
Nevertheless, it was unfortunate for us that the meeting had so many comical factors.
Almost all representatives for every
democratic part seemed to be professional politicians or actors. This was a horrible
comedy before the forthcoming crisis of
starvation.
Mr. NOZAKA, Sanzo said, "Our party should be one which is loved by the masses." This
remark should be reconsidered, I think.
This remark seems to show that after all the Communist Party, like other parties is
separated from the masses. In other words,
this seems to imply the meaning of aristocracy.
The people's minds are on the verge of collapse. The more we believe in nothing,
the more this mental anarchy becomes
reasonable.
If the Emperor System collapses completely, our people will feel mental anarchy.
As a result, if we should restore the
"Emperor to his former power, where would we err?
From SHIMONO, Hiroshi, in TOKYO, a student of the TOKYO Imperial University.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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