CO129-451 - Public Offices - 1918 — Page 522

SIZ

11.

701

((180776.)

RANDU 2.

518

AỬ ĐDIMENT Y

=-t..

JAPANBI

ABOUR PROBLEM. Kent. 19th, 1918.

There is no question that one of the most important

problems facing Japan after the war will be that of her

Labour. During the last few months an extraordinary

change has come over the situation, and labour has almost

got out of hand. As an example of this we have had the

recent rice riots in Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya and other dis-

tricts. It is true that to a great extent these riots

were attributable to the distress occasioned by the increase :

in the cost of living, but one of the principal contributory

cau sea was the very strong under-current of dissatisfaction

with the existing state of affairs, which is continuing to grow in volume day by day.

Capitalists are waking enormous profits and at present Companies are paying extremely high dividends, running from 35 to 100 per cent or wors, but although a certain amount

of advance has been made in wages, the workers feel that

they have not received a corresponding share in the profite.:

"Narikin" or mushroom millionaires have become rich

over-night and as there is little in Japan oh which money

can be spent, their wealth has been only too often expended

in vulgar display and ostentation and on geisha and con-

cubines.

The cases where the newly gotten riches have gone to-

wards founding hospitals or schools, in charity or for re-

ligious purposes have unfortunately been few and far betweer

and this has aroused a great deal of bitterness on the part

of the poor via-n-vis the rich.

It must be remembered also that to-day the poor in- clude not mly the operatives, who are earning higher wagen ·

than