LABOUR IN JAPAN.

Taihape Daily Times, 21 June 1919, Page 2

LABOUR IN JAPAN.

AW’--KKENING‘ FREDICTED. I VISCOUNT KATOKS VIEWS. I’l‘.OßLl'£_\l>w' TO BE FACED. In :1 Cablegmm from TOl-:io dated i\[:ly 29. fhe .s'pe<'inl coxmnissioner of Hm Sydn(‘_\' Sun in Japan, says:—— I had an intm'\'i(-xx’ to-day with Vis-M ‘.f.'.«'=‘.';l‘x 'i.‘n.l-:~.‘e.'J.l;i Kate, 1:-adcr of the Ken:w':K:li 'J.’a‘-.'t_\' (Hm w‘.:iof party in op--I\.::~.;<i‘r?on fr: thv existing Govorlmlcnt). A f<mnct' Ambassador in London, formorly Millis»tol’ for Foreign Affairs, -and :2 most flucnf‘spo:lko'l" in English, Viscount Kata is rngarrlcd as Japa.n’s zxbhst exponent of Parli:lnlental'y Gov‘7':*.:=:ml?. ‘.‘YH] 110 is likely to become il‘rmni<-xi. unless this bul'caucl':lcy pre;\'<?llfs him. ‘Ciszcount Karo spoko most frec-Iy of (’=_ll':'ent indllstl‘izllisf.~', militarisfs. and nd!i()llElliSf pl'oblonls. Beginning \-vith flue sL:lbom' move‘::l‘zlT.~“~. Vi.~'c-01121:‘ Kafo said: “In con-

::'«lm'illg Japan ‘S po.s:ition, We must ro'm.9ml)<‘l' thaf the p(‘-rsonal rolzition of (‘ml_:lO_Vol' and employed is closer here than in the Amol‘i<:an or English sys-‘rr-ms. .Tzlp:ul is far off the position in which combine-cl labour is, opposed to cc-mbiliod employers. Still, there is the question wliotlior tfib pc-r.~‘onal relations will (li.<appo:n- and new relations take tlxvir place. I con::l':1ntly inipress m_mxl Capital, for its own sake, to face 1-.lbour’s iioccssities. and not 'ro live in :1 fool’s pamcliso. Tho ‘»\'o]'l{“.l(“.‘. Crumot fail to IlU‘.‘i(,'(‘, tho liiiggo «livi(lomls. aml require g'i*:?atr>l' I'ocogllition. .I‘.;\BOI.'R AGIT.-\’l‘ORS ‘.V.»XR}II‘]D.

Discu.<='sin_g what |me‘tllr)zls .]'a.pzln <\'oul<l undertake To solve fhe ln.l)Ou1' problems. Viscount_Kato snicl that all parts of The world must agree g'enel'ally on the prillciples, and if was necessary that Japanese emplo)'ers should recognise the facts. But it’ was his }‘)OllC“_s' .‘.11.<=.0 to um-n the Japanese workmen flla.t' in;=ist:?ng on all 4.leman<lg mlanf a higher eos1" of production and a gre:l’rel‘ cost of living. He added: “Men \\'.llo live On the labourers by illStig:lfin; tl:-em to ('C'll’flllU.oll.\‘ do:z~.nn<ls will be regarcled here as dan-l gerous.” ‘ THE KOREAN -C-‘),1,"17.‘{\."1‘1'.’7..\'

Turning to the Korean question. Viseoullt Kato said that Korea. under .T:lpan’s zldnlinistre.tion had made-great‘ material progress. but, he said, “Material progress is not every thing.‘ Every nation has -also a spiri« 'tual need expressed in a desire for selfgovernmem-, , which is discernible ‘in Korea. and is easily unclerstood. Nevertheless outbreaks of acts of ‘violence hove to be suppressed by the actual governing power. “After the present disturbance has ‘been quelled we must. think of granting Korans a greater share of governlment. But this must be done gradually, and it will take time. In no case shall the Koreans think they are obtaining independelice, which we will never grant.” THE TERMS or‘ PEACE. _ Viscount Kato added that it must. be perceived that all theories of government by military power had received :1 severe set—baek through the defeat of Gernrany. If Germany had been victorious the tendency might be the other way. Viscount Kate gave {it as his opinion that the Japanese lcnnstitution was moving» towards

‘greater recognition of government by ipolitical parties. The older bureauicratie influences were waning, though military influences prevailed in the existing 1‘t(lI11lIliStI‘21ti'011. Viscount K-ato raised the question whether Germany ‘would sign the Peace Treaty and whether the terms could possibly be 'lna.intaill'e(l after signing. He thought that it was not pretended that a large organised ‘nation should remain under such restrictions for an iinlefinite period. of time. He was full of -doubts on this question. MR HUGHES’ SPEECHES. The interviewer asked Viscount Kate whether his long residenciabroad and close aecquaintance with \\'e.-ztern ideas and methods constituted an obstacle to his political advancement. Viscount Kate. smiling‘. said: “}.,l:lll}' oi’ nay enenii-es endeavour to make a political cry against me. I think it «lees not count "much in the ; long run.” The question was put to Viscount} Kate because many influential poli-ll tieians have spoken also expressing‘ <listrns{- of Viscount Kflto on aeeounti ct‘ his exceptional political dexterit_v.l \‘.'hen .<a_vin_,e‘ ;:o0(l—l)_Ve Viscount Kato remarked:——“lt is perfectly safe forl you to infornl Australians that Japese labour is certain to assert itself. I .-\_nd the (li.<p:iritv llet\'.'(‘ml the eon—] ditions of‘ the two ('ountriC‘.~' will be <leerc~ased.” He a(l(led., laughing: “Tlaen nerhaps there well be noneed for 111- lluglies to make tlmste intel'est- ‘ inp; ;x;p(‘L‘L’llr‘S he nizule in I’:lri.<.” l