HAPPY JAPAN

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 440, 22 May 1937, Page 7

HAPPY JAPAN

HIGHLY-ORGANISED COUNTRY Business Man’s Views Wellington, May 22 “Next to America, Japan is the most highly-organised industrial country in the world,” said Mr. Owen W. Rainger, Auckland, managing direc of Snow, Rainger, Ltd., who arrived at Wellington in the Port Chalmers from an extended tour abroad. “Japan fears that New Zealand will raise a quotja tariff against her as Australia has done, but if this eventuates it. will probably have the effect of improving the taada 1 of Japanese goods which come ; ito the Dominion.” Mr. Rai ng r said he travelled a great dtul in Japan, and, generally speaking, he thought the people were happy and contented. “Their Government is interfering almost overbearingly witn priva' e enterprise,” he said. “The army and navy officials who are the Govern men’, are completely disinterested in lire welfare of business concerns. All they seek are ways and means of extracting more and more taxes from the business man to pay for armaments.” Unemployment was unknown in Japan, he said I: was the duty or a person’s family to support him If ne was not at work, jand Mr. Rainger recited a ca.se where a man who found himself workless dipped into his ijam'ly history and about five generations back traced- his relationsnio to another branch of the family which was feble to give him fudpott. The workers were under a. 6 3-. n our week in all the big factories in jawin. and worked on Sundays. They were given two holidays a month. “They expect no more,” he said, “and seemed very happy indeed. It is an easy mat’er to hire labour in JEpan, but it is far harder for an employer to discharge an employee. Should a man prove unsatisfactory, his employer must give hm one year’s wages for every three years he worked for the firm before discharging him. If this is not done the employer runs a grave risk of bapig boycotted by o her firms. This is one of the principles of the J’apafiese business code.”