FAMINE IN JAPAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 166, 13 January 1914, Page 6

FAMINE IN JAPAN.

NINIC MILLIONS STAIiYI-MI. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright Tokio, January 11. It is ollicially slated that nine million people afe starving in tin: Hokkaido and North-i'iastern Prefectures. [ CAI'KiOU BY I'All.ntK 01' CHOI'S. (.'able messages recently have described the terrible distre-s caused by the famine from which many parts of Japan are suU'ering'. - One remarkable feature <-f Japanese I famines is the fact that they generally originate in the province of Aomori, in 'the northern part of the Kmpire. So jin (lie present instance. Agricultural joooMnll's i slilute the bulk of the | produce in this district, and rice is the I principal crop. lint Japan, since it extends through many degrees of latitude, enjoys a wide range of climate and temperature—from severe colds and storms in the northern part of the islands, playing havoc with the whole prospective, yield. The population of the province is about Uii'ee-qiiaiters of a million.

BKT'iT.U SKKJ.) \YANTKD. DLsclissiny the failure of these northern rice crops, ■nnilor date. November lli, ■ih« Tokio Nichi N'ichi stated that there were .several opinions us to the cause, but the principal anil most likely explanation oil'cred was Unit the farmers eonhl not procure the seed adaptable for sowing in that particular district. ''Accordingly," the journal eontinues, "a good harvest comes only oneo in ten years, and in the other years the crop might be said to be almost a failure. The Government lias recognised the importance of experimenting with differ unfc varieties of seed ill the province, and every three years has sown the fields with a new variety. So-far, however, their efforts have not been succossI ful. The trouble is due to the fact i that the coldness comes too soon, killi hifr the ;;raiu before harvest lime. If I the tlovcniment can discover any spe'eiiil kind of rice seed, winch ripens tif{ieen days earlier than the present variety, tlio district would soon be iminline from the danger of famine," BURDEN' OF TAXATION.

When interviewed by a Daily Tclogaiph representative, the. Japanese I'ousul in Sydney stated tliat many institutions, both ' public and private, were earnestly considering ways and menus of relieving the people of their sull'erin;'. The (loverninent would give some relief, and probably remit luxation for a short period. Asked whether it was not a fact that the lower orders in Jap.iu were on the verge of revolt because they found the burden of taxa- . tion for naval defence excessive, and, moreover, could now obtain only two I meals a day, whereas in former times they had three, the Consul said that, I so far us he could see, there was no ! such tendency at present. Tho people I of the particular province had given no indication of revolution. The resources of Aomori were not so much developed as those of the southern parts of the

Umpire, where manufacturing industries were .much more vigorous than in the north. That partly accounted for the present distress, and if industries and commerce were in the same flourishing stale as in the south, the likelihood of famine would be very much reduced. Since the country was opened to foreigners, the south had not depended wholly on its agricultural production, since there 'had been a great accession of weatlth from the manufactures and industries. The same fads wore to bo observed in Europe, where famine was unknown in the densely-populated industrial countries, but was by no means unknown in agricultural Russia.