Peppermint and Ponies

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 438, 14 November 1947, Page 18

Peppermint and Ponies

The last of three articles written for "The Listener" by

H. R.

C.

a New Zealander who |}

recently visited Hokkaido, | least-known of the Japanese home islands.

: / N the shortage of food is much more acute than elsewhere in Japan and this, together with the harsh climate, has caused fairly severe suffering among many of the people. About two months ago some villages were as much as 70 days behind with rationed supplies (which include all staple foods), and while we were in Sapporo there were several large-scale demonstrations of protest. These demonstrations, which could easily have developed into riots if,it had not been for the arrest by American authorities of several of the organisers who were advocating violence, were stated to be inspired by Communist elements, but there was no evidence made public to substantiate this and it seemed to me that hunger itself would be enough reason. The greatest cause for concern was the shortage of the main food, rice, which, because pf the climate, does not grow satisfactorily in Hokkaido. Large areas, however, are sown in Uplands rice (known in the United States as Californian rice), grown on dry land where paddies are not possible (on porous, volcanic-ash ground, for instance), and even when the crop is successful the yield and the grain quality are poorer than the usual paddy (or Louisiana) crop. Such ground could be well used for more suitable crops, like potatoes, but to the Japanese rice is so important that they are prepared to take what to-day seems an unjustifiable risk of a crop failure rather than look forward to a potato diet.