GOOD WORD FOR JAPAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 January 1934, Page 2

GOOD WORD FOR JAPAN

WORLD-TRAVELLER IMPRESSED. [PEB PBESB ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, January 4. You may think that I am proJapanese, but I like up-to-date people and I consider that Japan as a nation has played the game,” Mr E. J. Lee, a traveller who has visited more than 100 countries, said when interviewed. Japan had to find an outlet for her population, Mr Lee added, but she had. found it in Manchukuo and he was satisfied that she had no desire to occupy Australia. A great deal had been said and written about the Japanese occupation of Manchukuo, but the population there had welcomed the invader with open arms. Nineteen out of every twenty had wanted to see the Japanese take over the Government of the country and that could not be wondered at, because conditions in China were appalling. There was not one chance in a hundred of Japan ever considering moving to the south. The Japanese were a. capable and. intelligent people, and, as a nation, they were very anxious to do what was right. Individuals might have ideas that did not fit that description, but that was another matter.

Having motored more than 1000 miles in Japan, Mr Lee gained a very good knowledge of the countrv and the people. Where the country had been Westernised the roads were very good, he said, but elsewhere they were very narrow. The people were very hospitable and eagei’ to please, and a very wrong impression had been gained regarding their standard of living. Relatively their standard was just as high as in any other country. Countries an over the world varied as to standard of comfort and the Japanese were just as happy and well provided for as the people of New Zealand. Their wages might be much lower, but they had never been used to anything else and could buy all that they required. “Some of the finest marathon runners and wrestlers in Ihe world come from Japan,” he said, “and can anyone say they are undernourished. They live just like the working classes and have the same standard of living as the cottonmill workers.” EFFICIENT ORGANISATION. t LONDON, January 1. Discussing the effect of the Japanese chemistry industry on the British industry. Dr Herbert Levinstein of the Institute of Chemistry, 'emphasises that Japan’s success is largely due to cfJicienl organisation. “It. is absolutely essential that we must hot regard the Japanese as mere exploiters of cheap female labour,” he says, “as the working people are well treated and are contented.” Japan was armed with every modern weapon in the industrial armoury. She was now a diminishing customer’ for chemicals, and would soon cease to buy any. Moreover, Japanese competition with British textiles menaced the full use of British chemicals anl inventions in Lancashire and Yorkshire.