FARMS FOR JARS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 December 1945, Page 5

FARMS FOR JARS.

EXTENSIVE REFORMS AGE-LONG BURDENS TO GO (Recd. 11.45 a.mj TOKIO, Dec. 9. General MacArthur has ordered a sweeping programme of agrarian re'form for Japan “to destroy economic bondage which has enslaved the Japanese farmer for centuries of feudal oppression.” The directive, which is designed to abolish absentee land ownership, provides for the purchase of farm lands from absentee landlords at equitable rates, payable in annual instalments commensurate with the tenant’s income. It also instructs the Government to see that the farmers are afforded legal protection so that conditions will not force them back into tenancy. Specified safeguards are, firstly, access to long and short term farm credit at reasonable rates; secondly, measures to prevent exploitation by processors and distributors, and thirdly, stabilisation of farm prices. The Government is further ordered to provide a-programme of technical education for farmers with the agricultural co-operative movement free of domination by non-agrarian interests. The directive cited the following “pernicious ills” affecting farmers: — Firstly, intense overcrowding of land. (Almost half of the farm households in Japan till less than one and a-half acres each); secondly, conditions highly unfavourable to tenants, (more than three-quarters of the farmers are tenants paying rentals amounting to half or more of their annual crops); thirdly, the heavy burden of indebtedness (less than half of the total farm population can support itself on agricultural income); fourthly, Governmental discrimination against farmers with interest rates and direct taxes more oppressice than in commerce or industry; and, fifthly, authoritarian government control over farmers who are often restricted by arbitrary crops quotas. The directive added that the emancipation of farmers cannot begin until such basic farm evils are uprooted and destroyed. The Government has been directed to carry out the orders by March 15. TRUTH FOR THE JAPS. NEW YORK, December 8. The Japanese Press and radio for the first time have been ordered to tell the people the true story of what hapnened before and during the war, says the “New York Times’s” Tokio correspondent. The newspapers, magazines, and radio are beginning to-morrow a series of 20 articles on the Pacific situation, dating from 1931, including accounts of the Mukden incident, the aggression in North China, and the sacking of Manila, as well as the wholesale abandonment of troops by the Japanese High Command. The articles were compiled by general headquarters information and education section. TOJO’S TRIAL NEW YORK, December 7. The Emperor Hirohito, with the Empress, has been included in a list of Japanese war criminals compiled by Japanese Communists. The list contains 100 names. A message from Tokio says that Tojo is high on the list for the trials beginning in January. The chief American prosecutor (Mr Joseph Keenan) said that the previous delays in starting the trials were to respect the rights of other nations and show that the United States was not taking high-handed action. Although the Allies were invited to nominate members of the Court none had done so. Mi - Keenan said that the accusations would go back to 1937, when Japan started the war with China. YAMASHITA’S APPEAL WASHINGTON, December 8. The United States Secretary of War (Mr Patterson) has ordered the suspension of the death sentence'on General Yamashita until the Supreme Court has disposed of an application for a writ of habeas corpus. A message from Washington says that the Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to refuse Yamashita’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Awating the formal review of the death penalty, Yamashita was taken to the Bilibid Prison, where he impassively smoked cigarettes. He smiled as he entered the cell, and said: “I see from the commission’s conclusion that it recognised my claim. I never ordered, authorised, or condoned the crimes of my troops.” Colonel Harry Clarke, chief defence counsel, said that Yamashita was the perfect client. Colonel Clarke admitted that he was the only member of the defence staff who expected an acquittal. Yamashita rewarded all his attorneys, as follows: —Colonel Clarke, a silver watch, his ribbons, and field teaset which he used in the Singapore and Philippines campaigns; Lieutenant-Colonel C. Hendrix, a huge leather belt, with the remark, “He is the only, counsel big enough to wear it”; Major Frank Reel and Major Milton Sundberg, watches and ceremonial brushes which Yamashita used to write delicate Chinese sonnets, and gold good-luck coins. President Osmena, of the Philippines, said the Filipino people, who had suffered so much at the hands of a cruel enemy, felt that justice had been done in the death penalty. ATROCITIES IN PHILIPPINES (Rec. 10.0 a.m.) TOKIO, December 9. The United States charged Lieut-enant-General Masaharu Homma, conqueror of the Philippines, with permitting the death march _ at Bataan, and other atrocities against the Filipinos. The American indictment also named Lieut.-Coldnel Saichi Ahta, commander of the Kempetai, or military police in the Philippines in 1942, Major Zanzo Saito, commander of the “Tiger” unit of the Japanese army, Major Takashi Tohei, commander of the Kempetai unit near Manila, and Colonel Akira Nagahama, Chief of the Mepetai in the Philippines from late 1942 to 1945. The atrocities mentioned include the bombing of Manila after it had been declared an open city, bombing the general hospital on Bataan, bayoneting to death American. and Filipino hospital patients, beheading an entire Filipino family, and using the Filipino prisoners in bayonet practice. Emphasis was laid on the death march. General Homma is at present in Omori prison camp and will soon be taken to Manila for trial. It is announced that some Japanese leaders may be taken to Hawaii for trial on murder charges arising from the Pearl Harbour attack, It is

claimed that such trials are justified, because the American victims at Pearl Harbour were killed while Japan- and America were still officially at peace. It is added that their lives were taken with premeditation. That is murder in the United States. “ SENTENCES IN BORNEO. (Rec. noon). ‘ . SYDNEY, December 10. An Australian military-' court at Labuan sentenced to death 20 Japanese and Formosan guards guilty of having massacred 46 Allied prisoners of war. The sentence, which may set a precedent for similar cases in the Borneo area, has to be confirmed by the Australian GovernorGeneral. The Allied prisoners were killed at Miri (Sarawak) on June 19 this year. This is the end of the third trial in the Miri massacre series, in which seven of nine Japanese were found guilty. The 13 Formosan guards who had been previously convicted and the seven Japanese were sentenced together.

, U.S.A. AND CHINA REPLY TO MR. HURLEY WASHINGTON, Dec. 7. “On the information already presented, there is no evidence to support Mr. Hurley’s charge of disloyalty to his superior officer by Mr. Atcheson, Counsellor at the American Embassy in Chungking, or by Mr. John Service, who was assigned to Lieuten-ant-General Stilwell in China,” said the United States Secretary of State (Mr. Byrnes) testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Byrnes added: “While every man in the Foreign Service must administer the Government’s declared policy, he should not hesitate to express his views when he believes that changed conditions justify it.” Mr. Byrnes challenged Mr. Hurley’s allegation that he was unable to get a public statement from President Truman, Mr. Byrnes, or ranking officials on American policy towards China. There was no oral or written request for it. Mr. Byrnes defended the propriety of communications from Mr. Atcheson and Mr. Service about readjustments of policy, and also the channels used by them. He repeated United States support for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, but added that it must be broadened to include representatives of those large, well organised groups who were not without voice in the Government of China. United States influence should be used to encourage mutual concessions on both sides. MUKDEN ENTRY CHUNGKING, Dec. 8. Chinese national forces are reported to havd reached the outskirts of Mukden and are expected to enter the city within three days. The Nationalists advanced from the Great Wall to Mukden against negligible opposition, losing fewer than 100 troops. The “World Daily News” said that the Communist general, Chou En-lai, would visit Chungking on December 15 for the scheduled peace conference. RUSSIAN CONCESSION

(Recd. 11 a.m.) CHUNGKING, Dec. 9

The Army newspaper, Ho Ping Pao, reported that Russia has granted Chungking troops permission to occupy Changchun, Harbin and Dairen. Meanwhile, a Communist despatch said that 100,000 Chungking and Japanese troops are crossing the Yellow River to attack the Communist held northern Honan and South Shansi. They also charged Chungking with using the Japanese in fighting northward of Miyun, 140 miles north-east of Pekin. ARRESTS IN NORTH CHINA CHUNGKING, Dec. 8. Secret police in Pekin ,have arrested 250 officials of the former Japanese Puppet Government in north China, including Wang Shih-ching, formerly head of the puppet Fedei a Reserve Bank, and reputedly the richest man in north China, also Princess Chin, who is a cousin ol Emperor Pu Yi.