JAPAN’S PROGRESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 286, 4 December 1933, Page 5

JAPAN’S PROGRESS

STATEMENTS BY VISITOR STANDARD OF LIVING ■ INCREASE IN WAGES. A visitor to Wellington at present is Mr. A. Matsudaira, managing director of the Sammus 7’rad ing Company. Nagoya and Kobe, Japan. Representing business interests, he spent 2J years at Singapore, and almost as long in Calcutta, and, while there, learned both the Malayan and Hindustani languages. In Singapore, he said, English was spoken in office hours, but after ward, in the shops and markets, Mai ay an was the common tongue. Mr. Matsudaira stated that it was compulsory to learn to read English in all Japanese schools, and he had a good giotnding in English before he left school. While nearly every Japanese could read English, not so many were able to speak it. Still, of all foreign langages, it was the best known, and English visitors, even to the small towns and villages, need have no fear of not being understood. Asked if other languages were studied by sections of the people, the visitor said that Japanese medical students usually took a course of German, as neing help ful in their studies of medicine. 11 This is the first time I have been in New Zealand,” said Mr. Matsudaira. “Your coastline ano trie entrance to your harbour are very much like Japan, and the climate is similar. But we have a very warm summer and a very cold winter. In Australia they need only two or three kinds of clothing throughout the year, but we in Japan require about 10 changes to meet the frequent climatic variations. In summer one wears light cotton or silk suits, but in winter furs and padded clothing are required to ward off the cold.

4 ‘European clothing is worn by all people earning salaries—all business people.” said Mr. Matsudaira. “Even most of the tradesmen and labourers in the cities wear European clothes while at work. But we have to have two kinds of clothing, for, as soon as people go home, they change into Japanese clothing, so as to be quite at ease in their own homes.” Mr, Matsudaira said he did not wish to discuss anything political. He said, however, that the statements that had been appearing in Australia and New Zealand about the low rates of wages that were being paid in Japan were not true. Wages had greatly increased all round, and were now three to four times higher than they were before the war. With those rises the standard of living had improved among the manufacturing class. Labour in Japan was organised into strong unions, and, if there were injustices that were not rectified, employers could expect a strike. These were quite common, even although there was a medium of settlement by conference. Such conferences between employers and employees were presided over by a Government officer. If an agreement were not arrived at, then a Government board took the matter in hand and made terms as between the parties. Only three months ago a police regulation was made in Japan, making it illegal to employ any boy or girl under 14 years of age in any capacity whatsoever, yet Mr. Matsudaira said he had noticed many children much below that age selling newspapers in Sydney. Employers, too. had now to insure their hands against sickness and accident, and of the premiums paid, as far as he could remember, the employers had to find approximately 90 per cent, and the employees 10 per cent.