The Osaka Gas Works Company lately some money—about four million yen—from Mr. Brady, a New York capitalist, for the purpose of extending its operations, but the Municipality at once made trouble, saying that the Compang's charter had been originally granted without any provision for the payment of a tax to the city, and that since the Company now intended to greatly enlarge beth its capital and its operations, a condition should be imposed that, after paying a certain dividend to its shareholders, the Company must hand over to the city a fraction of the remaining profits.
Many foreign journals are bitterly opposed says the Kobe Chronicle," remained 'a to this demand. Had the Gas Company," Japanese undertaking entirely, nothing! would have been heard of such a condition. The attitude of the Osaka Municipality in this matter affords " vivid illustration of the difficulties and dangers which surround the introduction of foreign capital under present conditions."
It is not at all improbable that there may! be something in the Kobe Chronicle's" way of looking at the matter; and it isnot easy see how the Municipal Authorities can remain obstinate if the Gas Works has a legal right to develop its capital and large its scope without changing its charter. However that may be, the Mayor and the Municipal authorities' are bebwving with altogether too much recklessness.
"The Gas Works peopl," the former recently declared. "are trying to make the most of the Home Office's charter, but I don't care a bit about charter law. ' I will push my own views about this afair, and see whether I fail or not to carry my point. L will pull t6 pieces the tottering establishment."
The charter referred to is, of course, the charter originally granted to the Gas Works, permitting them to lay their mains throughout the city of Osaka with a view to supplying the inhabitants with gas; and Mayor to talk in this undignified way a coach-and-four through the charter is not what we should expect.
Many of the opponents of the Gas Works, and among them I number the journalists both in Osaka and in Tokio, are probably honest in their opposition, bein, under the impression that a giant an merciless corporation '+i!Américaine" is growing up in their midst; but it is hardly lair for them to suggest, as they do, that unless the Assembly men of Osaka adopt. a certain line of action now in respect of this Gas question they will brand themselves og corrupt.
Later, The discussion of this Gas Works question is getting more and more embittered. The Municipality is evidently determined on making the Works pay compensation, and has passed a resolution "to rouse public opinion "—an expression which sounds ruinously like the manifesto of a band of strikers in England or of boycotters in Ireland. It has also resolved' to entrust committee of seven men" with the work of rousing public opinion and to help the city to start Gas Works of its own in case of a rupture between the Municipality and the Works. The matter will finally be referred to Baron Utsumi, Home Minister; but the Gas Works copie assert that he has already expressed himself, wnoflcially of course, in favour of their position, Japan and Russia.
Some weeks ago the Tokio correspondent of the "Cologne Gazette" wired to his paper that a Russo-Japanese rapprochement was about to take place. Nobody attached any importance to the rumour at the time, in the first place because nol believed that the Cologne Gazette" had got a correspondent in Tokio, and in the second place for a hundred obvious reasons, the rumour was so wildly improbable. This alleged telegram was poried by aseusible and moderate article which appeared about the same time in the "Jndépendance Belge" anent the formation of "the Russo-Japanese Association" here.
After noting the formation of the abovementioned society, 'I'Indepéndance" says that:
This is an important item of news which merits attention, for it is only by a rapprochement between Russia and Japan that the maintenance of peace in the Far Bast can be assured. Certainly this new association will have an extremely difficult task to accomplish, and its mission will sometimes be an onerous one, for it cannot be denied that the statesmen at the head of affairs Tokio have thrown themselves entirely on the English side, and have taken up an attitude of formal opposition to the action of Russia in the Far Bast."
Then, anti-English as ithas ever been, especially <ince the outbreak of the South StBican War, it declares its belie "That the statesmen of London entertain strange illusions if they believe that
drag Japan after them wherever they like, by the Anglo-Japanese alliance they can and make whatever use they please of this
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.