Tokio, Oct. 30.
The tramcar service of the capital, which has been working under a considerable handicap owing to the destruction of so many cars that were suddenly compelled to stop where they were on the streets as the result of the earthquake, has been further cripplied by a fire late last night at one of the car-sheds. The fire broke out just after all the cars had been housed for the night, and was not extinguished until over 100 cars had been burnt. The loss is estimated at Yen 2,000,000, and will, it is expected, delay the complete restitution of the service for two additional months.
Evidently the action taken by the Lnperial University authorities to: britig pressure to bear on the educational Department on the question of removing the University to a site outside. the city limits has had: its effect, for it is now reported that the Department has informally decided to approve the scheme. To this approval, however, a condition is attached, namely, that in order to distribute any heavy demand that may be made on the Treasury the removal] will be spread over a period of from five to seven years. The total cost of establishing the new University centre is expected to reach Yen 30,000,000.
Owing to the demand for certain classes of labour in the work of reconstruction, including carpenters, plasterers, painters and others engaged in building repairs, and to the threatened rise in wages, the Government appears to have abandoned its original plan of not interfering with the wage scale, which it was intended should be left to the local bodies to regulate.
A meeting of contractors, business men and officials was held a few days ago at the Home Department, at which it was. decided to call a conference of all interests concerned, employers as well as employees, to draw up regulations for wages, after taking into consideration the conditions of demand and supply, and the post-earthquake cost of living. It was proposed that monthly meetings of this conference should be held to revise the scale in accordance with the then prevailing conditions, that the arranged scale of wages should be officially announced, together with plans for the supply of the labour-required.
A further meeting will be held when the foregoing proposals will be submitted to the consideration of representatives of the labour associations.
Labour conditions are' reported to be seriously affected by the recent disaster in the districts surrounding the. city of Nagoya. In Aichi. prefecture alone. forty-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.