There is one thing in which Japan beats the world from John o" Groat's to Cape Cod, and from Peking to Timbuctoo, and. that is the speed with which buildings can burn in her capital.
As T have written before, the reconstruction of Tokyo is largely a sham. 'There has been very little real reconstruction. The region where are the big buildings was miraculously spared by the earthquake. What one sees everywhere just patch-up work. 'The grand Duildings—other than' those that were there before the disaster. of last year—are in truth fine eamouflages of paper and wood. On the a mixture of thin cement and stucco that gives the edifice a solid, even an imposingly solid, appearance, but anyone can scratch through to the wood and paper with his little finger hour, This will explain how fire takes heavy toll here. Tokyo is to-day better fuel for fire than it ever was in the past, and this is admitted by the Japanese themselves. 'There have been a few imposing buildings, which were in course' of construction when the quake hit the city, completed, but these only serve as set-back recently, but disquieting reports are again appearing in the more liberal of the Japanese organs to the effect that the War Office once more interfering in, matters that ought to be rightly handled by the Foreign Omics.
The line of policy that the War Office is alleged to have decided on is not a direct one, The rumour that the United States intends to lend Marshal 'Tuan, China's new executive, $200,000,000 has evidently galvanized the War Office into activity, and, declaring that political influence turn for capital invested, a move has been started for Japan to make some sort of a loan' to China, Dual diplomacy has failed time and again in Japan and. invariably Japan has burnt her fingers, but the War Office seems to be out for another try, if the reports in the vernacular press can be credited. Time will tell whether the Foreign Office will have to take a back.
formulating towards China. is not answerable to the Cal for the actions of his department, and is not likely to be easily diverted from his desire to give his soldier-statements plans a trial. The ensuing situation, therefore, is fraught with a number of very interesting possibilities.
Relief Material: Rotting in Tokyo daily have examples that] Lord. Rosebery's estimate of the Japanese as most,.efficeignt race is However efinint Japan may have been those days, efficiency to-day is more conspicuous by its absence Whatever "the Army and Navy may be, the alleged efficiency of civilian departments "is nothing but-a myth. The latest instance of the prevalence>of a gross form of inefficiency came to. light last week, when the. Deputy: Mayor of Tokyo suddenly discovered that, dae to negligence. and mismanagement, and, it may safely be added due The Fire Brigades of Tokyo recently compiled figures to find out fast flames eat \into the and the rate was worked out at one minute four seconds per house! In issuing the information to the press, the offi cial statement declared that this was a world's record.
One hopes that of bursting Tokyo, according to the signs, will doubtedly be a better city than the old, Fine roads have been laid out, fine roads are being constructed, a modern sewer system is being constructed, telephone and telegraph wires are to be buried underneath, and the plans generally are to make Tokyo look a city, instead of a conglomeration of villages. But there's still a long way to go. If Tokyo had been reconstructed in the manner tourists ti talk 30 enthusiastically of, then would a miracle have been achieved. Even if this be an age of miracles anid even though the Japanese are undoubtedly a very enterprising people, cities are not built in a twelvemonth, Children Fatter but Shorter, After Earthquake An earthquake phenomenon that rizzling medical men and scientists of Nippon is that, since the earthquake, children have lost. inches in their stature, but have {grown heavier and broader. The fact was revealed when a census of the. school. children was taken last. month. Not only post-quake babies, but also school-going girls and boys have" gained in avoirdupois, but, have lost in linear measure.
About 200,000 children in, the city, half of them girls, were examined made. when this strange discovery was
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