Mr. Yoshizawa First Ambassador to China: Comfort Over Some of the Earthquake Tragedies:, A Callous Chronicle From Our Own Tokyo, Apr. 29. the frequent statements that have been made, both in and: in China that Mr. Yoshizawa At Present Japanese "Minister to Peking, will be recalled home on Account of his illness and that Mr. N. Obata, formerly Minister to China, - will instead be appointed, your correspondent learnt to-d from the Foreign Office that, whil no definite decision has as yet heel Teached, the probabilities are Yoshizawa will be asked to continue at his Peking post, It was) also learnt that, with a decision being definitely' reached, Japa diplomatic envoy at Peking will be elevated to the rank of an ambas-noder, so that Mr. Yoshizawa is the most likely person to enjoy the distinction "of being the first Ambassador to China, The reason why it was thought that Mr. Yoshizawa would be superseded by somebody else was because of his illness. Diplomatic circles here, however, think that Mr. Yoshizawa is the best man to Yepresent Japan at the Chinese capital for the present, and this opinion has been largely influenced by the presence of Comrade Kai on terms of more than ordinary cordiality, and, with the problems addition to diplomatic endeavours, help considerably in smoothing out any knotty problems, Japan inclines to the opinion thas: important events are soon due in China, especially in the realms of} commerce. This opinion has resulted from the fact that the gold frane problem has been solved, thereby removing the biggest obstade perhaps from convening new international customs—con The Diet, at its last session, voted an appropriation for raising the Japanese Ministry at Peking to the rank of an Embassy. The Foreign Office is anxious to inaugurate the: change as soon as possible, and some time next month, or in the Leginning of June at' the latest, will be represented in the Chinese capital by an ambassador.
Comfort for Earthquake Mourners Science has been able to soften Nome of the most poignant of the. memories of those who lost nearest and dearest in the carthy quake holocaust.
On that dread evening of September 1, 1923, two giant tragedies were being enacted in the midst of Wondveds of smaller ones. The most terrible of these—perhaps the greatest single tragedy of its kind in the world—was at the site of piereiful death, that they were poisoned by carbon oxide gas before the hungry flames devoured them.
This report has just been issued by the Earthquake Preventive Commission, consisting of some of the most eminent scientists of the land. 'Their findings have been put into book form and consist of 1,500 close. ly-written quarto pages," to. print which will cost Yen 30,000. This Jcommission also says that the' atest course in a great fire is to down with the face as close to the ground as possible.
'The other awful major traeeds' lof that day of reckoning for Tokva took place in the Koshizawa (Main Red Light district). The vietime were mostly those unfortunate women whose lives were lived in a Jperoetual shadow of shame, direasc jand death, and numbered' several In the midst of the Yoshizawa, on one side of a shrine where the girls ye wont to placate the gods. was shallow pond. When the dwellings burst into torrents of flame, as only wood and paper can, a urge number of these women, unable to breathe because of the intense sultriness of the air, rushed to this pond. Others followed, and soon there was hardly standing room. The fires roared. The wooden bridge: jscross the pond became the prey Jof the flames. Part of it sizsled Jand fell into the water. All around the conflagration was raging with yeater vehemence. The water grew tepid, warmer, hot—then boiling hot. When the bodies were fished out, they were cooked. The part above] be the water was black, charred by myriads of sparks and ashes. That follow was a ci ud-pink.
—and may they be right—that those who succumbed in this pond Were not boiled alive; that they died before the water because a cauldron of intense heat, that radiative heat, not the steam of] the water, caused their death.
In both scenes of these tragedies, perpetual watch is being. kept in memory of those who perished. JAt the Army Clothing Depot, the Jsmoke of incense goes incessantly skywards, while the bones of those who died here, with their thai (death tablets) are exposed to the veneration, even worship, of re-Intives and friends. At the Yosh: zawa pond, in front of the mod shrine that has been erected ans candles, bought learned "coppers bright, others wanly dim, all fliekering—like the lives of the women whose misfortune, largely. because Jef grim poverty, it is and has been, to spend their years in weary imprisonment till merciful death beckons.
White Slavery Statistics Just Issued the Army Clothing Depot, in Honjo, Tokyo, where some 39,000—odd persons," fleeing Lefore devouring: Sames, decided that this. urge empty spas ark of salvation.' The chief of once of the distvct endorsed their: plan aid permtiod room to stay: there. " When they perished, he committed hara-kari.
Hour succeeded hour, Seas of fire engulfed the gre; Tokyo. Thi ay canals, seemed Tike an 'y.sis of safety, The refugees became so emboldened that those hying close by ventured to bring quilts. for: sleeping, clothes, chests of drawers. "ven tables and' chairs,. Suddenly fire broke out in the midst of the! densely-packed crowd. The cyelone-Vike winds. which grew in intensity after' the earth shook at noon blew shower after shower of sparks into the Army Clothing Depot site. Everything was afire. People tvuggled, cursed, screamed, The next day, when rescue squads went to the spot after the fire had died down, over 83,000 charred corpses, in various positions, strewed the Place.
The popular belief is that these people were literally burnt to death, that they suffered terrible former Uetore the spirit was released. Japanese scientists, however, now disclose that these beliefs. area take, that these unfortunate tens of thousands died a comparatively'
Right on the heels of scientists ease the conscience of the general public by pointing out that these women did not die, two years Jago, a death awful to contemplate, are published statistics, garnered by the Municipality, showing how pro-sporous State-protected whi very is in Japan. The statistics reveal a prosperity that the legitimate economic world sadly lacks prosperity for pimps and -4] Keepers who flourish on he blood-money got by submitting women te the lowest form of bestial de-Bradation.
Visitors to the brothels of Toky", says the Red Light District "balance sheet," have never declined below 000,000 @ year since 1918 They jure on the increase as year succeeds Last year, according to the report, aver 4,000,000 persons spent nearly Yen 20,000,000 on 4,836 women. Thi figures make this out to be 26 tors per girl per day on an average. Asa matter of fact, it ought to be more irl per day, on an average, because: 4 good 12. per cent. of these:
iris are continually in a gloomy, rack-like building, in the! segregated area, called a hospital, Jand which is situated cheek by jowl ith @ potter's field where are laid! to rest generally the bodies of these victims to the State-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.