Tokio, July 26.
The Japanese Government has just submitted its first report to the Secretariat of the League of Nations ce the admin: Sea Islands under its mandate, the report being sent coincidentally with the formal ratification of the Japanese-American Yap Treaty, Protection and indus. ary objects of the Japanese adm gence of the natives are the pri
istrators, according to the report, For one thing, there is no land Spoliation at the expanse of the natives. The system of land tenure in use by the native has been continued, but no native is allowed to sell, purchase, mortgage or transfer any land except for such purposes as are set forth in the Yap Treaty, which. permits American—mission-axles to acquire sites for schools and missions and gives American traders the same rights in respect of land-ownership and lease as are allowed to Japanese. The Japanese regulations, however, provide that all such sales of land must he transacted through the Japanese authorities, as the natives have little sense of land ownership and are apt to be deceived," according to an official summary of the report.
There is no slavery known in the islands and no forced labour, except when the public necessity may demand road work or sanitary works to be carried out near the native villages, although neither of these contingencies have as yet arisen. the native is allowed to work out his poll tax if he so desires, this tax being placed at a maximum of Y.10 per adult male. Non-native residents hava to pay Y.20 per head, while a business tax is levied upon those engaged in the sale of articles, the shipping trade, manu facturing and transportation and forwarding. Of the estimated, administrative expenses for 1922, Y.1,184,343 is budgetted as coming from the islands, out of a total of Y.4,484,343, leaving the Imperial Government to provide the balance of Y.3,300,000.
Lierty ror Foreren Misstons.
The few American mission schools in the islands are being left alone and the fullest liberty of conscience is permitted, under both the mandate and the Yap Treaty. A tew Buddhist mission schools have been opened, while the administration has also opened trea. elementary schools in a number of the more important centres. In addition to free tuition, at some of these schools free textbooks, free clothing and free food are also pro-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.