Fro Ova Own Tokyo, Apr. 26.
I sent you recently 4 summary of the petition presented to the Diet by female and juvenile workers in Japanese mills for better conditions. The full doct ssument is instructive.
Tapan is @ signatory to the. Washington Labour Congress and, in 1923, promulgated a law prohibiting eht work on the part of women and children in factories. This law, however, has never been enforced, largely due to the powerful opposition put up by capitalists, who dee jared that, if such law were to take effect, Japan would never be able to hold her present position in international markets and this, in ture, would work greatly to the detriment of the nation.
At the time the capitalists opposed the enforcement of the new law (rendering juvenile anc female night labour illegal) it was contended by the moneyed interests that such prob would entail the instalment of an additional 4,000,000 spindles. As a matter of fact, the inci se of spindle ince 1923, when the old law was amended, has been mud more than 4,000,000, that, as the labour petition maintains, there is no longer any valid reason for further postponement of the enforcement of the prohibition.
Some of the statis fes put forward by the workers are stiétling. Dr. I hihara, who made a survey of conditions, declares that, on account of night work, 23 out of every 1 10 women w ers die every year.
Out' of every 100, he innes, 10 suffer from sterility, The total number of women employed in Japanese factories, according to statistics compiled towards the end of 1924, was Of these girls between numerous; while those between uno less than 115,801.
15 and 20 years of age were most the ages of 12 and 15 numbered The following is the complete text of the petition filed with, the Tmnperial Diet by the Japan Federation of Labour:—"It is hereby petitioned that the additional articles attached to the Amended Factory Law (namely, Law No, 38, promulgated on May 29, 1023), be struck out, and that faiticles providing for" Boarding Houses be added to the said Law, to be enforced. immediately."
(if ere, it must be pointed out, that the amendment refers to the' pro Iibition of night, work for women and juvenile workers of either tex, the enforcement of which was po poned by the Government at the pressing request of the capitalists), Reasons for the Petition "phe prohibition of night wor rrereby petitioned for, was legistat= ed In accordance with the principles fol the International Treaty con-Cluded at the first Labour Congress called at Washington in 1919>From Tapan, Afr, Eikiehi Kamada (an Im-
Unive vote Japan, the appointee to the House of and also President of Keio one of the largest p educational institutions in and once Minister of n—Ed) was despatched as delegate, and aire shareholder in the vast Kanegafuchi spin ning interests—Ed.) was sent by the capitalists, Both supported the prohibition.
"Pour years tater, the Government enacted a new Factory Law and amended the old one. The new law, which was promulgate 1923, included articles prohi night work, but in the additional Articles, enforcement of the pr hibition, it was stated, would done three years after the enforce-sett of the law itself.
The Law Not Enforced ~The new (amended) Factory Law, which was promulgated three years ago, is not yet enforced owing: Yo the opposition on the part of the capitalists. Although the evil of night work is recognized by both the Government and the capitalists, the enforcement of the law is me Gefinitely put off. In order to understand this state of things correctly, we must go back to the: time of the enactment of the new Factory Law, when the Federation of Spinning Companies started an opposition movement, and succeeded in persuading the Government and the Imperial Diet to attach the Additional Articles where by enforcement of prohibition of night work by women and juveniles was post poned for three years from the enforcement of the Law itself.
"The reason given by the spinning trade was that the prohibition would necessitate the installation of 4,- (000,000 additional spindles in order to secure ahd maintain normal pro-Guction, In fact, however, the increase of spindles since 1923 has been more than 4,000,000, 59 that the Government strike' out that there is no longer. any valid reason for further postponement of} enforcement of the prohibition. It] is, therefore, only right and proper, these additional articles, and there-enforce the prohibition of night work immediately.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.