Tokyo, Apr. 19, Painting a gloomy picture of the trade depression, unemployment and bankruptey which, he alleged was vite in Jupan to-day, Mr. Inukai, President of the Seiyukai (the Brineipal Opposition party), in. the course of a vigorous speech delivered yesterday, saddled the blame for this state of affairs squarely policies of the The speech is regarling the attitude the Opposition will adopt towards the Government during the special session of the Diet, "The mal-administration of the Cabinet," Mr. Inukai said, "is daily growing more und more marked, while the imprudent manner which the gold embargo has been Jifted and the pursuit of an irrational retrenchment policy have tended to plunge the country, urban and Yural, into an intense depression with "dankrupteies occurring con. stantly amongst all classes, ce amereial, industrial and agricultural,'
The Opposition leader questioned the honesty of the Government's figures which put the total namber of the unemployed at about 350,000, He maintained that it was at least Gouble that figure, "This number," he proceeded, "is rapidly increasing and, while it should be the plain business of the Government to revive business and relieve unemployment so wx to security to the life of the nation, doing nothing to remedy situation, simply saying that the present business depression was due world causes. The irrational retrenchment and native policies of the Cubinet are responsibhy for the Blight that has come over the in-dusties of the country, while the hasty lifting of the gold oibargo and the mistaken measures taken (0 make good the effects of: that step have engendered the present deplorable economic state of affairs."
Mr, Inukai also referred to the naval treaty, He held that on this point the stand of the Seiyukai remains unchanged and that he could not but regard the results reached London with anything but deep intern for Japan. "The three main joints set forth by Japan at the outset of the conference" he argued, "represented the minimum necessity of national defence. Consequently, the Government made a serious blunder when they refused to listen, to the Navy Department and the compromise reached was n shameful surrender to Britain and America. The Government vielled where iz hould have held on with might and main, Tts action has put the nation-defence in jeopardy and raised genuine apprehensions amongst those whowe sacred duty. isto see that the defence of the country is adequately provided for. In this respect Iam. speaking with: out any party leanings and every: Japanese must bear in mind that, Tandon, the Hamogachi Cabinet, over-riding those who have devoted their entire lives and all their energies to the protection of the country, bartered the most precione possession of the land for an agree:
int that isy-at best, of very doubtful value to Japan."
The Sino-Japanese Taritt The special committee appointed from amongst its own members the Privy Council to enquire into the, Notes exchanged between Japan and China regarding the new. tariff Agreement held its first "meeting yesterday, Foreign Office ai were requested to attend and In the course of discussion, spirited debate arose between cer tain of the special committee and the Foreign Office representatives on the possible effects of the new duties on the trade interests Japan, the former contending that these would operate to. the de ment of this country and the latter stoutly maintaining that there was no adequate reason for making suen pessimistic forecast and insisting that the new agreement was a long step towards an ultimate Sina Tupanese economic entente which was the act policy of Japan, respective of which political party happened to be.in power.
The special committee of th Pr vy Council nevertheless express Pu that the contente of the new tariff agreement, forming the nucleus of the proposed Sino-Japan-exe commercial treaty, would produce far-reaching effects on the future of Japan's trade with -China, and that the Notes exchanged this connection were tantamount to, 8 curtailment of Japan's established, rights. Yet, they added, since Great, Britain and other Powers had als ready exchanged Notes with China accepting tariff autonomy for China unconditionally and as Japan was lagging behind in the matter, Japa hould, out of regard for Sino. Japanese friendship, accept' the new agreement in principle. The Privy, Councillors, however, called the attention of the Foreign Office representatives and, through them, o¢ the Government to the fact that Japan had much more exten: re in of terests in China than any other Power and that China had, at times, failed to observe her international obligations, so that, they said, they expected the Government to' take, adequate diplomatic measures to see that Ching remained faithful to the terms of the new agreement, The Drift to the Cities The drift to the industrial centes of Japan from the rural regions con. tinues unabated and is viewed with creased misgivings by the author ities. The Central Employment Exchange of the Home Office has just made public the results of the investigations it has. been carrying on some time in regard to the numcher of people \sho migrated from their native prefectures to other! prefectures in search of work during 1929, According to the figures published, the total number of such persons, in the your under review, was 905,823, of whom 543,272 were men and the, Fest women. Compared with the previous year, the total number; shows an increase of aver 120,000, while about 65 per cent, of the tots represents members of farmers' families, a fact which is regarded with apprehension as it throws 2 Aidelight on the difficult living conditions aMicting the rural population, and also because this trek to the urban regions works counter to one. of the most-cherished policies of the. Government, that of encouraging, and fostering the "Back to the Land" movement, These rural folks found their way principally to the industrial centres, filatures and cotton mills absorbing: the greatest number. This trek from, cities continues intermission, and, with basi ness in a very depressed condition and industrial plants cutting down wages and reducing their staffs, th constant drift to the manufacturing, regions—whieh is synonymous with the cities—-is regarded by the G3- vernment as extremely undesirable, to say the least,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.