Tokio, Nov. 12.
Mr. Kasagi, Chief of the Tokio Municipality Road Construction, has been arrested in connexion with the faulty construction of the Meiji shrine. As a result of police investigations, five leading contractors have also been arrested on a charge of "dishonest practices."
Serious disclosures are understood to be imminent. Inquiries are proceeding with a view to a thorough investigation.
The Chief Detective of the Metropolitan Police expects the scandal will be far-reaching. He agrees with the Mayor of Tokio, Viscount Tajiri, who is quoted the press as denouncing the wirepulling which he asserts is protecting the real culpables, those hitherto arrested inroly being catspaws.
Meanwhile, the arrests are proceeding.
One charge against the contractors is that they have piled up road-making material in front of shops, to the point of seriously in terfering with business, and then exacted bribes from' the shopkeepers to have the rubble removed.
The "Hochi" quotes an Assemblyman as saying, "Judging from the estimates for gravel, one would have thought the—streets would be paved with money, not gravel."
The condition of the Tokio streets has been shocking for years, and it is the general opinion that the ramifications of the present disclosures may provide an explanation.
The "Osaka Shimpo" reports that 20.roadmakers were clubbed te death by an overseer and five assistants, during the building of military roads in Saghalien: the unfortunate workmen had had the temerity to demand higher wages—Reuter.
Tokio, Nov. i4.
Thus far, 15 persons have been arrested in connexion with the street scandal. These include several prominent officials, contract tors and others.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.