Osaka, March 1.
A general meeting of the Joint Association of Japan Trade Guilds was held in the Public Hall at Osaka this afternoon and passed the following resolution (1) The Government Budget, in which armament expenditure preponderates and which does not provide for productive organs of social reforms, increases the burdens of the nation, which is now experiencing the financial difficulties resulting from the conclusion of the war. (2) The House of Representatives has passed the Budget against public opinion.
To telegraph this resolution to the members of the House of Peers, asking for their support and requesting an unbiased examination by them of the Budget and other Governmental bills, thus respecting the wishes of the majority of the nation, Socta, Worx Starvep.
March 12.
The Town Hall was packed to the doors at Jast night's meeting of the Joint Association of Japan Trade Guilds. All the speakers united in denouncing the budget and declaring that the Government's present policy was driving Japan to ruin at the gallop.
The speakers included Mr. Muto, Chairman, and Mr. Sotomi, Vice-Chairman, of the Japan Association of Trade Guilds, Professor Shigeo Suchiro (Professor of Law at Kioto University) and the editors of the Mainichi? and "Asahi."
The audience consisted almost entirely of the leading business men and thinkers of Western Hon-
Mr. Sotomi declared that Cabinet Ministers were powerless in the face of the militarists. He pointed out that so long as the preponderance of expenditure was on armaments, children could not be educated, applications for telephones were hung up for years because there was no money tur their installation, and railway rates increased.
Germany's Fate ror Japas, Mr. Muto uttered a warning that Germany's fate awaited Japan uunless she discarded her military fanatics. He advocated that tue Premiership should be limited to a term of thrice years, as a constitutional check on ambitious politicians.
Professor Suehiro, who came from Kioto in spite of illness, received w tremendous ovation. He declared that when the value of capital ships was being held in question, in view of the menace of aeroplanes and submarines, Japan's policy in building up an "eight eight" squadron was comparable to throwing a valuable purse into the sea. He declared his agree- Fooch ment with Mr. Ozaki as to the necessity of disarmament. and urg-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.