Kobe, Nov. 8.
Mr. Robert Young, editor and proprietor of the "Japan Chronide," died of heart failure last night.
Mr. Young was born on October 9, 1858, in Westminster, London, educated in the Westminster 'I'raining 'School, and served an apprenticeship with Spottiswoode Ca., printers, where he became a reader on the "Saturday Review," published by that firm. He was engaged as manager of the "Hiogo News' in 1888 and in 1891 established the Kobe Chronicle," subsequently purchasing the '"Hiogo News," which he incorporated with the "Chronicle," calling the new paper the "Japan Chronicle." He has been editor of that paper ever since, and has also contributed to the "Nineteenth Century" and various English newspapers.
A man of decided ideas, and a hard worker for any cause, one of his chief works was the tax question afterwards referred The Hague, which was decided against the Japanese Government. He was a fearless fighter for his ideas, and had no compunction in showing the Japanese Government their errors as he thought. He also took up very strongly the question of the Status of Aliens Act, which forbade British children of parents born abroad from being British. This was taken up by the British Association of Japan, and the other day amended, but it was mainly owing to the ground work of Mr. Young that the matter was pushed so forcibly before the House of Commons as it was by Mr. Gershon Stewart, late of Hongkong. Mr. Young was a positive ist and had very decided views on religion, which, however, he did not in any way attack in his paper. He was probably the best authority in existence on Japanese politics, and was notable for his attacks on the Twenty-one Demands, which he always.maintained would come back on Japan. He was well known to all the high officials in the Government, who, although he was generally against them, had great respect for his views. He was fearless in his attack on all municipal matters which he thought were not up to standard, and ruthless in his criticism of the raising of the postal rates, and in his denunciation of the slack methods of the running of the postal and telegraph services.
Mr. Young's recreations were walking and lawn bowls, and he belonged to the Walking Club, the Concordia and the Kobe Club in Japan and the National Liberal Club in London. His first son, Arthur C. Young, was killed in the war, a loss from which the father never recovered. A second son, Douglas, is an instructor in aviation in Japan and the third son, Eric, is with the "Chronicle," engaged on the printing side. The youngest child, a daughter, is married and resides in Bournemouth. A brother and sister are living in London.
Mr. Young was a man whose opinions could not be purchased, who always wrote what he believed although it was against hig financial interests to do so. Firm in his views, he was nevertheless open to conviction as during the war he veered round twice. He wag a man who paid immense attention to details and verified every statement, often correcting Reuter. As a stylist he was often referred to as a master of written English.
He will be a great loss to the foreign community of Japan who, although in many instances they did not see eye to eye with him, knew that they had a great fighter for their rights, and also for other matters in Japan which affected foreigners especially.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.