A meeting was recently held at the Railway Administration Building to protest against the rumoured dismissal of the Japanese employees without sufficient compensation. A precession of over 1,500 formed and marched through the streets to the accompaniment of the beating of drums and shouting. Aiterwards, at a meeting at the Railway Hall, many inflammatory speeches were made. One speaker delivered himself as follows "General Yuhi is generous enough to give Y. 500,000 to the bankruys Stock Exchange, when the directors have been frittering away the funds on wine and women, or have been madly speculating in worthless stock. He is also rumoured to have given Y. 100,000 to a bank which has been closed for months Surely, he will not send us home in a miserable condition 1"
Another speaker exclaimed, "Better to die here than to end our lives like beggars at home after being welcomed by relatives and friends."
The following day, General Yuhi and Dr. Akiyama were interviewed by a committee elected by the employees, and promised to make a suitable extra allowance amounting to over Y. 1,200,000. However, to-day, the employees have been informed that the Minister of the War Department at Tokio will not consent to the extra disbursement. The consequence is, that all the officials and employees of the rail-vay, as well as those at the wharves and' workshops, including the pilots, bago gone on strike. There will, therefore, he no train service, and shipping Will also be held up, until a settlement is arrived at.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.