Tokyo, Feb. 14. highly significant shipping bills are shortly to be laid before the Japanese House oj f Representatives, one for control &nd ce-ordination of the shipping trade, and the other for heavier subsidization of new construction.
These plans have just been put into their final shape by the Legislative Bureau of the Cabinet, and will soon be turned over to the Diet. The proposed subsidy may be regarded as part of the shipping policy that the Japanese Government has for some years been following and now intends to expand in its scope of operation.
The amount of Y.150 million provided under the existing law than those under foreign flags. This situation, however, was. reversed in favour of Japanese bottoms during the Great War. For the five years 1921 to 1926, the yearly average carried by Japanese vessels was 68.3 per cent. of the total freight to and from Japan as against the 31.7 per cent. handled by foreign vessels, a situation unequalled by any other shipping country of the world.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.