Moscow, July 16, Japan lodged a strong protest at the "Kremlin. yesterday against the 374,000 rouble fine imposed Japanese petroleum firm operating concession in Northern Saghalien, The fine was recently confirmed by the Alexandrovsk Appeal Court, which found that the Japanese con: cern had indeed violated the labour contract it had signed with its Soviet employees, The protest was lodged by Mf, Shigenori Togo, Japanese Am= bassador, when he called in person on M, Lizovski, Vice-Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
'M, Togo also_made representations against Moscow's "announced intentions to confiscate the holdings of the Japanese firm concerned if the huge fine is not paid on Wednesday, July 19. mer Attitude" Threatened 'MIN, Togo warned the Soviet official that' "The Japanese Government will assume a firmer attitude to defend the Interests of its nationals,"
The fined petroleum firm also appealed yesterday to the Supreme Praesidium ior w suspension of wie court judgment, and M, Togo asked for ani answer on uly 18 at the "Lozovaki told him he could accept no such time limit, thay the Soviet Government, "will answer when able to do 30."
Meanwhile, local negotiations between representatives of a Japanese coal-mining company of Saghalien and Soviet mining trade unions to establish anew "working contract were reported to have made some progress. 'The new contract will replace that' which expired Jost December.
'The trade unions originally demanded that the Soviet miners' salaries be increased by 40 per cent. But it is understood that they have now agreed 10 15 per cent, instead.
Minor details of ithe contract still remain 0 be settled. One of these, which involves a large sum of money, is the controversy over the date of enforcement of the contract The trade unions wish it to be dated as from the beginning of this year, whereas the Japanese concern wishes it to enter into effect only now. No Soviet workman was employed by the Japanese firm since the beginning of the yooi.—Havas, Situation Underable Tokyo, July 2.
The situation concerning the Japanese all and coal concessions in North Saghalien was unbearable, declared the Foreign OMice spokesman at his press conference here today.
There was a further development of trouble between the" Sapunese cil and coal concessions and a local Soviet law court, according to the spokesman, He endorsed the accusation made by a spokesman of the Admiralty yesterday that the Soviet Govemnment was deliberately pursuing. a policy of starvation" against the Japanese concession workers North Sakhalien, who were suffering from an "acute' shortage of food New Process for Coal juefaction Tokyo, July 23.
'The South Manchuria' Railway JCompany announced today that month's continuous trial operation of a coal liquefaction plant in Fushun, near Mukden, had proved successful, The plan is designed to Tiquefy bituminous coal by a, direct process, which" the Company's experts. sueceeded in perfecting after 10 years Fesearch work in ce-operation. with experts of the Navy Department.
The Company has so far spent 14,000,000 yen in research work, The annual " production the plant totals 20,000 metric tons.
Congratulating the company on lis suees, the spokesman of the Navy Ministry declared that the Japanese synthetic petrolewn indus iry had now been established on a firm basis with purely Japanese technique and machinery.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.