Tokyo, July 16, What to do with an excess army of a million "inessential workers" temr porarily jobless because of the nation's concentration on "military industries" became an important Government problem today, To devise Ways and means of absorbing the dispensables into the nation's economic life and keeping them on a payroll the Government today decided to organize a Central Unemployment Commission of 40 members. This emergency "brain trust" will be presided over by Marquis Koichi Kido, Minister of Public Welfare.
At the same time provincial unemployment committees will be organized. Necessary regulations will be promulgated in the official gazette today.
It is estimated that the number of unemployed will exceed one million eventually. Government officials hope that the majority of these can be absorbed by the munitions and heavy industries, which have been complaining of a shortage of hands recently.
Since the Government enforced limitations on the output of factories deemed to be making non-essentials or "Juxuries" from a war-time viewpoint, thousands of workers whose toil did not contribute toward the manufacture of the paraphernalia of war—shells, guns, bombs, planes, soldiers' boots and messkits, etcetera—have found themselves relegated temporarily to the background of the labour picture.
The Japanese note alleged that "about 40 Soviet soldiers now are engaged in systematic operations for occupying the said area."
The area in question belongs to Manchoukuo and the action of the Soviet soldiers is illegal, the note alleged, "and naturally causes indignation among Japanese and Manchoukuo troops which are defending that locality."
"The Japanese Government, in view of the especially close relations with Manchoukuo, and also because of the geographical position of the locality now illegally invaded by Soviet soldiers, feels grave concern over the present affair," the note continued.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.