The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-04-13

KOBE, Japan, April l3.-Plucky Japan is
Tightening its belt for long war and a
hungry one. | have just been through the
interior where the real privation is already
being felt The farmers and villagers and
the residents of the inland cities think
that the war will last at least two years
and perhaps three times that long and
they are saving every penny and every
mouthful of food that they can.
In Japan every able-bodied man is count
cd on as soldier. There is no such thing
as volunteering, but each man is called as
he is needed by the emperor and 1t is pa
thetic to see how eheerfully the call is
responded to.
When the bread-winner is called his reia-
tives and neighbors, quite as matter OF
course. take up the burden of supplying
food to his house
Taken as a whole the people of Japan
live from hand to mouth. A common la
borer earns only about 25 cents day,
American money. and skilled laborers only
earn from 81 to So There are only few
very rich men and lawyers, doctors and
professors in the universities earn only
from $50 to 500 per month.
mobiles live very simply so far as food is
concerned, and rice is the staple food. The
rich have a morsel Of fresh meat and the
middle classes have little fish once a
day. but this is only eaten as relish
with the boiled rice. The poor people sell
dom eat either fish or meat, but have car
rots radishes, sweet potatoes and other
vegetables with their rice.
Indeed the farmers cannot even afford
the rice. but eat barley, rye or millet,
steamed, with little rice added, if they
can afford it.
Since the war began there has been a
steady outflow Of gold from the country
averaging about 100000 per month. The
government has planned wholesale econ
omies in public expenditures and war taxes
will be levied on land incomes, tobacco,
sugar, salt, liquors, etc, to the amount OF
about $50,000,000 per year. A loan OF
SIS, 900 900, gold, was asked for and it has
been subscribed for three times over. The
emperor and all the noble families and rich
merchants have subscribed and the poorer
people have given their savings so that the
most of the first issue of bonds will be
sold at par and none will 90 at less than
95. This subscription, however, nearly
measures the amount of money that can
be given by the japanese people them
selves and future loans must be secured
abroad. If Russia plays for a long strug-
gle by withdrawing from Korea and carry
ing the seat of war far back into Man
chura, gold, rather than valor and blood,
will be the test of Japan's strength.
| was up in Nara, one of the ancient
towns of the interior, the other day and
there found queer controversy going on.
An old woman's only son had been ordered
to Join the army She had no other rela-
tives and so she followed the ancient Jap
anese custom and committed suicide Be
fore doing 90 she explained to the gods
in the nearest temple that her son had to
90 and fight for the emperor and that she
wished to relieve him Of all anxiety on
her account.
Under the ancient customs Of Japan this
was a most praiseworthy course Of action
and one that the gods would reward. The
native newspapers are discussing the mat
ter and the general opinion seems to be
that the woman's solution Of the difficulty
was the proper one
In another case a young man was CON
scripted. His wife was dead and his
"house" or relatives were already caring
for as many hungry mouths as they could.
So an uncle killed the motherless child Of
his nephew so that the latter could go to
war, feeling that his child would not suffer.
A young japanese student who read me
the story out Of native paper, assured
me that while the uncle would be arrested,
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