The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-04-01
JAPANESE ENTHUSIASM
Sacrifices Of the People For
Their Country's Sake.

Their Country's Sake.
OLD AND YOUNG GIVE THEIR MONEY
An Aged Mother Who Saved to Build
q Tombstone For Ter Son Gave All
Her Money to the War Fuud-A
Servant Girls Denial to Help-Chi-
nese and Korean Residents Equal
" Eager to Aid-Jnpan's Financial
Resources.
The newspapers show the peoples
enthusiasm rising to the highest water
mark, with every demonstration of
patriotism, says a Japanese GORE
spondent Of the New York Globe writ
ing from Tokyo under a recent date.
The money for the new fund and war
charity is flowing in. 1t has reached
to a tremendous amount already. There
is an old lady who saved money to
build a tombstone for her son by mend,
ing clothes for her neighbors, and gave
1t all to the government. A boy of APP
parently wealthy family gave up his
jinrikisha ride to school to walk three
miles every morning, and contributed
the rickshaw money for one year. Many
papers print the letters of children
which come with their contributions.
Let me show you some of them: Master
Yeikichi Of Nagoya gave 20 yens "a
yen equals 50 cents), and wrote as fol-
lows:
''TEis is the amount l saved in the
last five years, now 10 cents from my
father for doing an errand, and then
20 cents from my grandmother for rub
bling her tired legs at night. / put the
money in my bank and the bank put
some interest on it. I am a grammar
school boy, aged fourteen. / heard
often from my teacher that many boys
and girls helped our great soldiers by
giving money during the China-Japan
wal. / believe this Is the time when
we must empty our pockets for our
country's sake. I told about that to
my father, who was awfully glad to
hear 1t, and added 5 yens to mine. I
am a small boy, and cannot go to fight.
So, my dear officer Of the treasury de-
partment, buy the biggest bullet pos
sible with this money, which will kill
ten Russians at once"
The following was from Sueichi
Hatoba: IN
"Last spring my mother gave me
3 yens when I Joined a party to 60
to see the Cherry Blossoms, and l did
not spend them all, saving 2 yens out
Of them. And / saved ~ yens at
last Bon (Feast of All Souls), and
also 3 yens which my uncle from
the country gave me when he came to
the city and I took him around. NowsI
contribute all of them for our beloved
soldiers. Last night my mother said
that they must have been suffering at
the front. I sympathize with them. If
only l could go with them to fight the
Russians!"
A servant girl working for 2 yens
a month contributed Is yens. A girl
gave up her long expected new dress
for a contribution to the fund.
And the enthusiasm is not limited to
our Japanese people. The Chinese resi-
dents and Koreans are equally eager to
help us. Son King Hung of Kawa-
guchi, Kobe, contributed 1000 yens,
and Go King Don of Osaka 1000 yens.
The Chinese in Yokohama are going to
move together for collecting a val con-
tribution. Ri Sho Keng, a Korean Of
Kioto, contributed 10000 yens and
another Korean sent the Japanese gov
eminent 1000 yens without telling his
name. And the report from Picking and
Seoul says that the money collecting
movement is going on rapidly there
also.
The >ther day the Japanese govern
ment issued the first 1OO,OO0,OOO yens
of war bonds. In Tokyo alone the
amount reached 4O,OO0,O0O yens. Be-
fore the war some foreigners were
skeptical as to where Japan could get
money. Our country is not SO poor as
she was supposed. Our national wealth
has increased nightly in the last ten
years. Our population increased to
47.O0O,OOO from 4O,0O0,00O. And our
government income advanced to 25O,-
10000 yens from 100000 yens. The
personal income tax increased to 80
yens per hundred from 10 yens and SO
cents. We have 300 miles Of railroad,
while we had 1850 miles ten years ago.
And our steamships tonnage increas-
cd to $4,000 from 100000. Our pro-
duction reached 1,620,OOO,OOO yens
from 9sO,OOO,OoO yens, and our foreign
trade advanced to 49O,OOO,OOO yens
from 142, 100000 yens.
Besides the war bond we can increase
our revenue If It Is necessary by the
following means:
In million
yens.
land tax (doubled) ... IS
Income tax Increased by 80 per