The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
Premier of Japan Talks About the
 Policy For the Empire


1 and thin black mustache. His eyes are very bright, but they grow serious now and then as he talks
 For Peace, Peace, Always Peace.
 During the conversation I referred to | him as a military hero. He replied ] T do not care to be considered as a man of war. I am for peace, peace, all ways peace. It is wrong to look upon the Japanese as consumed with military am- bition and lust for conquest. We are a peaceful nation and we have only fought because we have had to do so. We did not want the war with Russia, and we tried in every honorable way to keep out of it."
 Your excellency had much to do with financing that war You raised about $s50. 0.O00,00O during the struggle. That seems to me a wonderful feat
 Tt was not difficult" replied Marquis Katsura, "and largely so because the world felt that Japans cause was a just one. The other nations realized that our war was defensive and that we were forced into it. We had not expected 1t and had made no more than our ordinary military preparations. Could we have had time we might have been in much better shape; but we had to take our army and navy as they were and to arrange for such additional ammunition and food sup plies as were needed"
 Where were your bonds chiefly placed?'
 Mostly in the United States and Eng land"
 Japan's Financial Condition.
 What is the financial situation of the empire today?'
 Tt is not bad" replied the Premier. 'This country has abundant resources and our people are generally well of. There is no great suffering in a business way, and the times are no harder here than in most other countries. The cur tailment of business has been largely due to the world panic which began in the United States more than year ago, and which has affected every trading nation. The chief trouble is not as to our condi- ton, but as to our methods of regulating the revenues and expenditures of the government. Japan is abundantly able to pay all it's obligations and to carry out all Its hopes of development for the fu- ture; but 1t must go slowly and along different lines from those of our past ad- ministrations. What we expect to do is to take more time to making national im- proyements and thus spread the cost over greater number of years. In the past we have been regulating our revenues by our expenditures, making up the deficits, if any, by loans. We shall issue no more bonds for the present but shall decide what our revenues are Lo De dIld TeBu- late our expenditures by them. We ex- pect, also, to reduce the national debt at least $50,000. 900 a year"
 will your new policy curtail the size of the Japanese army or navy or it's plans for the future?'
 NO; the present establishment will be continued but we shall economize where possible, and as to the military works which have been planned, including the increase in the navy, we shall delay the completion of them so as to spread the payments for them out over more years. For instance. we have extended the pe- riod of six years allowed for such work to one of Il years. The sum of money thus postponed amounts to about $100, ,000,- 0OO"
 A Business Japan.
 "Along what lines is Japan to be de- veloped from now on? Will it devote itself to the attainment of military glory, or to commercial and business prosperity?'
 Most emphatically the latter. No na- ton can be prosperous in any other way. Our aim is to develop our agricultural, manufacturing and commercial possbili- ties to the full"
 What are you doing along agricul- tural lines?'
 We are trying to learn how to make grown before. We are studying intensive farming and by artificial fertilizers are materially increasing our rice and other products We are planting forests and are bringing under cultivation a great deal are also educating our farmers. and we