The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-12-07
tinued to cooperate toward the one
end Of financial consolidation.
FOOD QUESTION VITAL.

| tinued to cooperate toward the one
end of financial consolidation.
FOOD QUESTION VITAL.
He wrote:
1.-The question that most vitality af-
fects national finance in this country Is
that of food. 1t is in fact the great
fundamental problem OF the nation
Solve this problem and the problem
of finance is solved. At present our
food supply is deficient and renders
us a debtor nation. This is reflected
in our excess of imports over ex-
ports, and our unfavorable balance of
trade generally. The government is
in debt, and private enterprise is in
debt to the extent Of hundreds of mil
lions. Many of our municipalities are
in debt, too. More than 20O,OO0,OOO
ven ($1oo. 0OO, O0o) of our business cap
ital is foreign money.
1T is not too much to say that the
whole difficulty lies in our deficiency
in food supply chiefly in rice, the staff
of life in Japan"
Or. Tajiri pointed out that the an
nual supply of rice was deficient and
was made more so by the annual con-
sumption of 10000, 900 bushels by the
breweries for making the native drink
called sake. In eating rice, much Of
which she imported, Japan was eating
verify "the money of the usurer" 1t
would be a long time before japan
became a creditor nation, and in addi-
ton to adopting the remedies of reor-
ganization of commerce and industry
and more extensive colonization. ia
pan must readjust her cultivated land
so as to insure an annual Increase In
the rice crops of at least 100000
bushels. He declared:
eff we go on importing the most
necessary articles of food and export
only Injuries and ornaments we can
not bring about the desired change"
Much also could be done, he thinks,
by discriminating injurious insects
which destroy 100000 bushels Of rice
every year. Improved methods would
increase crops in Hokkaido, Korea and
Formosa- In the south two crops a
year could easily be raised.
What Japan has to do is to make
agriculture the main vocation Of the
people, Let her become as successful
a commercial and industrial people as
she may, yet she should never forget
that without agriculture there is no
hope for her as a nation. Agricultural
reforms constitute the best policy for
national economy. 1t is the
Ill considered notion that industry
rather than agriculture should be the
of national economy that
lead so many young men OF Japan to
forsake the land and wander to the
cities where they come to nothing.
Another necessary reform relates to
foreign trade. Instead of importing
necessities and exporting luxuries ia
pans goal should be to export the |
necessities. She should learn to grow
her own cotton, as she is now at
tempting to do in Korea"
In conclusion, Viscount TaLjir1 warns |
his fellow countrymen thus:
Japan needs to be careful to guard |
against the western tendency to run |
after ornament and to be reckless Of |
he more practical things of life. Our !
people should think more about the
substance and meaning of life. The /
of national economy de- i
,ends much upon the economy Of in
lividuals. If we began by reforms
n the supply and consumption OF food
md then went on to improve COM
nerce and industry we would be TAX
ng the right and natural course"