The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-28
.UNEMPL PLOYMENT AT HOME WORRIES THE
 JAPAN DELEGATION
Should Ship Yards Close Down Many Would Lack Work. Mass Meeting To
 Be Held
By Associated Press

1 Washington, November ZI.-Ihe
 Japanese cabinet and diplomatic ad
 visory council at Tokio are taking a
 hand in the negotiations at Wash
 ington over the tonnage ratio of
 capital warships to be allotted Ja-
 pan. Admiral Baron Kato, senior
 Japanese delegate, has laid the en-
 tire situation growing out of the
 discussion by the committee of ex-
 perts before his own government. It is understood that Admiral Kato received from Tokio today very ex- 1 plicit instructions as to his procedure in reply to communications from the delegations giving of figures sub ipitted by Japan to show the total strength of it's navy under various classifications, as well as the opin- ions expressed by and technical ideas put forth concerning measurements by the other experts at Washington.
 more particularly the American. | It is pointed out that while the Japanese have made 1t known pub- licly that they believe they are en-
 titled to a ratio of 70 per cent, there is no available evidence that so far
 as the evidence itself is concerned,
 Japan has formally laid claim to the 70 per cent ratio. Admiral Kato's | statement to the press was that Japan believed that she was entitled to slight increase in tonnage ratio of capital ships. Since then the mat
 ter has been in the hands of the committee, which is expected to meet again tomorrow.
 The report was in circulation today
 that Japan. failing to have her own standard of measurement accepted, would be quite disposed to accept
 the "5-5-3" arrangement This inn pression seemsd to be growing among
 Japanese who follow closely the work
 of their delegation. They were of
 the opinion that Japan would not by overinsistence go so far as to en- danger the success of a general naval agreement.
 Questioned tonight as to this sen timent, Japanese naval experts re- | piled that they were not in a posi- tion to divulge the instructions from Tokio.
 Unemployment Situation
 Meantime, whatever may be the eventual decision of the conference
 as to ratio, 1t seems clear from dis patches received from Tokio that the prospects of cessation of warshfp building in Japan is causing serious disquietude in labor circles and Is giving the government some anxiety
 as to how to furnish employment to
 a large number of men who lose this means of earning a living. The great est shipyards are those of Kawasaki and Mitsubiski companies. It is un-
 derstood that some 45,000 employees Of these yards, most of which are
 located in the city of Kobe, have de- cided to hold a great public meeting
 Tn Kobe on December 1 to consider
 the situation. The meeting has been called by the joint labor organiza- tions of the country with the idea of presenting the capitalists some prac-
 tical project of finding new ways of livelihood for the men who are cer- ! tain to be discharged if a naval agreement is reached. The home de- partment has begun an investigation In all manufactures of the country to determine measures to relieve the Very considerable unemployment
 which would follow a naval curtail-
 ment.
 Reports indicate that following the
 discharge of 266 workmen by the
 Yokohama Backyard company on No vember p. in anticipation of the ef fects of the naval agreement, the men | immediately demanded a heavy in demnity or allowance for the loss of 1 their positions. Two months ago the great ship building yards in Japan were the scene of strikes remarkable fo,.
 Japan, because the workers not only demanded an increase in wages. l which the companies felt they could
 Ill afford. but insisted upon the ap-
 pointment of workmen's factory
 committees. which would carry on
 by it's own responsibility the me-
 chanical work of the plants. Practically all of the demands of
 the Japanese workmen were granted.
 It was believed here, therefore. that the problem of finding new employ-
 ment for those who will have no
 work will tax all the wisdom of the
 government at time when the gen eral labor situation growing out of the decline in Japanese exports.
 coupled with cost of living that is
 higher than in any other country.- is
 giving the leaders of Japan great l concern