New-York tribune., 1922-11-19
Labor Unionism in Japan Acclaimed
As Democracy i'm Most Youthful Form

For example, thsre was chs nov
historic tramcag strike In Toxic In
FEBRUARY, 1890. The Communications
Labor Union OF Toxic was formed In
thase stormy days. In the latter half Of
1919. tho gold altar year in the story OF
labor la japan. This was ehe frst
year In which sabsegs vas introduced
into The industrial history Of Japan.
That was the year In which the hither-
co rneak and humble workmen Of the
government arsenal at Osaka dared to
give the ougsus government taste OF
thoroughly Occidental "cas canny."
The workmen met with almost instant
success. That was the year OF the
great strike at tho Murorala ateel
foundry In che north Of Japan for an
eight-hour day and wage increase,
and in the south OF Japan, in Kyushu,
Of the formation Of lighting labor
under the gensls name OF Royu-kai
(Labor Friendship Society. In Sep
tember Of that year che biggest strike
known TO Japan UP TO thai t.me took
place, the walk-out Of 16,54s workmen
at the great Kawasakl Dockysrd as
Kobe.
Just about the time when tho men OF
Osaka arsenal wers organising q union
under the name Of Kojyo-kai, some
5000 employees Of the Electric Bureau
Of the Toxic Municipality formed q
labor union. They took large pro-
portion Of th tramcar men into the
organization, which was christened the
Communications Labor Union. Now
the tram workers did not like num-
ber Of things in connection with their
Jobs. About the middle Of February,
1920, about 400 Of them found them
selves off duty. They went down In q
body to the Municipal Electric Bureau.
They asked TO see the officials, but a
number Of policemen. who did not see
any reason why the workmen should
be laying eiege TO tho Office of the
Municipal Electric Bureau. And they
said SO with fists and rattling ssbres.
In tho encounter all three parties, the
police, the bureau building and the
tramcar men camo out more or less
damaged.
Strikers Joined ParadeS
For Universal Suffrage
That was Just che time when the
country was burning up with the flrst
fever OF the universal suffrage epi-
demic. AN tn tramcar men found it
pleasanter TO parade and yell with the
suffrage advocates In Uyeno and shiba
parks in Toxic than to stick to their
Jobs. So they went on strike, On
February '2 there wero 10000 peopls
gathered In the shiba Park in mon
ster mass meeting demanding voice
in the affairs Of the empire. The tram
car men Joined with them With en-.
thusiaem-so much enthusiasm chat
they included universal suffrage IN the
list of their demands. That, incident.
ally, was the frst time that labor
strike in Japan took on g definite Doll.
tical coloring.
The tramcsr men did not win ops
that time. Stopping traffic oY the
capital city wos serious matter, Il
called for herois measures. Under
police pressure the strikers went back
to work. It was then that ancient Citv
OF Toxic saw what 1t had never before
seen IN al its many century existence,
This time Il was not satotaxe. II was
the Japanese edition of q labor strike
under conditions in which no strike
was possible, OF strike on which one
not even the Toxic police, could NUT
the nams Of strike.
Hundreds Of tram cars went ovor
the tracks on Tokyo streets. And most
OF them moved much faster than thew
mad been wont TO do. They rushed bv
crowded corner after corner, with
fsover thought or hint Of stopping.
And they stopped miles from whsre
anybody wished to stop. There were
other cars, hundreds OF them, also