Evening star., 1942-09-01
Co-Prosperity
Proves South
Seq Bubble
Londs Occupied
BY Jops Facing
Economic Ruin
By HARRY A. STANDISH

japanese statements confirm evil
dence from other sources which your
correspondent is not at liberty to
specify that Japans boasted "co-
prosperity in Southern Asia has
everywhere meant disastrous eco
nomic depression.
Analysis shows that this depres-
sion is no mere temporary phase
following the actual fighting 1t
is caused, first, by the cutting off
of Southeast Asia from the world
markets which formerly bought her
vast supplies of raw materials: sec
ondly, from the inability of Japan
to provide alternative markets or
even transport facilities within her
present sphere of influence and,
thirdly, from the consequent record
of low prices for home products
in the Japanese occupied countries
combined with the meteoric rise in
prices of consumer goods.
The general result is that goods
formerly exported are now accu-
mulating in sterile dumps or else
rotting in the fields because labor
either is not available or convinced
OF the futility of harvesting prod
ucts for which there Is no market.
An up-to-the-m minute economic
survey of Japan's occupied terri
tories reveals the following facts:
The Philippines. Normally tho
islands had $4,000 acres of sugar
cane. The industry is now doomed
because the United States market
has been lost and the industry cam
not compete with cheaper sugar pro-
dueed in the Netherlands East
Indies, Indo-China and Formosa
Japan now is attempting a five-year
plan for substituting cotton grow
ing for sugar production but the
present cotton planting in the
Philippines is less than 5000 acres.
More than 100000 Filipinos now
dependent on the sugar industry
lace grim prospects during the
transition period and even if the
transition is successful-Shich ae-
rlcultural experts doubt-thousand
OF workers in sugar mills and re-
fineries will lose employment and
any cotton grown will 60 to japan
for manufacture by a textile in
dustry which is suffering from an
acute shortage of raw materials.
The Philippines other export prod
ucts. notably tobacco and coconut
products, are now unmarketable.
Food Problem Is Acute,
Stocks of manufactured goods are
rapidly being exhausted. The food
problem is acute and the Japanese
are forcing cultivation of more food
crops, especially rice. Distribution
OF food is strictly controlled by a
japanese military board.
Siam. This country is suffering
from acute labor troubles and q
grave shortage of supplies formerly
imported. Rice growers are threat
ened with compulsory changeoyer
to cotton. The Bangkok radio ON
August 26 warned the people that
the truth is that Thailand cannot
get goods from abroad any more.
We must make the things we can
not get or we will have to do with
out them and die a slow certain
death from starvation"
Burma. Normally the largest rice
exporter in the world with an export
surplus of 100000 tons annually.
Burma now has lost its biggest mar
kets OF which India is the most i'm
portant. Because of the shipping
| shortage, Japan is unable to move
even a part of the Burmese rice sur
plus to areas like Malaga which
need 1t. Meanwhile, millions of rice
growers on the Irrawaddy Delta are
FACED with ruin. their rice is rotting
and because of the breakdown in
internal communications, even
North Burma is starved for rice.
Malaga. An acute food Shortage
laces Malaga which has always de-
pended partly on imported food
stuffs and manufactured goods
There are clear indications that
Japanese authorities are eravely
concerned over the food situation.
Netherlands Indies. The tin. tea
coffee, tobacco, sugar and coconut
industries in the Netherlands East
Indies all are suffering from excess
slVe stocks because of the lack of
markets and the shortage of ship
ping.
Japan itself is being subjected to
steadily increasing hardships. Near.
ly every day the Japanese radio sta
t1ons warn the people that they can
expect no immediate relief and that
the way may be long and arduous.
Speaker Lists Difficulties
An economist speaking in Jana
nese from the Toxic radio station
recently apologized for continued
economic difficulties despite military
successes.
The resources available in the
South Seas are almost all raw mate
rials," he said. They will be of no
use to us as they are unless we turn
them into manufactured articles or
use them in some way. We have the
further problem OF shipping these
raw materials to Japan. The expan-
sion OF wartime factories is an
urgent necessity. Production in the
heavy industries cannot be increased
without employing men who would
otherwise be serving at the front"
Yet. while Japan is suffering from
shortage of manpower, the coun-
tries she has occupied have deyel-