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Show The Suit Lake Tribune Japans Appalachia Ex-Min- in Pocket of Poverty ers By Todd Carrel Associated Press Writer , TAGAWA, Japan (AP) The old a foundation for new industries, and a few were hired as government drivers or security guards, said Kumamoto, a prefectural planning official But since the miners were aging, we began looking for job opportunities for the next generation," he said. Jobs Not for Of more than 70,000 jobs in a thousand new businesses set up in the region from 1967 to 1981, almost Most none have gone to have gone to women or to the few young men who stayed rather than take jobs elsewhere, he said. As a result, the percentage of people receiving government subsidies in Tagawa and the Chikuho region has been the highest in the nation since the 1360s, Kumamoto said. In 1965, 16.1 percent of Tagawa countys population received assistance against 1.7 percent nationwide. By 1981, 13.4 percent of the countys 167,800 people were receiving aid, compared with a national average of 1.2 percent. Sunday, July 24, 1983 Kat-suhi- sa rs men wheeze and cough from black lung disease, pyramids of slag tower over ramshackle wooden company houses stretching row on row, fields are sinking. They are the few remaining signs coal boom in the Apof a long-gon- e those, and the palachia of Japan highest percentage of welfare recipients in the nation. Thirty years ago, more than 100,090 men made their living mining coal in the green valleys of the Chikuho region of Fukuoka prefecture on the southernmost main island of Kyushu. Today, three do. Faded Prosperity Like the coal mining regions of the eastern United States, this area once enjoyed relative prosperity. But that faded in the 1960s, when mining companies decided that extracting coal from deeper and deeper seams had become too costly at a, time when industry was turning to cheaper oil for fuel. In 1950, nearly 250 coal mines ribbed the hills around Tagawa. The giant Mitsui conglomerates mining division was the biggest employer, with about 15,000 workers, said Taninobu, a former miner, labor organizer and city councilman. Taninobu, now 59 and white-hairesaid that after one strike for higher pay, Mitsui decided to slice the number of workers by 7,000. And by March 1964, after smaller mines plagued by flooding and gas leaks began to close, the company laid off 8,000 more. About 50,000 miners trekked to the mines of the northern island of Hokkaido or to new trades in Tokyo and Osaka. A Pocket of Poverty Those who stayed searched, often in vain, for work. Official records show 28,593 men were seeking jobs here in 1963, 21,143 by 1965. Tagawa became a pocket of poverty with one of Japans highest un9.9 percent employment rates against 1.4 percent nationwide in I960; 9.7 percent against 2.3 percent in 1975; 8.9 percent against 1.9 percent in 1980. Kiyotaka Murata, a miner who has suffered from black lung disease for 20 of his 54 hi d, 63-d- 'Associated Press Laserphoto Retired miner, Chiyuki Funayoshi and wife Kimi stand by home in former coal boom town of Tagawa City, Japan. years, pushed his grandson in a stroller as he talked about his life. He lives with his wife, grown son, divorced daughter and her two children in one of 7,000 old company houses on land still owned by Mitsui. After the mines closed, he said, he earned 2,500 yen about 10 a day as a part-tim- e carpenter. Since losing that job two years ago, he and his wife, Sumiko, drawing no public assistance, have lived off savings. The only enjoyment they have now is sleeping, she said. What I worry about is how were going to make it in the future, she said. Since the 1960s, the government has tried to deal with the miners plight by hiring them on occasion for unskilled heavy labor. Some were put to work cleaning up environmental damage from the mines hacking away at more than 300 mountains of slag, smoothing buckled roads and fixing nearly 80 percent of the towns homes that have been damaged by sinking earth. Others have had part-tim- e jobs with steel contractors, road gangs or earthmoving teams to help build Sidelined by Age, Disease Chiyuki Funayoshi, 79, a black-lun- g victim for 30 years, sat on a bench in front of his company house and wheezed. When the mines closed, he said, Mitsui gave him enough money to support his wife and nine children fur almost two years. He received assistance for five or six years, and now gets compensation for his illness. But his life, he said, revolves around watching television and complaining to his wife about being sidelined by age and disease. CompuShop, one of the nations oldest and fastest growing chains of retail computer stores is seeking career-mindeindividuals for the positions of store manager and sales representative. stores in eight metropolitan areas We have 24 company-ownearound the country with aggressive plans for additional growth. As a leader In the sale of IDM, Apple and Compaq personal computers and software, we have an established reputation for commitment to quality: quality products, quality service and quality people. d d STORE MANAGER Candidates should have a minimum of two years retail management experience, ideally in the computer, electronics, appliance or department store fields. We are seeking highly motivated individuals with strong leadership abilities. Knowledge of business systems (Le. accounting, inventory control, P & L management) ancVor data processing is helpful SALES REPRESENTATIVE Candidates should have a minimum of one year sales expenence preferably in computers, electronics, business equipment or the sale of big ticket merchandise. We are looking for individuals who present a professional appearance and possess the ability to communicate at all levels. We offer a base salary plus performance bonus and an excellent benefit package. Qualified individuals should submit their resume and salary history in confidence to: Personnel Department, CompuShop Incorporated, 1355 Glenville Drive, Richardson, TX 75081 $ Equal Opportunity Employer City planner Tatsuya Tokunaga said the dilapidated old company houses spoil Tagawas image and discourage new industry. Thus, officials have put priority on improving housing and already have built 1,000 apartment units to replace the aging miners old homes. CompuShop 1963 Our phones are third-generati- Check Asked On Plane Lavatories - WASHINGTON (UPI) The National Transportation Safety Board has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to require airlines to immediately inspect lavatory flushing pump motors on commercial airplanes to upgrade safety. The board, investigating a June 2 fire aboard an Air Canada DC-- 9 that killed 23 people, said the blaze began in or near the jets left rear lavatory. The panel said an inspection by Canadian authorities of lavatory flushing mqtors removed from Air Canada DC-9- s and other type airplanes showed potential problems. Evidence of Corrosion An investigation of 69 flushing pump motors has disclosed that there was evidence of corrosion in many of the motors and overheat on internal wiring and armature windings of 32 of the motors, the NTSB said. The board said examinations of other airplane lavatories have revealed damage to wiring harnesses associated with the flush pump motor circuit. Preliminary testing by the safety board of a motor which had no corrosion damage has indicated that the heat emanating from a jammed or defective flushing motor is not sufficient to initiate combustion, the board said However . . . additional testing using pump motors with corrosion damage is required to determine whether external wiring or motor overheat is a potential fire hazard. Stowaway Regal1 telephone ht Internal Noteworthy telephone Sculpture telephone Decorating a new apartment. American Bell makes phones in styles and colors to match every decor. High fashion or high tech phones you may never have seen. You can even buy handy acces- sories like 25' handset cords decorator colors. Wiring The board said it believes action must be taken to assure that the internal wiring and armature windings in the motors are free from corrosion and insulation damage. In addition to asking that the FAA require that the motors and wiring harnesses leading to them from timers be inspected, the board recommended that the FAA issue a maintenance alert bulletin to assure that airlines have an acceptable program for the frequent removal of waste from the lavatory. in It also proposed to establish conjunction with the flush pump motor, timer and airframe manufaca procedure airline mainturers tenance personnel could use to verify that the electrical circuitry of lavatory flushing pump motors has not been damaged by corrosion or excessive heat during operation. The board will begin a public hearing Aug. 16 in a Cincinnati suburb as part of the investigation into the accident The fire occurred on a flight from Dallas to Toronto. Twenty-thre- e people managed to escape when the airplane landed at the Cincinnati airport. i F7 Country Squire telephone in Extending your Conversation. 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