Show i I Japans Japan's T l 1 I Secret Weapon I I By Robert Zaire Be j Ij F Feature Through Feature Through sp special cial arrangement m with Colliers Collier's W Weekly dITl All the Japanese people have been taught that morale the willingness to sacrifice will win the war They b believed it before Pearl Harbor and what has happened since has convinced convinced convinced con con- vinced them This conviction a national national national na na- na- na faith in morale as distinguished distinguished distinguished distin distin- from blind confidence is their secret weapon and every Jap from the youngest school child to the oldest peasant is armed with it He is undergoing with scarcely any complaint discomforts and privations privations privations which would bring yelps of anguish and indignation from almost any other country in the world I Take a brief look at the Japanese standard of living which has declined declined de de- de- de deI I dined to a mere subsistence level and compare it with our own pampered pampered pampered pam pam- existence Japanese civilians are eating one- one third as much as they did ten years ago All food is rationed at that level Sometimes housewives must wait six and eight hours in line to get their meager rations This is not so much a matter of food shortages shortages shortages short short- ages in Japan Essentially it is a matter of conserving by 66 per cent the manpower and transportation facilities facilities facilities fa fa- fa- fa which would be required to bring food to civilians How Clothes Are Made The manufacture of civilian clothing clothing clothing cloth cloth- ing from wool cotton linen and even silk is forbidden by law All AU clothing must be made of ar ar artificial material derived chemically from wood pulp This clothing is rationed to the point where the average average average av av- av- av Japanese barely manages to keep clothed It is not attractive It is not even durable The official news agency reported recently that the grasshoppers pers were eating shirts of this material material material ma ma- right off the backs of the farmers in the fields But this clothing clothing clothing cloth cloth- ing has permitted Japan to divert 90 per cent of her vast textile industry industry industry indus indus- try to the production of war ma ma- Japanese shoes are now made of oJ cardboard and rationed at the rate of one pair per year They will wear about a month When they are gone nothing is available but wooden shoes and arid grass sandals w Japanese Transportation The use of private automobiles for any and all purposes has been abol abol- Buses and streetcars have been reduced to the point where only half the city workers and students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents can ride to the factories and schools The others walk often eight to ten miles a day A government permit is required to buy a railroad ticket and the journey must be essa essary 17 The Japanese worker never had a hour 40 week He had a hour 75 week but now it is a hour 98 week with one Sunday off each month All workers are registered They accept assignments for training and duty exactly as if they were in the regular army Jap Heat Rationing This winter the Japanese civilian will be rationed only enough charcoal charcoal charcoal char char- coal to heat his home for 28 hours He is advised to use this fuel two hours daily during the two coldest weeks of the winter Office buildings and government structures have had no heat for several several several sev sev- eral years Trains will not be heated heated heated heat heat- ed nor will vill buses Japan has the wood to produce enough charcoal for all But that would take time manpower and transportation The consumption of gas water and electricity in all Japanese households households households house house- holds is set by law at a fixed rate of about 30 per cent of prewar con con- If the quotas are exceeded exceed exceed- ed a heavy fine is imposed If the offense is repeated the offender is punished by having all his public- public utility facilities shut off T 3 1 Japanese i nave no ua leisure Iu time whatever All are registered by the gov government and assigned to towar towar towar war work after school hours and during summer vacations They work in factories on farms on road building on the docks and as auxiliary auxiliary aux aux- police and firemen wherever firemen wherever they can replace older men who can join the army Scrap-iron Scrap drives in Japan are not merely a matter of cleaning out garages and basements Even doorknobs and window walk screens are taken Volunteers along the streetcar and railroad tracks with magnets attached to the ends of poles to collect the iron dust from the rails From 50 to 95 per percent percent percent cent of a Japs Jap's income goes into war bonds taxes and compulsory postal savings I The Japanese do not consider night life essential to civilian morale in hi wartime All night clubs are closed to civilians Bars are rationed rationed rationed ra ra- ra- ra 10 to the point where they can be open for two or or three nights per week rom rom eight to ten |