§ 103. Colonel Wheatleyasked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement regarding the improvement of amenities provided for British troops in Japan.
§ Mr. BellengerMuch has been and is being done to improve living and recreational conditions in the area we occupy but there are very considerable difficulties, arising partly from the world-wide shortage of materials necessary for raising the standard of accommodation, partly from the very small proportion of western type buildings in the area and the fact that it is almost entirely agricultural and contains no urban amenities. New wireless receivers and a considerable quantity of books have arrived recently and more books are on the way. Additional staff of the Army Kinema Service have also reached Japan. Generally while much remains to be done and while conditions can never be ideal, the plans for improvements are now beginning to bear fruit.