Seasonal Cycle of Labour Demand in Villages of the Hida Mountain Range

Abstract

This paper is a geographical explanation of the seasonal changes in labour demand in village communities situated at high elevations (more than 1, 000 meerts above sea level) in the Hida Mountain Range. The village communities maybe classified, according to their modes of activities, into three types: (a) communities of agricnlture-and stock-farming, where agriculture is the most important industry, . (b) communities of agriculture, stock-farming, and forestry i. e. emigrant labour for forestry being the most important, and (c) communities of agriculture and forestry where the production of char-coal is the most important. They are all under the same effects of climatical conditions in accordance with their geographical positions.
This investigation was made, not of the administrative villages, but of communities as the units of study, seeing that the latter have been organized as a group of social and economic activities. The work of agriculture, stock-farming, and forestry proceeds in accor-dance with climatic conditions, since frost, snow, rain, changes in temperature, etc. may limit, hinder, or promote their activity.
The population of the communities may be divided into two parts, the one the workable population (16-65 years of age) and the other the supported population (1-15, and over 65). Further, the workable population may be divided into the settled and the emigrated. Exa-mining the number of the settled population in a year, the writer studiedd the amount and quality of labour expended on theirr activities.
Quality of labour. Those engaged in agriculture are mostly wo-men, except in the agricultural=stock-farming region, and those engaged in forestry and stock-farming are chiefly men. In agriculture and grass-mowing, the work is done by a family as a unit of activity, while cooperative labour is done by women in the busiest period of agriculture, and by men in forestry and stock-farming.
Amount or quantity of labour. The distribution of the amount of labour devoted to these kinds of work in a year is considered, and the distributed amounts of these labours are summed up, and the total calculated. The greatest amount is attained in July, in the sow-ing season of the principal crops. Although this period is only of short duration, the labour demand is so great that some of the emi-grants have to return and help at home, awhile the entire population, . including some of the supported ones, are obliged to overwork them-selves. On the other hand, in the snowy season, only the smallest amount of labour is required, with consequent labour surplus, espe-cially in regions that do 'not produce charcoal.
Summarizing the foregoing observations, diagrams are drawn to-show the general outline of the labour cycle in the respective regions. They show that in every region, agriculture hods a dominant posit-ion, although it is not always an occupation of the first importance, since the time for sowing and harvesting of crops is strictly limited. In forestry. the labourers employed in other regions that emigrate fromn this region, are mostly active men of ages from 16-45, so that the industrial development of their own home region is hind-ered.
The seasonal distribution of labour has developed in harmony with tae geographical conditions in such a was that, within the small. circle of the village communities, all the various activities should proceed smoothly. But the recent changes in social and economic conditions have been disturbing this distribution of labour and forcing altogether new conditions.