Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, and Industry
The Minister of Agriculture has charge of all matters relating to agriculture, commerce, industries, posts, telegraphs, shipping, and marine officers.
In this Department, besides the Minister’s Secretariat, there are Bureaux of Agriculture, Communications, Trade, Industry, Mining, and Accounts. The Bureau of Agriculture contains Agricultural, Forest, and Natural Products sections; that of Communications, Post, Telegraph, and Marine sections; and that of Trade and Industry deals with Commerce, Trading Corporations, Weights and Measures, Manufactures, and Factories. The Mining Bureau has sections for Mines and Geology, and the Bureau of Accounts deals with the inventories and expenditure of the Department.
The Village System
Besides the Reorganization of these important Departments of State, a design for a “Village System,” organized as follows, is to supersede that which had decayed with the general decay of Government in Korea.
The country is now divided into districts (Kun), each Kun containing a number of myen or cantons, each of which includes a number of ni or villages. The old posts and titles are abolished, and each village is now to be provided with the following officers:—
1. Headman.—He must be over thirty years of age, and is elected for one year by the householders. The office is honorary.
2. Clerk.—He holds office under the same conditions as the Headman, under whom he keeps the books and issues notices.
3. Elder.—Nominated by the householders, he acts for the Headman as occasion demands.
4. Bailiff.—Elected at the same time as the Headman he performs the usual duties of a servant or messenger, and holds office for a year on good behavior.