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the Commanding Officer of the offending troops as
no dentral authority exists sufficiently strong to
exercise control over the various divisional
commanders, and there is a general reluctance to
interfere with districts under the jurisdiction of
another man. The impunity with which these
intrusions go unpunished increases the contempt for
the foreigner, and where contempt and dislike are
aombined it is only a short step to insults and, in
China, from insults to active hostile demonstrations.
Buch demonstrations would be viewed sympathetically
by many officials and not a few of the gentry.
Small incidents are becoming more and more
frequent: small straws it is true, but all unpunished
or waived aside by fair words and all adding fuel
to the pile awaiting the match. children going to
school are interfered with; ladies in their chairs
have had the covers pulled up by soldiers when
passing the city-gates, and have been insulted. One
of the oldest foreign residents orossing the bridge
outside of the South Gate was compelled by soldiers
to get out of his ohair and pass them on foot.
again the unprovoked attack on my own chairmen
reported in my Intelligence Report for the June
quarter 1931.
Then
The increase of steamer traffic between
Inhang and Chungking, and accidents such as the
sinking of the four junks with a loss of sixty lives
are widely reported in all the papers and add to
hostile feeling. The native press carries a weight
which many do not realise: its influence is wide-
spread
!