CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 189

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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

!