1941-09-05 — Page 12

Friday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

September 5, 1941.

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HONGKONG SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN THE SOCIETY ASKS FONDAM

$334.000

in 1941 to meet the, Increasing needs-af-sick and destitute children in Hongkong, agaitut which the

•Income to date is $23,000 only.

In order to continue its work, the Society 'ip peals for the balance of

$9,000

p-

before the close of the financial year on 1st Delober.

The number $100.

of children asslated last year was

Ton, Treaurenaj S

Str. A. McKellar, C.A.

c/a Mackinnon Mackenzie & Co.,

GTA & Q. Building,

Mr. Kwok Chan,

"c/o The Banque de L'In

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The

Hongkong Telegraph.

Friday, Sept. 5, 1941.

In used by the "Hongkong Telegraph" to

provisions of the Telecommuni- cations 1916, Such Hongkong on the date of publication by

servo alt righta and forbid republications, elther wholly or in part without plans arrangement,

PEASANTRY: KEY TO

CHINA'S

The growing divergence between the status of the peasantry in the guerilla areas of North China, where the Communists are power-

and

.:

FUTURE

By Hugh Deane

War has brought numerous complications to the Chinese scene-stresses and strains

ful, and the status of the which are vital to an understanding of the political situation in the country. At Chung- king, and in the interior, Mr Deane, who wrote for the "Christian Science Monitor," has had ample opportunity to watch these developments.

+

capital a year: now each mow requires about $150. Unleas counteractive measures. aro adopted, experts have warned, the credit shortage will ultim- ately entail a decline in agricul- tural production.

About 50 per cent of Chinese petsants are tenants, 25 per cent part-tenants and 25 per cent independent owners. Most (and the best) land is owned by a small group of landlords, who are powerfully represented in the Kuomintang,

Excellent crops just before

peasantry in Kuomintang- controlled Central South China, is regarded by many observers as one of the major conditioning fac- tors of Chinese politics. China admit that the "Red- Central and South China have Many see in it an underlying bandits" are more firmly en- come as a result of the inflation, exorbitant taxes and usurious Before the war high rent, FOR FURTHER PARTICULARS cause of the recent clashes trenched than ever.

The cheapening of the currency interest The basis of the guerilla hus enabled debt-ridden peasants floods, drought and the disas rates, coupled with between the Koumintang and the Communists, and movement in North China has to pay up. The general effect trous effects of the world do been a number of political and of the inflation, however, has pression, generated a marked consider it one of the most economic reforms calculated to not been to cause a basis for re- trend to concentration of land attach the loyalties of the pea. form but to fortify the status important problems which sants. Guerilla governments qu In the first place, the vast ownership and tenancy. An in- Phone 27770-9a victorious China would have been established the majority of peasants produce creasing amount of land went largest of them, the Shansi- only enough for subsistence and out of cultivation, and China, have to face.

Hopei-Charhar Border Govern. rent-in a semi-feudal economy reputedly a great agricultural These observers point out ment, controls the rural areas of the rent automatically approx- country, had to import rice. 90 hsien (counties) with a pópuimtes what the peasant pro- Thousands of peasants were that in the long run the lation of 10,000,000 in which duces above what his family re forced off the land-a source of peasantry has always been the peasants have been accordei quires to subsist-and the value cheap labour in the cities, of

ecrtain democratic rights. The of money, therefore, is of relu banditry and Communism.. the most powerful deter- village chiefs and local and hsien tively little importance. Second. minant of Chinese politics. ants, which some observers hold duced to tenancy, few are able

councils are elected by the peas, while fower peasants are re- Conflict Foreseen Throughout Chinese history, to be an important experiment to improve their position by pur- Wyndham St., Hongkong

in demueracy. The widespre I chasing land, for land values are and just after the war some- Telephone: 26615

when economic conditions organisation of peasant unions, equal to or above the general what alleviated the situat.on THE prefix "special to the Telegraph" became intolerable, a rising furthermore, has given the pen- price level.

though rice imports continued. underte news which is strictly copyright tide of peasant rebellions say a new source of political

In another respect inflation last year-in 1940 rice imports The extremely poor rice crop of power. In the Shansi-Ilopei- has affected the Heart the indication "Ujn received in revealed that the "heavenly Charhar Border Region alone adversely-it has decreased the of rice to quintuple itself in peasantry doubled-which caused the price Lise United Press Associations, who re-mandate" of the

1,000,000 peasants are reported supply of cheap credit. In re- three months, has led some ob ruling to have been unionised.. cent years the Central Govern servers to believe that the long dynasty had been exhausted. Moderate Programme of rural credit societies to supply, China's creaking semi-feudal ment has established thousands wor has further dislocated The leaders of the revolt

A moderate agrarian pro. peasants with loans at an annual agrarlan economy, and that un- would ultimately succeed in gramme based on that of Sun interest of about 10 percent less realistic reforms are carried establishing a new dynasty, Yat-sen has been carried out. A low compared with rates obtain out portentous political conflicts and the process of recon- cardinal point in Sun's pro- average 25 or 30 percent.

25 percent reduction in rent, a able from money-lenders which will develop from the increasing.

ly restless villages. stitution and change would gramme, has been widely en- But it was found that even at

forced. Land belonging to land- best the credit available was in rough, seem to show that the Latest statistics, admittedly again commence to unfold. lords who fled to Japanese sufficient to go around and much trend towards concentration of occupied areas has been divided of the money went to well-to-do land ownership and tenancy has Streamlined Version up among the poor peasants, peasants or landlords who re- continued since the war, despite The authorities have encouraged lent it at usurious rates-a sam the retarding effect of inflation. phony what any telegrapher A streamlined version of the establishment of agricul- ple survey in Shengi revea et would recognize as the Morse an old-style peasant re- tural and industrial co-opern- that only 2 per cent of cheap The future seems to promiso bellion is now going on in lives, which have developed for credit went to tenants, who need a conflict, peaceful or violent,

more in guerilla areas than else it most. There are two coincidences north China, slightly dis- where.

Faced with inflation between the war-born pensant here, one of them obvious and of

and more urgent financial de rebels of North China and the While North China's semi-mands, the Government last fail agrarian conservatism of the no importance. The letter V isguised as guerilla warfare. the Roman equivalent of

the Rebellion was implicit in the feudal society cannot be said to decreed that funds allocated for Kuomintang. This conflict is have been altered fundamental- rural credit would be reduced. apt to be the first issue con- figure 5, but what matters more situation caused by the war. ly, the peasantry has acquired And because of the inflation fronting a victorious China-if

that V has become in France The Japanese invasion re-

increased political power,

more credit is needed than for- it can be so long sublimated. merly. Before the war each At the root of Kuomintang- The main significant changes mow of land (a mow is one-sixth Communist clashes are two at- leased a revolt which had

-in-tho-status-of-the peasants-in-of-an-acre) required about $15 titudes towards the peasantry. the Nazi terror. It is written long been smouldering. The on walls and elsewhere to catch very fact that the North the eye of Nazi overseers. It is China peasant took up arms ubiquitous. So many Y's have appeared as to suggest

to defend his village chang-| some sort of underground organisa ed his status and made him tion.

an unconscious bearer of Now, like an increasingly the torch of agrarian revolu- unruly child, V is not only going tion. For when the peasant to be seen but heard. For vic-

MOTIF OF VICTORY

BEETHOVEN did not know the Morse code, But he wrote in i. By the sheerest and yet most appropriate coincidence possible, he employed H A rhythmic pattern in the first movement of his Fifth Sym-

symbol for the letter V.

A

and other occupied countries symbol of ultimate_victory over

tims of Nazi ambition are now guerillas began to fight they learning to spell it out in dots began to demand reforms to and dashes: dot-dot-dot-dash. fight for. At the very be- They can even sing or whistle

..

PRIVATE LIFE OF A PRIVATE A further instal- ment from the diary of a journal- ist who is now a soldier,

W

WHAT'S

A

'Lotto!

IN GAME?

of laughter.

"Why, I've sat and listened to Lotto, corblimey-Lot- a Lotto game for hours in peace

lime. There's an Army name

TE stand about tno shriek Detail Board outside-Lotto! it, to the first four notes of the ginning the leadership of world's most familiar symphony, the peasants was acquired Board holds the daily news of

the Company Offee. The Detail to!" if Frenchmen do this as often by the Communists and such the Company. It tells the sol- imaginary skirts and kicking as sentiment prompts they will groups as the Shansi Sacri-dier what he has to do.... his ammunition boots in an un- reproduce most of the sym-fice League and the Na-

paony's first movement, which

And he dances away, lifting Kelly's Eye to Blind Nine."

for the Lotto numbers,. from

"What's Kelly's Eye?" "Number one. Blind Nine is

It is the Handwriting On The couth can-can. is based on a constant reitera- tional Salvationists.

Wall. It is the Word: If you're In the hut, Sergeant Dagwood ninety. Then there's. Guard- tion of dot-dot-dot-dash motifs,

Detailed to do a thing, you go of Birkenhead is lying down. room Door, which is Four. one set overlaying another in

Agrarian Movement and do it, right or wrong. If This is an industrious, good, Legs Eleven. Unlucky: thir- crescendoz sometimes expressive

Chinese Communism is quite the floor," you scrub.

the Detail says "Go and scrub solid Sergeant, who can shoot teen, of course. And Clickety- of an increasing fury, as

of essentially an agrarian move-

the black out of the bull at Click: sixty-six. It's better suppressed peoples.

ment. The Communists, have If your name is omitted from countless hundreds of yards and than going to the pictures, and The Nazis may

n Detailed list, you rejoice, and take a forty-mile route-march it's a nice harmless game. find them- brought tho North China

HE WON POUNDS selves in a veritable vortex of peasantry new and improved go and get a tea and a wad at like a walk round the block. sounds dearly famillar to Ger- techniques of struggle-tech-tail you cease to exist.

the Naffy, for, once off the De- As the Lad skipa in, Dagwood "Personally," the Sergeant raises a head remarkably like goes on, "I have not come across! man cars but ill attuned toniques which the Reds acquired Nazi theories. Beethoven would

To-day, among other things that of George Bancroft and gambling-in this Battalon. never have been a Nazi. The during 10 years of civil war in the frame, hangs a strange says, "Something bit you? Or

have you gone crackors?"

"Gambling is bad, among story of his disillusion with By a shrewd guerilla warfare typewritten notice:-

soldiers. It creates ill-feeling. Napoleon is twice to'd: how the the Japanese control of North" It has been brought to my Tha Lad tells him the joke. composer had dedicated

"Soldiers are like a lot of his China has been confined to the

notice that gambling is taking Lotto. Great hairy men play brothers. "Eroica" Symphony to the mill- big cities and towns and Unes-of

place. I have adopted a pro- ing Lotto. Why not Ludo? What's the point in winning .all good pals, tary genius of

cedure to stop this, and any the French communication. The hinterland

Why not

Handie-Pandie? your pal's money, or having him Revolution only to destroy the has remained in the hands of

N.C.O, or man caught will be

·lodication page when Napoleon the guerillas.

severely dealt with. Here-Fancy a nice game o' Ring o' win yours? with extract from Regimental Roses?" erica the Lad, gasping Jegan to act like a Hitler.

"No. The C.O. Is quite right Standing Orders:-

for breath. "Or Blind Man's to put his foot down on gam Buff?"

bling, Cards! Dico! Pah! Un- healthy. Now, a good game of Lotto is nice recreation, and hurls, nobody."

Para. 109. Gambling.--The playing of cards, dice, etc., WHY NOT? for money or money's worth

"What's the matter with

"I used to play it when I was

Beethoven would have been no The effect of · Communist} more impressed with Naal ven leadership has been to convert ures. One feels he would be typical sporadic peasant upris- lad to know that the motif of.ngs into a widespread, integratis forbidden in any part of Blind Man's Buff? It teaches fato knocking at the door," ed guorilla war capable of being

the camp. Cárd playing is with which bis Symphony V waged for years, Despite the

allowed only in the Recrea- you to have a sense of direc pens, has been turned into a gloomy predictions of many

tion Room. The game of tion," says Sergeant Dagwood. a nipper," says the Lad. Lotto is allowed in camp. "And what's up with Lotto?"Well, let me tell you some-. notif of the inevitable knocking military exparts, the guerillas

It's a game like any other game, thing," says Dagwood, “Many's minously on doors and windows have already been in the field WHY LOTTO?

Specially when the bloke calling the quid I've won playing Lotto vherover Nazi oppressors pass for three and a half years, and At this, the Lad from the Ele- out the numbers knows the back inpeacetime. by Christian Selonca, Monitor: Japaneso reports from North phant and Castle goes into a army names for 'em.

then.

Now