"HIS WORD HIS BOND."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 268, 12 November 1928, Page 3

"HIS WORD HIS BOND."

CHINAMAN'S DEBTS.

A BRITISH TRIBUTE.

SENSE OF HUMOUR WILL SAVE CHINA. An extraordinary vivid and interesting picture of conditions obtaining in China to-day is contained in a letter which the Shanghai representative of an important British firm of engineers, a member firm of the Federation of British Industries, has sent to the directors in England.

The writer, like nearly all Englishmen who have lived for any length of time in the Far East, holds in high esteem the old type of Chinese, whose word is their bond. While deploring that this class seems to be dying out, he believes that "beneath the froth and spume" of Nationalist and Communist nonsense which has brought China to the depths there still remains a "solid, honest, and dependable characteristic." He has sufficient faith in the Chinese to predict that their sense of honour, if it is allowed to come uppermost, will ultimately save China.

He writes: — You are aware that we have ccrtain debts owing to us by clients up-country, mainly in the Wuhu district, which debts, we previously assured you, arc fully acknowledged by our cli' nt>. who have been prevented from paying us by the appalling conditions prevailing, compelling the closing down of all rice mills and other factories, bringing to ruin one of the richest districts 111 China, where, in normal times, the bulk of tlit: nation's food (rice) is produced, driving to beggary, banditry, and wor*<\ erstwhile honest, frugal, and hard-working peasantry. After much correspondence, a fortnight ago one of our customers at Sliang-an informed us that they were prepared to hand ovW to our representative the amount they owed us, in cash, providing our representative collected this cash at their mill, and gave them a clean receipt; thenceforward they would accept 110 responsibility as to what happened to the cash or our representative. Actually this cash has been waiting for our collection some time, being secretly hidden in small amounts in various places, away from the knowledge of the soldiery and bandits, but we would permit none of our staff to risk his life in going to collect this amount until we were assured by our chief Chinese, backed by reports circulated by the Nationalists, that the country was settling down, and communication opened again. Our machinery salesman Chang, an "old-timer," over 60 years of age, volunteered to go for this money, and we agreed on being assured that he could get through. He was away twelve days, returning to Shanghai a couple of days ago, but it will be some time before he

can leave his bed, as lie is at present seriouslv ill.

Sliang-an is ISO li (60 miles) inland from Wuhu, the first twenty miles of which is done by means of an overcrowded, lilthy, and extremely unsafe steam launch, which takes passengers to a fairly important business town called Loo-da-koo. Beyond this place and to Shang-an, the only means of transport is by row boat. Chang took with him the oldest and shabbiest clothing he had, but his first experience on landing at Wuhu was to have his new straw hat taken from him, as he- was told that only wealthy people could wear such hats, and it would be as much as his lifo was worth to go into the interior with a straw hat; so he went with none at all. He was accompanied by two men

Kidnappers on the Trail. On arrival at Shang-an, Chang found the customer had been forced to clear out for a day or two, as kidnappers were on his trail, and so Chang waited. At the end of three days the customer came back and explained to Chang that on account of his being one of the chief business men of that place his life was not secure, and that he had live different places to sleep, so that no one was certain where he would be if they went for him, as he chopped and changed about in his sleeping qurrters. Chang found the cash had been collected, and for safety the customer had deposited it with the Chief of Police, as there are no banks in Shang-an.

The money was duly handed over to Chang, and was found to be in the form of 400 dollars in paper notes on Shanghai banks and 1200 dollars in silver. When we tell you that a silver dollar here is as large as a 5/ piece at homo you will have some idea of what 1200 of them must be like and what they weighed.

The cash was split up amongst the throe men, i.e., Chang and the two helpers, Chang taking the 400 dollars in notes, and each of the other men disposing about liis middle next his skin 600 of these hefty coins, weighing nearly 401b. And so they set otf back to Wuhu. and when we tell you that in that district anyone's life is worth practically nothing, and that to carry but a few ccnts simply invites murder, you will see the risk these men ran. To minimise the risk each man took a different route, so that if one was knocked out the other two might get through, and ultimately the whole three arrived at Wuhu with the booty intact.

Then arose the difficulty that all banks were closed, and Chang could not deposit this cash straightaway as he intended: and at the same time there arose a still greater difficulty in that Chang by that time was very ill indeed.

Came then to the rescue the proprietor of the hotel at which Chang had put up, and as there was a steamer leaving for j Shanghai that day it was decided that ! Chang should make an effort to get the cash to Shanghai in its present form. Unfortunately Chang was confined to his bed, and this hotel man sent out for a box and packed the money into it, and packed what few clothes Chang had on the top of the lot, and Chang and his precious luggage were then carried to the steamer, this hotel proprietor sending a faithful servant along with Chang to Shanghai, seeing that poor old Chang was by this time helpless and at times delirious. From Wuhu to Shanghai per steamer takes two and a-half to three days, and ultimately Shanghai was reached in safety and the cash deposited in our office and a doctor attendant upon Chang. We are glad to say that Chang is now recovering, though it will be some time before he can resume his duties.

But here we have a concrete example of sheer loyalty, for in all that Chang did is revealed the true character of the old type Chinese, whose word is his bond. Alas! that this class of Chinese is dying out! Nevertheless, beneath the froth and spume of all this Nationalist and Communist nonsense that ha*

brought China to the depths, there still remains that solid, honest, and dependable characteristic as revealed by Chang's actions and the men who accompanied him; for sight should not be lost of the fact that the cash entrusted to Chang's helpers represented to them wealth untold. And it is this sense of honour that will ultimately save China, but it must come uppermost before China can take its place again in the ranks of nations.