LIFE IN CHINA.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 224, 21 September 1929, Page 19

LIFE IN CHINA.

MANCHURIAN SITUATION. jrAAble armies and bandits ? RETARDATION TO PROGRESS. ' ' MISSIONARY RETURNS. •v Whflu not being in apposition to shed (much light- on the Manchurian trouble, % V. Gilfillan, formerly in charge pf the Coromandel Anglican Home Mispion district, and now of Peking, was able,: in .an interview this morning, to give some indication of' the chaotic conditions "that tend to retard the progress jpf'Chma.' ' Rev* : Gilfillan has spent nine years in the Eaetj and is attached to the Chungte School," which is connected with ■ the Church of England in China. He served as chaplain to the New Zealand troops during the latter part of the war, "In Peking life is very comfortable and happy," said Rev. Gilfillan, "and the.Manchurian trouble has not affected us. We had a period of 18 months without fighting. Throughout China the railways are running fairly normally, and some of the lines which have been idle for two • years have now excellent services!, ! The last trouble in Peking occurred when Chang Tso-lin evacuated the district and the Nationalist party assumed control. On that occasion Chang Tso-lin confiscated most of the rolling stock of the Peking railways, and it has only been sent back gradually. "Down With Communism." "Bolshevism at the moment is very much in disfavour, and one of the pereistent cries of the masses is: 'Down with Communism.' Of course to a certain extent one sees a reflection of the Bolshevik influences amongst practically every Section of the community that has been touched by recent events. The trouble is largely among the younger generation that is gaining knowledge of Western ideals, but it has spread somewhat to the middle-aged also." Mr. Gilfillan explained that the ravages of China's numerous armies were retarding the country's advancement. The Chinese arxbies were run as the private affairs of chief commanders, who were appointed by someone or other. The strength of any party still depended on a Combination of these military dignitaries, who were always liable to be reshuffled. The growth of banditry was largely due to armies consisting largely of rabble suffering reverses and being put out of business. The soldiers then took to the hills , and became bandits unless a condition of their surrender was that they should be incorporated in the ranks of the victors. "It is. really pathetic," added Mr. Gilfillan. "If China "was decently run, it wonld be a wonderful country. All commercial enterprisei would be absolute gold mines if only the country had a stable Government. The railways pay handsomely when, not fettered with interference, but for the

nation." Discussing the Manchurian situation. Rev. Gilfillan said that.the Chinese had a certain number of reasonably well-equipped'-troops to oppose the Russians, but just what proportion of . them was an effective fighting force he could not say: The position, so far as he was able to judge, was tliat the bulk of the organisation of the army was going to be left to Chang Hseuh-liairg, son of Chang Tso-lin, because the , Central Government was, he imagined, going to be unable to transfer troops to Manchuria so long as Feng Yu-hsiang was in China. The latter was a .noisy type of individual, who was supposed to be receiving backing from the liussians, and 18 months ago linked up ; with the Nationalists. Feng was supposed to be leaving China, but When Mrl; Gilfillan left he was still standing by. The opinion of Mr. Gilfillan is that so long as he is around the Nationalists of Central China would not dare to send a large body of troops to Manchuria. . :|'Arißtocracy of Learning," '•The Chinese are very keen on acquiring a knoWlenge of English, (because it is largely the doorway to positions," added Mr. Gillillan, in referring to the constitution of the Chungte School, where he teaches English, history and Christianity, The curriculum of the institution, he said, covered from the third year of a boy's school life up to University entrance. The pupils entered the school at the age of about ten years, and completed their courses by the time, "they were twenty or twenty-, two. The reason for the length of the studies %vas that the standard set in Western subjects was very .similar to that of the matriculation examination in New Zealand, and, anded to that, was the incubus of the Chinese language. A boy leaving the school, for instance, would probably know about 9000 Chinese characters. The students were drawn from the coolie classes as, well as from the ranks of rich business people and high officials, and in school they all seemed to belong to the aristocracy of learning, and meet on an equal footing. Owing to the National Government's dictum that schools should be registered, the institution was now managed by a hoard of governors largely composed of Chinese, and the headship was held by a Chinese priest, who graduated from Cambridge University. The bulk of the teaching was done by Chinese masters, a number of them o