World News in Story and Picture

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 21 (Supplement)

World News in Story and Picture

Jap an and China. The new Japanese demands on China include one for autonomy for the five Northern Provinces.—• Cable. North China, with its valuable coal fields and other important products, mineral and agricultural, an area hitherto regarded as a British "sphere of influence," has passed to Japanese control. The "fait accompli" is of special portent to Britain on account of British commercial and other interests. The Tongslian coal mines are controlled by a Sino-Britisli syndicate, with 'the latter predominating. The mines are valuable and the company wealthy, with most of the capital domiciled in London. The railway from Peking to the Great Wall from whence it goes to Europe is in reality a British project. The most important and influential commercial houses, whose activities embrace primary and secondary produce, import and export, are British. Two lines of British coastal vessels run to Tientsin from various Chinese ports. In short, a great amount of British capital is involved.

The five Northern provinces which are now under Japanese domination Suiyuan, Hopei, Shantung and Shansi—lie astride the Great Wall. The first two of these are provinces of Inner Mongolia. There is iron ore in Chahar, but although the steppe land ha 3 been proved capable of cultivation by Chinese colonists, its importance is strategic and political rather than economic. The northern borders of Chahar and Suiyuan run with the southern boundary of Outer Mongolia. Hopei is the province formerly known as Chili. It lies just out of reach of the usual Yellow River floods, but is well watered by the Pei Ho and its tributaries from the west. Its fertile soil produces an [abundance of wheat and cotton. Britain's interests in the province are enormous, as are those of the United States of America, the Standard Oil Company being especially affected. Shantung is a mountainous promontory jutting out into the Yellow Sea towards Port Arthur. Britain still retains certain rights at Weihaiwei, a former British possession and naval station. The ice-free ports, especially Chefoo, where British in-

terests predominate, handle much of the winter trade of Peking. The plain to the north of the mountains has been ruined for agriculture by the vagaries of the Yellow River. Periodically "China's Sorrow" overruns the whole area, and when the floods recede the uncovered soil, unlike the Nile, is too saline for profitable exploitation. But south of the mountain cotton and silk flourish. In addition to its agricultural wealth, the province possesses important mineral deposits—anthracite, bituminous coal and iron. Prior to the Great War Shantung was a German sphere of influence, with headquarters at the naval station of Tsingtau. Shansi is the key province of the North. In many ways it is the key province of -all China. ;So far as is known, Shansi possesses, in addition I to oil shale similar to that at Fushun in Manchuria, the largest deposit of iron ore in China. Its iron industry is reputed to be the oldest in the world. Coal is also abundant. Japan is lacking in iron and good coal. Shansi also possesses great strategic value. It commands the spot where the ancient Silk Road debouches on to the plains of China Proper. To the west the road leads over the Kansu mountains to Chinese Turkestan. It is the only road from China into Central Asia, and for centuries it carried the bulk of China's landward trade.

Italy and Ethiopia. i It is reported that the Ethiopians in the unconquered portion of their country are offering serious resistance to the Italians.—Cable. The Italians are not having too happy a time in the new "Empire." It is only what was to be expected. People do not easily forget-that-their women folk and children have been murdered by the most barbarous and inhuman methods of warfare. Neither can they forget that, iij a fair fight, they would in all probability have defeated the Italians. As it is, the Italians will probably be faced with spasmodic outbreaks of guerilla warfare for many years to come. It is not without the bounds of possibility that they may yet be driven from Ethiopia, just as they were driven out before. The South-east of Ethiopia remains unconquered, and therefore there stiU exists' a jumping-off ground for a very serious attack on the Italians, by means of continuous harassing movements. Italy will have to pay dearly for her hope to retain Ethiopia.