THE NEW CHINA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 632, 8 October 1909, Page 7

THE NEW CHINA.

4 BUILDS; A RAILWAY OUT OF PROFITS. ' PEKING TO KALGAN. , CHINESE BRAINS AND LABOUR. (By Telcgraph-Prcss Association-Copyright.) Poking, October 0. A railway hns been opened from Peking to Kalgan; a town on tho old Rilsso-Cliinoso trade route, 110; miles north-west of Peking. The railway was built by Chinese engineers, from the earnings of the Chineso Northern railways. .Tho chief engineer was a Cantonese, educated jn America. GROWING DEFENCES. OPENINGS FOR WOOL-DANGER OF A BOYCOTT. Sydney, October 7. The. Roy. Mr. Burgess, a missionary, who has spent ;twenty years in China, has returned hero on furlough.' Ho predicts that in fifteen years China's military 6ystem will bo sufficiently .advanced/to enable her to defend herself against the insults of outside Powers. 'Referring, to the possiblo boycott of Australian goods over tho refusal of the Federal authorities to admit a Chinese professor, Mr. Burgess says he is snro a boycott will bo instituted if it can' bo done without loss to the Chineso merchants themselves; Australia, he considers, ought to bo friendly towards China, and try to capture a market for wool. Ho adds that there are in China several hundred thousand troops who wear wadded uniforms. The wadding at present is cotton, but it onght to bo wool, and I 'Australia should be able to gel) the trade. VETERAN ADMINISTRATOR DEAD. , • , ' Peking, October 6. Chang Chih-tdng,' ex-member of tho Chineso Grand Council, is dead, Tho. Peking correspondent of " The Times " describes tluy as tho greatest scholar in tho Chineso Empire, and as a pure-minded patriot. Though ho had held lucrative offices for forty-four'years, he:died poor. [Chang Chih-tung, formerly Viceroy of Wunchnug, had , for some years occupied a scat on tho Grand Council of China. Reports last year indicated that ho was decrepit and failing. He 'was an. embodiment of old China but was considered by no means hostilo to progress.] . THREAT, OF A BOYCOTT. The danger of an anti-Australian boycott referrod to in;the abovo Australian cablegram arises out of what the Chineso citizens of Sydney consider an mjustico on tho part of the Commonwfnltb Government m refusing to allow an experienced teacher of the 1 Chineso language to'enter tho-couiitry for tho purpose of educating their children through tho medium of .their mother Oh August 2 iast the Chinese, Consul-General wrote to . tho Secretary for : Internal ;Affairs in' Melbourne as follows;— "Some of the leading merchants in Sydney are desirbua-'of,having their children educated in.;the'.Chinese language, simultaneous, '.vith. the education they are receiving in English in their cityV land to this end wish permission for. a Chinese teacher 'of experience and ability tojeomoito Australia. It has hot been possible ,t6' get 'any in Australia .competent .and ■ willing '-'to'' act as : teacher' of Chinese,"'" 1 •'' ' ' • '■■ ." •"" •

, The letter further, stated that the merchants had been, in communication' with a suitable teaoher in Hong-Kong.named Loo Yoh, and they wished'that facilities-should be afforded him'tp reside.in Australia for three years. It was . proposed; to "establish- a 'small private school in.'Sydney should the request-be granted.:, v :,' " '■ ■ .- ::

."■ On August 23 a reply was received from tho Secretary.-.for External Affairs ito. the effect that he could not see hisl way to grant' authority in the'matter.,'. : ....;.': r-;,^"',-;;.;;' -;•■.,;.;! .'" ■ Mr. -PiniT -Nam. 'president i'of-v the ChinesoMerchants' Society, Sydney, -t when seen in Reference to .tho matter, said.. intor alia:—"We have tho VweMara -^Australia-;a^,,.bear;t^coni r nicrcially,' and do not' wish 'to, seb' a.'rep'etitioh of 'the American' boycott when America offered h'Similar insnlt'to'the educated Chine?e, whose rescht the insult found exprosc'ston! ih;"commercial'worfarerand 'national b'oveotting of;such ! far-reachirie maimitndo in its jridirect results whicV was almost as deplorable as war. t 'Those; responsible for provoking such TetfilioHon 'are; incurring a-'serious responsibility." -v; :-;. -'~: ':'