EASTERN STUDENT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 189, 8 May 1931, Page 10

EASTERN STUDENT

Arrival of Dr. Koo CONDITIONS IN CHINA Dominion Special Servicl Auckland, May 6. One of the youngest lenders of moderil China. Dr. T. Z. Koo, arrived in Auckland by the Niagara from Sydnej to tour the Dominion under the auspices of the World’s Student Christian Federa tion, of which lie is vice-chairman. In tlie course of an interview Dr. Koo referred to the internal state of his coun try. "No political party can hope to do much good unless it wins over the student group first," lie said, “for then is no such tiling as the franchise in China yet. The importance of this is seen in the suppression of flic literary activities of tlie Communists, whose operations have been driven underground since tin expulsion of Communist Russians in 1926. Without written propaganda it will be very difficult for tlie Communists to reach tlie students now.”

The culture of the West was being sought liy many thousands of Chinese students, said Dr. Koo. There were, for instance, 5000 Chinese students in Japan, 1500 in tlie United States, 2000 in France, 300 in Germany, 150 in Great Britain, and about 500 in Russia. Dr. Koo said the League of Nations was still dealing with the opium trade witli a view to its control, although China had sought its total suppression. The campaign for the abolition of opium was started in 1906, but when the central government broke down a number of provincial governments commenced growing the poppy again and even to-day a certain amount of secret growing was going on in the provinces. Public opinion in China now was very much against the drug habit. Tlie country, however, was receiving huge quantities of smuggled drugs, principally derivatives from opium.