BANDITS AND "HOLDUPS"

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 148, 19 December 1929, Page 36

BANDITS AND "HOLDUPS"

NEW STYLE IN CHINA: A. BUS CONDUCTOR'S LIFE If them »s over a world congress of motor-omnibus conductors to discuss tho '.grievances of tho craft (and why not?), tho collector of fares whoso'life is spent gravitating between two fixed points in rural Britain will find that his lot is vastly better thanthat .of.his.colleagues from remote ■ -corners of - the earth, where- an aged chassis, a box body,- and au uncextain: groove" through wild country are the "usual ingredients of public-service, w-rites Sir. Percival Phillips iv the "Daily Mail.". I can see. the hairy dolcgatb from tho Khyber

Pass telling the congress that no more perplexing, problem can /be imagined than that of the militant Pathan who suddenly decides Jibt to pay Ms fare while • bowling .through the hills from" Landi Kotal to Jamrud. I can then see the delegate-'from Southern Manchuria rising in his ragged and.indefinite uniform, aid asking in a voice broken with emotion: "What do you do about bandits 0" It is a question of considerable- importance at this time, but there is no I satisfactory answer. The conductors j engaged on. the uncertain traffic routes between Chinese villages which are repiote.froni the railway are suffering (no less' the'drivers) froni. ari,.epideniie_ t>f banditsj which is rather .worse,,in..their opinion, than cholera. You merely die from cholera, but if attacked by banI dits you lose face. j WELL PACKED. The motor-omnibus has spread its influence over inland China to a remarkable extent. The craze for travel —anywhere and at any time—which is a marked trait of the Chinese character, is being indulged in to excess by means of this still novel method of transport. Services have been established between many towns and villages, the longest being about 20 miles. The omnibuses are of the flimsiest description. Motor-trucks, when they die, are given a matchboard superstructure with an uncertain roof and two long seats down the sides. Into this inadequate space passengers and their bundles aro packed with the skill of a Maskelyne or a Devant. The luggage, ranging from tin boxes to crated fowls, is piled down the middle and reaches to the roof. Four times tho maximum weight is au ordinary load. And away they go, j over au alleged road like a fragment of the Western Front. A "hold-up" is an easy matter. The bandits, new style, merely dig a trench at the side of the road and await the omnibus as it bumps along. A volley of rifle shots aimed at the front wheels brings the driver smartly to attention. Ho may or may not be shot in the process. The last "hold-up" presented the driver with a bullet in his thigh. He was lugged to the side of the road and loft as useless, and a bandit took his place. Tho conductor then comes in for attention. His fares are handed over without objection. The passengers are decanted, sorted, and treated to a preliminary form of persuasion. So is the conductor, who is usually regarded as a kind of travelling Stubbs, competent to pass judgment upon tho financial capacity of his clients. -- ; SEALED EYES. AND ; MQUTHi. --Thi9;p.ejsuasjonrtakeg.the.form sit adhesiyft_tape_or wax, with'wliich the eyes of thS (iaptives-are sealedj' thetfthelr mouthSiVrEDhe. omnibus is. trundled, off ta.B. secJuded.sp'ot, well away from the road, where there'are a " few ''trees. These-are used as anchorages for the most likely subjects—and the conductor. Having been tied up, they ate beaten and then"questioned. The opera-tion-.makes them quite fluent. . . Thoso who; are- obviously without means arc'turned'loose with a kick or two for being poor.- The. ..profitable hostag.es aro ..removed to a camp and ordered to write home concerning ttieir poor health land-precarious prospects. Pending ,a reply, .accompanied by ca.^h, they are' carefully guarded.; Usually ttio'ransom' is lower than the "first price,'■* in .accordance with Chinese business methods, but'it is always enough to cover the overhead and leave a fair margin of profit on the transaction. The omnibus is released when cleared of promising passengers. If the driver has been shot, it is left derelict.. If not, it wanders back to headquarters with a melancholy report. There is no malice in the transaction. The bandits ;are likely enough soldiers on leave who are desirous of earning sufficient money to buy their, promotion. Nothing.venture, nothing have.