CHINA'S PROBLEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 82, 7 April 1933, Page 8

CHINA'S PROBLEMS

DANGER OF COMMUNISM

REV. C. N. LACK'S VIEWS

Over thirty years spent in China have made the Bey. C. N. Lack, who is at present visiting Wellington, conversant with the problems of the.East. Mr. Lack is an assistant homo director of the China Inland Mission. Communism is a great menace to China, said Mr. Lack in an interview today. ' The Communist movement in China began in 1926.with the attempt of the Southern armies, led by Eussian officers, to capture the whole of China. In 1928 the Communists had a set-back, the Moderates getting into power. The Communists went into hiding, and some of their military leaders captured a large part of the Kiaug-si and Hu-peh provinces, and part of the Ho-nan.Pro-vince. During the last two years the Nanking Government had been trying to get the Communists out of these three- provinces. The Ho-nan and Hu-peh provinces had been cleared, but the Keds still occupied the mountains of the Kiang-si Province, and had captured parts of the Sze-chuan Province, occupying some of the towns. However, now that the war with Japan seemed to have come to an end, it was hoped-that China would put her own house in order an|d deal with the Beds. The Communists,' Mr. Lack explained, were -Chinese who had been converted to Eussian doctrines. There ' were often bandits enrolled in the Communist armies. The Chinese Communists hoped to make China a Soviet State like Etissia. Japan had an orderly' Government which feared Bolshevism, so the Japanese occupation of Manchuria would probably prevent the spread of Communistic doctrines, although he sympathised with China in the losa of the northern provinces. However, if tho spread of Bolshevism was stopped by Japan, it would prove a blessing to all the people in the East. The Japanese and the Chinese Governments allowed freedom of religion, but the Chinese Communists were against all religion. • ■ The Japanese people were'united in their loyalty to the Emperor, said Mr. Lack, but when'more than twenty years ago China'became a Eepublic the country, .was not ready for democracy. The President was not elected by the people, but set up by the paramount war lord. The Nationalist Party today elected the • President. The people were .not'yet ready to receive the franchise., _Mr. Lack expressed his warm appreciation :. of the Chinese people, and said that although ( there was strong national feeling, the coun-. try- was too unwieldy at present for strong government. < The governors of the various provinces often fought. The Szo-chuan and Kwci-chow provinces were at present fighting, but the others were fairly quiet at'the moment. CHRISTIAN RELIGION WELCOMED. . The Christian • religion was warmly* welcomed in China, said Mr. Lack. There were mission stations, hospitals, and schools throughout the land. There was not the .anti-foreign feeling in China that was prevalent four years ago. It had then been stirred up by Eussian propagandists. The generalissimo of the Chinese Forces, General Chia,ng Kai-shek, was a Christian. Mr. Lack spoke strongly against banditry in China. The bandits, he said,' were mostly '■ runaway soldiers, armed with foreign rifles. ' The bandits formed themselves into bands, and were sometimes strong enough to loot towns. However, they were executed if they were caught.