SUPPLIES FOR CHINA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 30, 6 February 1939, Page 4

SUPPLIES FOR CHINA

ATTITUDE OF FRENCH

CURBS CAUSE BITTERNESS

Duplicating in many respects the experience Loyalist Spain has had with war supplies from France, China's efforts to obtain military equipment by way of Indo-China have been an unhappy series of broken promises, wrote F. Tillman Durdin from Hanoi, French Indo-China, recently . Unpredictable, sudden vacillations of policy and obstructionist tactics on the part of the French have embittered the Chinese and convinced them that no dependence is to be placed on IndoChina's supply routes, and there is no reliance on French support generally in China's war with Japan. The French failure to help reached a climax in the complete prohibition since early November of the passage of military cargoes across thi IndoChina frontier to China. Just as the acquisition of war supplies by Spain from France was guaranteed by treaty the Sino-French Treaty of 1930 provides generally for the unrestricted passage of foreign goods in transit through Indo-China to China on payment of a 4 per cent, transit tax. The treaty specifically stipulates the free shipment of military equipment over the French-owned railway between Haipong and Yunnanfu. The French began applying restrictions on the movement of war stocks soon after the war broke out when it was decreed that the frontier' would be open only, to materials for which contracts had been signed before the beginning of hostilities. This was modified in some cases later, but attempts to acquire stocks through the colony since this initial restriction was laid down have been disheartening for Chinese, American, and other foreign interests supplying them. RUSSIAN SUPPLIES BLOCKED. One of the early exasperating instances of obstruction occurred early in .1938. Having been promsied transit privileges the Chinese had several shiploads of Russian equipment brought to Haipong. Suddenly Paris ordered stoppage of transit. After all Chinese efforts to obtain transport permits failed the equipment was brought in along Kwantung coast north of here, a slow, hazardous, costly undertaking. The cargoes had to be transferred from ships to junks at night to evade Japanese planes. They were deposited on the Kwa'ngtung coast and gradually removed inland. Some time later the Governor, General Jules Brevie, assured the Chinese that 1000 military trucks would be permitted to pass through Haipong to China. When the trucks were unloaded at Haipong and were almost ready: to be driven away the whole enterprise was stopped by an order from Paris. Most of the trucks are still in Haipong. A few months ago the Hanoi Govern-, ment gave permission for the shipment) of a large amount of machinery to Chinese arsenals and other munitions factories. When the shipment was about ready for transport from Haipong a stoppage was ordered overnight, i ' ' The Spcony, Texas, and Shell Oil Companies have frequently had trouble in sending petroleum products to China. Socony officials here report difficulties are continuing. In November even Red Cross ambulances were not permitted transit. A large' shipment of medicines was held at Haipong for several weeks before it was alolwed to go to China. FRENCH PLANES IN TROUBLE. The Chinese have purchased French equipment, hoping to obtain the support of French armament makers, but even this was ineffective. One instance was bitterly disappointing. Early last summer the Chinese bought twenty-four French pursuit planes. After considerable. delay the planes were delivered without propellers or machine-guns. French experts, sent to assemble the planes and tram Chinese flyers, became troublesome and once struck for higher pay. Only three or four of these planes have seen service. Propellerless planes on the field at Yunnanfu were unable to take off in a Japanese raid recent-! ly and three were destroyed. Guns mounted on others were found unsuit- i able. y ! The American-owned Central Air-j craft Factory, a Curtiss-Wright enterprise, has been an outstanding victim of French obstructionism here. Since the war started, this factory, which had been in Hangehow building light bombers, pursuit planes, and training, craft for the Chinese, moved to Hankow, but before the capture of Hankow had started to transfer to Yunnanfu. Much equipment was moved overland with difficulty. It was planned to bring in other materials and parts through Haipong. Several thousand tons of supplies arrived during a brief period in October when the French were allowing comparatively unrestricted transit of war cargoes to China. _ , . ~ __ A November order resulted in tne prohibition of the transport of Central Aircraft's supplies, and it has been necessary to start the transfer of these materials to Rangoon. IN NORTHERN BURMA. The new factory will be constructed in Northern Burma instead of Yunnanfu, so the equipment brought painfully overland from Hankow is being packed up again and the Yannanfu site, on which the construction of buildings had been started, is being abandoned. ' The Chinese here express themselves in bitter terms regarding the French actions. Some say the Chinese should tear up the Yunanfu railway and use it' on a line <to Burma. One high Chinese, commenting on instances where the French have permitted the shipment of some parts ot military equipment and have inexplicably excluded others, said: "I believe that if we were importing sets of dishes the French would let us take the cups to Yunnan but would make us keep the saucers in Haipong. I should not be surprised if thev suddenly class men as war supplies and halt the passage of individual Chinese through Indo-China." This official said the French stoppage of trucks had wrecked China's plans for the internal transport of supplies. "We now have huge stocks at Yunnanfu, got through here in moments of French leniency, which we are unable to move out to the fronts or elsewhere because we, have no trucks."