QUIET CELEBRATION

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 57, 5 September 1945, Page 8

QUIET CELEBRATION

CHINESE THREE-DAY HOLIDAY

The Chinese community of Wellington has one simple plan for the celebration of the victory of the United Natrons-" over the Japanese—a victory which has' a> greater and deeper meaning to the1-Chinese than to any other people of the United • Nations. Five years before Pearl ■ Harbour, they had fought magnificently" against Japan in a bloody war which Japan said was not a war, and had fought, too, with almost bare hands, plus limitless courage, against a nation which for decades had lied, plotted, and built its huge war machine. Their plan for celebrating victory is to enjoy a quiet three days' holiday, a "Post" reporter was told today by a member of the Chinese Consulate staff, so there will be no arranged programme. "At the meeting of the association last evening," he said, '"most of the talk was ot going up country for a few days, not of celebrating and celebrations."

Proprietors of most of the Chinese fruit and greengrocery shops in the city and suburbs had made special provision as to stocks for today so that housewives may buy in enough extras to carry them over till their shops reopen on Monday morning. Chinese residents in New Zealand have suffered inwardly at the misfortunes of their homeland over eight weary years and their contributions towards the fight against the invader have been on a generous scale, the liberality of which has been reflected even in contributions to New Zealand's patriotic efforts. One feature of the Chinese war against the Japanese barbarities rankles with the Chinese "man in the street" here, according to the conversation of a Chinese resident. That-is, the fact that Japan was able to wage a well-equipped war against China by virtus of substantial material assistance from Britain an,d the. United States before those two nations were themselves involved in' the turmoil. "The war has been longer for ray people than it was for yours," said the Chinese. "So we are taking three days' holiday instead of your one and a-half. That's fair, isn't it? But I hope there won't be any more supplies from other nations after this war to help Japan prepare for another. Not unless China gets a share, anyway."