Manchurian Bandits.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7842, 20 May 1904, Page 5

Manchurian Bandits.

Russian Anxiety to Secure . Their-.Services.

According to the Shanghai correspondent of the Daily Mail, the Russian authorities in Manchurja mae'e tho following demands from China through the Tartar General -.—Manchuria not being included in the neutral zone, Russian orders shall be obeyed in the country ; the Russians shall have' the right to exercise power over the local Chinese officials; taxes and revenue shall'be handed to the Russian Government, and the Chinese troops shall be subject to Russian orders. The demands were refused. The Russian excuse for making tho demands was that the mounted bandits were a great obstacle to military movements. They were notsuppressed owing to the inadequate strength of the Chinese forces and the lack of prompt action on the part of the native officials, and they wrought considerable damage to the railways and telegraphs. , Her demands to govern Manchuria having been refused,; Russia asks for a -prompt reply regarding the methods China intends . taking to suppress the bandits, and has made the following proposals : —The chiefs of the band to be asked to surrender, those agreeing to be rewarded with Chinese nijlitaiy titles : quarter of

each Russian regiment shall be composed of bandits,, who will recoivc good pay and food. Those ■■unwilling1 to be bribed shall bo kept quiet by money extorted from wealthy Chinese whose -houses have been graiuad' Russian protection. ■

<( Harbin says j h i j F. Frascr, in . Jlie Real Siberia," is a -groat junction. It came into prominence in iuOO, because the Boxers destroyed the line here, and besiweu' the. town, for -several weeks. The station itself is a pretty place, but there arc eight , tracks of rails. Huge stacks of stores for troops are guarded .by soldiers. Seven year* ago there was not a single Russian Qnnn nMn^r Now there ar° nearly 9000 Old Harbin is where the Chinese live, _the now. settlement where the R« ssl ans are i s for all ihe wor.d l,ke a■" boom " American town. Jt has sprung into existence in a few years. Big stords and hotels are being joshed up, and everywhere building is to be seen I'ortuncs are mae'e by men who have got patches of land- centrally situated. Harbin is now the ..rincipal town in Manchuria. It is thp niugnet to all the adventurers in Russia. There arc two or . three murdors every week. The town and surrounding country provided the stronovsf possible evidence that whatever' diplomatic language may bo used, Russia is in possession of Manchuria and Mends to stay. Roughly speaking- it has a population of some 17,000,000 ; it comprises about onesixth of China's entire area ; is six times as large .as England and Wales, and possesses a climate ressmbling that of Canada ; its mountains are said to, ooze gold, and its harbour, Port Arthur, is splcm/id, free from ice all the y C ar round.