NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14148, 25 August 1909, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

CHINA'S NEW ARMY. Great difficulties are being experienced in the creation of China's new army. AcCording to news from Pekin, the Minister for War has made a somewhat disheartening report to the Prince Regent. He states that in seven of the principal provinces not even one division of the projected army has been organised. Chih-li alone among the 18 home provinces is provided with its complement of two divisions, and Yunnan, Kiangsti, and Hupeh each have one division; the other provinces have not accomplished anything in the way of organisation. Thus, out of the 36 divisions which were to have formed the great army, five only have been actually raised.' Mr. Tieh Liang is said to have attributed this very unsatisfactory result to financial difficulty. The provinces are unable, or unwilling, to find the necessary funds. Moreover, the success of the metropolitan, province in .raising and equipping its full contingent is

somewhat discounted by the fact that ever since the days of Li Hung Chang's Viceroyalty it has been conspicuous for the number and equipment of its local forces. It is pointed out that had she succeeded in carrying out her military programme, China would have been able to put a million men into the field without any .difficulty, but that with only five divisions she will not be nearly so strong as Japan was before the war of 1894-55. The Commission on Constitutional Reforms is now said to be considering a scheme of compulsory service. Equally discouraging seem to be the prospects of the long-promised naval revival. A month or two ago it was announced that Admiral Sa Chen-Ping had memorialised the Throne, urging that a sum of £2,375,000 should be devoted to the building of a squadron consisting of three cruisers of 3000 tons displacement, two transports, eight gunboats, and one destroyer. It was stated that these proposals had been approved in influential quarters. Later reports, however, indicate that the carrying out of even this modest scheme is despaired of, again, apparently, owing to the lack of funds.

FOREIGNERS IN JAPAN. The value of foreign co-operation in Japan's industrial development has recently been impressed' on his countrymen by the veteran Count Okuma. He pointed out • the other day that in her abundance of cheap labour Japan possesses an invaluable asset, which gives her a big advantage over the great manufacturing countries of the West. But the national horizon needed enlarging. People talked of introducing foreign capital, but what they ought to labour for equally was the introduction of foreigners. Foreigners should be encouraged in every possible way to take part in the development of Japan's resources, whether by establishing factories in the country or by associating themselves with the oversea trade. There appeared to be some nervousness among Japanese as to the expediency of welcoming foreign settlers. That was ridiculous. The fact was that the foreigner would be satisfied with smaller profits than the Japanese required, and every shilling he invested in the country meant so much increase to the nation's capital. . ,