OCCUPIED CHINA

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24194, 9 February 1942, Page 6

OCCUPIED CHINA

OPPRESSION BY JAPANESE | strangling; of trade (0.C.) CHRISTCBUKCH, Sunday The harshness of the Japanese occupying forces in Shantung has been described fry Miss A. G. Gresliam and Miss A. B. Rout, Christchurch, missionaries who have returned after 37 years in China, lately in Weihaiwei. The most noticeable thing is the strangling of trade, they said! Chinese products have been taken off the market and Japanese ones, often at rocketing prices, substituted. Many Chinese factories have been closed and thensands of workers have been deprived cf their jobs. In Chefoo, near Weihaiwyi. the embroidery factories are closed a«<? thousands of girls have lost tlieir work. Sometimes Chinese bringing in produce from the country districts about Wei.haiwei are intercepted by puppet army men and forced to give up theiir goods. Apart from the petty annoyances they have to suffer daily from the Japanese officials —who often wa'k into restaurants and out again without paying for their food, the Chinese people are being taxed to their limited capacity. Every Chinese between the ages of 13 and 60 has to register, have his photograph taken, and receive his identification card with his name, thumb print, and photograph. Every house has to be registered and all implements and household utensils hava to be registered.

The introduction of drugs is being carried out systematically. In some districts hypodermic needies < are distributed among the coolies with drugs at cheap rates.