ANOTHER WAR FOR POWER

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12250, 23 September 1925, Page 10

ANOTHER WAR FOR POWER

RIVAL GENERALS IN CHINA CONFLICT LIKELY NEXT MONTH JAPAN WILL BE NEUTRAL Bv Telegraph.—Trenp Assn.—Copyright Renter*. Tel ok mm PEKING, September 21. Hasty war preparations and tibe strategic movements of troops, in several provinces have created a general fear of a civil war in China. Wellinformed sources predict a clash between Cl»ang-Tso-lin and Feng-Tu-hsiang in October, whereupon Wu Peifu will enter Honan with the object of regaining his headquarters at Hon-an-fu. Chang has sent ha 3 ablest general, Yang-Tu-ting, to Nanking with artillery as a counter-move to the military activity of Cun-Cbu.an-fang, Tup&u of Chekiang, and Wu-pei-fu’s supporter at Hangchow. Sun is suspect ed of preparing to occupy Nanking, which would also give him control of Shanghai. FOR CONTRFOL OF PEKING •, ■ ■ The cause of the present movements is probably to be found in the desire of Chang and Feng* to- secure a single control of Peking, before the completion of the Citizens’' Conference, opening on October 10th. . One of ; the tasks of the conference is to determine the future form of administration, and also the prospect of increased customs revenues after ;a-, tariff conference. . Wu will probably act independently,, with the intention of improving bis own position. Meanwhile-; Tqap-Chi-juj, the chief executive; js striving mightily to avert an outbreak ivjiich will probably drive his smooth-water barque on the rocks. , • . . - ■ TOKIQ, Septeipher" 21. Tho Foreign Office has. received confidential reports from China .that civil war is imminent between rCbaAgrTiolin and Feng-Tu-hsiang. Cabinet voted unanimously for Japanese neutrality if hostilities break out. ' - It is understood that- no customs conference will he held in; event .of a war scare. ' . LAST YEAR’S CONFLICT It is almost a year since China has had a civil war. ‘-The last one was between Chang, the Dictator of Manohuria, and Wu, the. iqost powerful militarist of Chi-li, the province: in which Peking stands. Chang’s' armies advanced on the capital,.. and Wu’s forces were collapsing when a coup d’etat was staged in Peking. Feng, who is known as “the Christian general,” took control of the city,' tlje President fled, and, .by an arrangement with Chang, placed - in power as ohief exeohtive. Chang, having politely, expressed regret for the deaths and devastation caused by the war, then retired io bis own province, BOTH STRONG RULERS Wu’s power was broken.' but apparently he has snent the last.year in regaining it. He and Chang have long been rivals, and it is considered that the elimination of one or the other would give the survivor an opportunity to aoply methods of rule to China, which" are, understood by ; all Chinese. • Both rule with an iron hand- Each advocates a strong, ‘central Government, controlling the national" ariijy. and able to subdue the recalcitrant provinces. These provinces claim autonomy, but their autonomy has so far been marked by the seizure of the stilt, customs, wine, and tobacco revenues pledged to foreign countries, as well as the revenues rightly belonging to the Peking Government, which is thus impoverished and flouted. * .