TRAVEL IN CHINA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23706, 13 January 1939, Page 8

TRAVEL IN CHINA

RED CROSS REPRESENTATIVE MANY DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED DR T. A. WATSON’S REPORT (Special to Daily Timesi WELLINGTON. Jan. 12. The Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society Far East Relief Committee has received an interesting report from Dr T. A. Watson, who has just reached Hongkong after having been cut off in Japanese occupied territory. The letter is dated December 20, and is written from Hongkong. “I left Cheng Chow a month ago to-day, experiencing some difficulty in getting out from China,” he says. “It was impossible for me to reach Chungking as the only route was through Sian. Unfortunately the railway line between Cheng Chow and Sian had been cut by Japanese artillery, and therefore I had to go through the Japanese lines and reach Hongkong via Japanese territory. I saw the Chinese general in Cheng Chow, and managed to obtain a pass from him to go through the Chinese lines. The Chinese territory extends to the bank of the Yellow River, which now has changed its course, flowing between Cheng Chow and Kaifeng, and so into the Yangtze. This change was brought about by the Chinese bursting the dikes of the. Yellow River, thus stemming the Japanese advance. “ I reached the river in. one day. walking most of the way (about 25 miles). Next morning, after a great deal of argument, I managed to get a boat to take me to the other side. The crossing took about four hours. On the way over we had several shots fired at us by Chinese guerrillas on the other side. 1 think they must have been aiming at us as they missed us by several yards (it would have been dangerous if they had not been aiming at us). , , ~ .. “ Once we reached the other side it took me two days and a lot of trouble to reach Kaifeng. a town in Japanese hands. In Kaifeng a missionary, Mr Kennedy, an Australian, procured a pass for me to travel on the Japanese-controlled railway to Tientsin, this train taking three days. They only travelled in the daytime, as at night they were afraid of Chinese irregulars. As I was by myself, i had great difficulty in making myself understood, especially at night, when the train stopped, and we had to get accommodation for the night. “I had an unpleasant experience at Soochow, where curfew is enforced every night at 8 o’clock. The train was late in arriving, about 11 P-iu. While proceeding through the dark, unlighted streets in a rickshaw, I .had a pullover which I was wearing ruined by a Japanese bayonet. I discovered that it is most unpleasant talking to someone who understands neither Chinese nor English, and who is holding a fixed bayonet in such a position that it pricks your stomach when you move. On further investigation, however, I discovered he was not made of stone. After an exhibition of 20 dollars he softened a little, and after I had produced 50 he let me pass on. It was well worth the 50 dollars. “Before we reached Tientsin our train was waylaid by Chinese guerrillas who had torn up the line. On reaching Tientsin I found there were several days to wait before I could reach Shanghai. After an uneventful journey I reached Hongkong, _ and joined Dr Maaka in the new territory, where we are at present tending to refugees and also a hospital of about 50 beds, occupied entirely by refugees. I am glad you approved of my buying eggs for the children’s refugee camps I continued to purchase eggs for three more months until I left Cheng Chow.