THE CHINESE REPUBLIC

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 28

THE CHINESE REPUBLIC

PREPARING FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. PEKING, April 9. The first National Parliament will be inaugurated before October. Deputies will be elected for four years, and Senators for six. April 14. Chontzuchi, Acting Finance Minister, and brother of the New Zealand Chinese Consul, has been appointed Governor of Shantung. NANKING, April 15. Yuan Shih-Kai has entrusted Huanghsing with the restoration of order and control of civil and military affairs. The President's action is interpreted to mean that he does not desire the risk of rupture with the south and also as a tacit acknowledgment that the southern authorities are not prepared to dissolve their military organisation. Three hundred people were killed as the result of the mutiny. Martial law has been established. Several Ministers refused portfolios. The revolutionary members of the Government are reluctant to proceed to Peking. Changh San, the ex-Imperialist Commander in Southern Shantung, has recruited 14,000 men. He refuses to deliver 1,000,000 dollars' worth of British rolling stock unless he is guaranteed that the railway will not be used for the transport of Republican troops. ST. PETERSBURG, April 9. In replying to Yuan Shih-Kai's invitation to Mongolia.to join the Republic, it is stated that independence has been proclaimed, and it is suggested that the Mongolian question should be submitted to the Powers interested. TOKIO, April 10. The Government has decided on participation in the international loan for China, conditionally on the recognition of Japan's special interests in Manchuria and on the exclusion of Manchuria from the loan syndicate's operations. A DISTURBANCE IN CHINA. PEKING, April 13. Fifteen hundred troops mutinied at Nanking, owing to non-payment of their wages. The outbreak occurred at midnight with dramatic suddenness. Looting and burning the town continued for several hours, and villages were burned for miles around. Ten thousand loyal Canton troops invested the disturbed area, and after a fierce fight drove the mutineers to their barracks. In the fight 50 of the mutineers were killed and 1000 disarmed. Many who were found in possession of loot, were summarily executed. Similar minor outbreaks are reported from the Yang-tze Valley. Writing on March- 13, at Canton, the Rev. G. H. M'Neur gays:—"l wonder if Renter's Agency has been giving the New Zealand papers any exciting cables about Canton during the past few days. Knowing the situation here you would recognise that trouble was inevitable before long. The revolutionary leaders made use of a numbsr of robber leaders in their attempt to overthrow the old Government. These men brought their gangs in with them, and since then they havo been reaping the reward of their zeal and patriotism. When they came in all their arms were bought by the new Government at double their true value, and the men were enlisted in "The People's Army." The leaders were made officers. One of these, Wong WooSun, was formerly a notable brigand in Kwangsi Province. He led the party that took Wei-chow at the revolution, and was given command of the Wei-chow division of the new army, having 10,000 men under his flag. But this position hardly satisfied him, and it is said that he aspired to the post of Governor of the Province, and was a grievous thorn in the side of the present Governor. His was the first section of Tho People's Army to be disbanded when the Manchus left the throne. But he and his troops insisted that they should be allowed to carry their arms and ammunition. Of course this was out of the question (even in a Republic). The loyal troops were order to disarm them. They resisted, and so for the past few days fighting has been going on. . . . One hundred were reported killed and 200 wounded. Bombs were used, and a number of buildings destroyed by fire. Quite a number of noncombatants are reported killed and wounded. The firing was, as usual, very wild. These soldiers simply don't care where their bullets go. . . . Fighting has now ceased, and it is said that the Government has promised to pay tho men for their weapons, and on these conditions they have capitulated. One of the discouraging features about the situation was that two other large divisions of The People's Army, which also are under ex-robber chiefs, maintained a neutral position. From this I judge there is still more trouble ahead of the Government in disarming the tremendous and altogether unmanageable army that was gathered to take Peking. " We were perfectly quiet here, although, of course, we 'heard the firing and saw the burning buildings. About 1000 soldiers were quartered near us, but fortunately they had disbanded quietly two or three days before the outbreak. . . Wong had threatened to implicate the British Government, and so bring about the overthrow of the Canton Government. Wo are in the safest spot in Canton."