CHINA

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 40

CHINA

A CONSUL’S DIFFICULTIES. WELLINGTON, June 14. The question having arisen as to the legality or otherwise ot the recent election of Sun Yat Sen to the Presidency of the Kaeongtung province, the matter has been referred to Lin Shill Yuan, the Chinese Consul for New Zealand, who explained that his duty is to the Government of the Republic of China, at the head of which is President Hsu Shih Chang, who was duly j elecied by Parliament assembled at Peking. The Consul does not consider himself under any political obligation to those Chinese who choose to place themselves under the banner of Sun Yat Sen. Some time after the. death cf Yum Shih Kai a new Parliament was elected and summoned to meet at Peking, but some so-called Nationalists, members of the extinct Parliament, held meetings at Canton quite recently, and professed to elect Sun Yat Sen President. There are two Houses of the Chinese Parliament, comprising 870 members. The election of Sun Yat Sen is illegal, and is disregarded absolutely by all who have the welfare of the country at heart. Those in China who support him are disappointed office-seekr-rs, and those out of China who support him are ignorant of the true position. The total number of supporters is very small in proportion to the population of China. Anyone knowing the true position in China, and viewing the hole-and-corner proceedings at Canton, unhesitatingly pronounce the so-called election of Sun Yat Sen as child’s play. The Consul further explained that his office in New Zealand is not political; therefore he cannot with propriety attend political meetings. His private. opinion is that in the course of a few months a strong beam of daylight will reveal the weakness of the struggle in the south.