“WAR CHEST” SCANDAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18236, 3 November 1933, Page 10

“WAR CHEST” SCANDAL

CHINA’S DEFENCE FUND LARGE SUM UNACCOUNDEI) FOR PEIPING, China, Sept. 13. A scandal involving millions of dollars raised as a “war chest’’ to finance the defence of Manchuria against Japanese invasion two years ago was ordered to ho investigated hy the Government authorities yesterday. Chinese heroes who fought and bled —and ultimately fled—are finding themselves greatly disillusioned by the scandal and wondering what happened to nearly £1,165,000. The extent of the scandal was revealed with the return to China of General Ma Chan-Shan, hero of the Noam River battle in Manchuria, who finally was forced to llee to Soviet Russia and came hack by way of Europe. On his return. General Ma was acclaimed as a national hero and named a member of the National Military Council. He shortly resigned, however, and from retirement let it he known that of the 20.000,000 dollars Chinese ctirroncy raised hy voluntary subscription to carry on the fight against Japan, lie and tiis associates got only £342,000. He raised the question which set thousands of Chinese, many of them hardly able to contribute cash to such a fund, bitterly wondering what happened to the other £3,637.000.