CHINESE REPUBLIC

Southland Times, Issue 20613, 11 October 1928, Page 7

CHINESE REPUBLIC

NATIONALIST REGIME CHIANG KAI-SHEK ELECTED PRESIDENT ANNIVERSARY OF REVOLUTION (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) Shanghai, October 9. An official announcement has been made of the election of General Chiang Kai-shek, Commander-in-Chief of the Nationalist military forces as President of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China with Tan Yan-kai, Hu Han-nin, Wang Chinghui, Tai Chi-tao, and Tsai Yuan-pei as Cabinet members. The title of President is used in the Kuomintang news agency despatch, although General Chiang Kai-shek was previously reported to have been elected chairman of the Government Council. Strict precautions have been enforced within the foreign concessions owing to the celebration to-morrow of the anniversary of the outbreak of the revolution of 1911. British troops will be confined to the barracks and the police street patrols have been doubled with orders speedily to arrest anti-foreign agitators. The whole of Shanghai, within and without the concessions, blazes with the red of hundreds of thousands of the Nationalist flags displayed. An elaborate programme has been planned by the Chinese populace, which is expected to be given free play to air its feelings by the native authorities in order to emphasize the success of the Nationalist movement. The authorities in the foreign concessions are perturbed in view of another crime wave which is at its height now.—■ Australian Press Association. Chiang Kai-shek, the newly-appointed President of the Chinese Republic, was born in 1888 in a village between Ningpo and Hangchow in the province of Chekiang. His father died soon after his birth, and the boy was sent to rich relatives, traders at Ningpo, who brought him up. Later he entered a military school, from which in 1908 he passed to the officers’ academy at Paotingfu. To complete his training for the army he was sent to Japan, where he first met the revolutionist Sun Yat-sen, to whom he remained faithful ever after. Returning to China after the October revolution in 1911, he was appointed a brigadier-general at the early age of 23 by the revolutionary Government in the South. After Yuan Shikai had beaten the Southern troops, however, Chiang was not heard of for some time. Until 1923 his life was that of an ordinary officer. Then Sun Yat-sen appointed him head of the military school at Whampoa, near Canton. In that capacity he became one of Sun’s chief supporters, and it was he who trained the younger officers of the present-day Cantonese army. He also visited Moscow, where he continued his military education. After the death of Sun Yat-sen in March, 1925, Chiang came more and more to the front as a leader of the Cantonese. Together with the Russians, Borodin and Galen, he organized their army which in the winter of 1926-7 by its march on Shanghai attempted to carry out the political plans which had been laid. In March, 1927, dissensions arose between Chiang, who dislikes the influence of the Bolsheviks, and the Communists in his party. The latter, backed by Borodin, the Soviet agent, tried to deprive him of his supreme control, denouncing him as wouldbe dictator. They gained—for a time at least—the upper hand and placed their organization on a Soviet basis, Chiang being relegated to the command of the troops without any political power. But he was supported by other generals, and it was stated that he had sounded Chang Tso-lin as to united action against the Communists and the calling of a conference to consider the future of China on the basis of partition. POPULATION OF SHANGHAI. LARGEST CITY IN CHINA Shanghai, October 9. Shanghai is the largest city in China and the sixth in the world, according to a census which has been completed by the Bureau for Public Safety. This shows that Shanghai has a total population of 2,726,946, of which 47,768 are foreigners. The population of the International Settlement is 827,000 Chinese and 28,000 foreigners. In the French concession there are 48,076 Chinese and 10,377 foreigners. The remaining population resides in the territory controlled by the Chinese and includes 9383 foreigners, principally Russians and Japanese.—Australian Press Association. CELEBRATIONS IN INVERCARGILL. WHOLE HOLIDAY DECLARED. The 17th anniversary of the formation of the Chinese Republic was fittingly celebrated in Invercargill yesterday by close on 30 local and Gore Chinese. As elsewhere throughout the Dominion a whole holiday was observed by all loyal adherents of the Republic and not only the Republic but those who had laid down their lives in the uniting of the North and South were honoured. The celebrations were organized by the Chinese National Party of New Zealand, a body formed recently to uphold the traditions of the oldest civilized country in the world. The Invercargill party set out early yesterday morning in a char-a-banc for Riverton beach, the conveyance being gaily adorned with the Union Jack and the Chinese flag. Chinese games were played and a wonderful fireworks display given. Later in the afternoon the party returned to Thomson’s Bush, where races and competitive games were held. The party then adjourned to a studio where a photograph was taken of the gathering to mark the occasion. In the evening a banquet took place at Kew Gardens, when excellent chefs placed on the table appetizing roast duck, fowl, meats, and countless other delicacies. A lengthy toast-list was honoured, ‘The King” and “The Chinese Republic” being the principal toasts. The memorable occasion was concluded with interesting lectures which lasted until the early hours.