Left Manchukuo.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 19605, 10 January 1936, Page 3

Left Manchukuo.

RUSSIAN DRAPER’S VIEWS. SETTLING IN NEW ZEALAND. Having left Harbin, in the new Japanese sphere of inlluenee usually known as Manehukuo, as a result of the Japanese occupation, Mr. Ivan Eomin, a Russian draper, passed through Melbourne with his family recently on his way to settle in New Zealand. Mr. Eomin was born at Pskvov, in Russia, and for the past 20 years he had lived in Ilarbin, where his son, who is accompanying him, was born. When he arrived in Harbin, he said, that city was part of the Chinese territory leased to the Covernment of Imperial Russia for the building and exploitation of the Chinese Eastern Railway. At that time, of the population of about 300,000, about 25,000 were Russians. There was only a very small number of Japanese. After the Revolution. With the Bolshevik revolution came a further Russian influx, bringing the Russian colony up to about 50,000. From 1922 the Soviet influence became more pronounced, but the result was unexpected; Chinese troops entered the city and replaced the Russian troops. Willi control of the Chinese Eastern Railway by the Chinese the administration became purely Chinese, but with the assertion of Soviet power in 15)24 there was definite Soviet control until 1929, when conflict occurred between the Chinese and Soviet authorities over the railway. Merchants’ Difficulties. The Soviet administration was displaced, but Soviet troops occupied Northern Manehura, with the exeepton of Harbin. That was the prelude to and the pretext for Japanese intervention. Soviet troops left the country and the administration of the railway became again Russian. This position continued until 1932, when the Japanese occupied Mukden. What had been the old province of Manchuria became Manehukuo, meaning the Manclni State. \\ ith the enthronement of Mr. Henry Pu-yi as Emperor it in turn became Manchu-too-gho, the Imperial Manchu State. The lot of Russian merchants had become extremely difficult uudei Japanese control, Mr. Fomin said. Japanese shopkeepers traded from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the week, and although the Chinese were perfectly willing to trade with foreigners the Japanese were not.