MANCHURIA DISCUSSED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 278, 24 November 1931, Page 6

MANCHURIA DISCUSSED

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS COMMERCE v. IMMIGRATION. ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB. How great the arwi the Japanese interests were in Manchuria, how they clashed, and how each nation was operating there, formed the subject of an address to tho Wanganui Rotary Club yesterday by tho Rev. L. H. Ker, of Gonville. Air Ker has spent some time in Atanchuri, and ho was hopeful that the League of Nations would be able to bring about a conference and thus put an end to the difficulties. Japanese interests centred about the South Manchurian Railway Company, singly the greatest of all Japanese commercial enterprises. The Japanese had been developing the couttry along with the railway, but said Mr Ker, the Chitfese were solving the problem of the future of Afanchuria in their own way by an extraordinary immigration. The Far East was thought to be a long way away from New Zealand, said Mr. Ker, but that was not ao. In 20 to 30 years he expected to see shipping lines encircling the Pacific with greater speed for passengers and mails between its countries. Railway Development. Afanchuria might be taken as a triangle, with its base along the Amur River, and the extremity at Port Arthur. Manchuria was roughly three and a-half times tho size of New Zealand. In China it was thought such an integral part of China that it was referred to as the Three Eastern Provinces. Manchuria had boon put on the map about the time nf fhe SinoJapanese War. As a reult of that war which showed that China was weak and unable to protect herself, several nations saw the opportunity of carving out sphere of influence in Manchuria. The first was Russia and backed by French gold, which was the result of the Franco-Russian Alliance, pushed tho rail through to Vladivoßtock, and also brought a branch line down to the ice-free Yellow Sea. Tho Russo-Japan-oso Wnr resulted in Japan having the control of the railway from a point some distance south of Harbin, and from that tho South Manchurian Railway grew. The rail wav had now its own schools, it had its own feeder linos, its own hospitals, and its own hotels. When the Russians took the line through Afanchuria the country was ’ very sparsely populated by nomadic and semi-barharic tribes. Cities Had sprung un where there had boon mud huts, and they were prepared on the most modern town-planning linos. Tho Japanese had used the railway for the transport of the goods to tho son. and from there to Japan. Harhin hnd a population of 400.600. and 100,000 of that number were Russians. Japanese Commercial Interests. Japan had now been exploiting the Afanchurian resources, and developing them remarkably. The South Manchurian Railway would “knock the NewZealand Railways intb a cocked hat,” said the speaker. In a run further than from Wellington to Auckland the expresses took twelve hours, and there was a double lino for most' of tho distance. From Pullman coaches, looking through wide windows, the traveller could aeo the most primitive means of agriculture employed by tho Chinese, and that was quite an experience. Every now and again a long freight train would roar past, loaded with goods on the outward journey to Japan. I The whole of the South Manchurian Railway was most efficient. It was advertising the Japanese ability to develop and work a backward territory. / Coal was being worked in the south. The Chinese had camped on the top of the seam which was an outcrop, and had known nothing of the coal except that it was a rock tha* would burn. The Japanese were now working the mine and. were taking out of it for seven days of the week 25.000 tons a day. At that rate of production tho mine was expected to last two centuries. There, was a’.m an oil bearing shale that was being treated for the oil.

Soya beans formed the principal agricultural production of northern Afanchuria, and tho been had multitudinous uses. To mention some tho speaker quoted that the bean was used for soup, soap, enamels, explosives, paints, printing ink, macaroni and water-proof ink. It was generally though that Afanchuria had thrown in her lot with Nationalist China and Chiang Kai Shek. Also Chinese immigrants were pouring into Afanchuria at a tremendous rate, and one season, he believed the immigration had been 100,000 in a season. The amount of immigration baffled the imagination. China was thus in her own way solving the problem of the future of Manchuria by immigration. Tho immigrants might not have money, but they their labour to sell, and in time they would become small landholders.

The Present Differences. Out’ining the present differences, the speaker said that evidently Japan found that one of the feeder lines to the South Afanchurian Railway was being restricted and the goods wore being held up. So a military body was-Af sent to clear the line and allow free passage for the goods. Now the Jap- • anese were pushing the, Chinese forces back north, and they did not want a truce as they realised that such action would allow China to send reinforcements Dealing with the efforts of the Longue in regard to the present dispute, Air. Ker said that too much could not be expected from the League of Nations when it was known the number of competing interests there were in Afanchuria, and when the intricacies and details of the position wore realised. Credit should be given to the League for tka retarding of hostilities so far. Tho League had expressed a certain amount of world opinion in the matter. The League was a new institution and it was up to the public not to criticise too cynically, but to try to put support behind it. In this case he was hopeful that the League of Na tions would bo able to bring about ■ conference ard thus an end to tho hostilities. . Tho thanks of the club were repressed by Mr. O. Holst.