Under cuŕrent

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18167, 4 November 1930, Page 6

Under cuŕrent

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,

(By “ Gb’aner.”) FROM A MITE TO MILLIONS. There is something ironically amusing in the report that Chiang Kai Shek, self-styled . “Marshal ’ and . selfappointed “President,” has despatched a special envoy from China to Washington to negotiate a loan of 1,000,000,000 ounces o'f silver, or about £74,000,000. Rather a big jump, Chiang, from holding up defenceless petty exchange banks at the point of a revolver and getting away with a handful of silver coin and a string of cash. * . $ !f *

CHIANG THE ARMED ROBBER

Not so very long ago friend Chiang was an armed robber terrorising his fellow countrymen in the International Settlement at Shanghai. Nothing of the Robin Hood type about Chiang. He confined his attentions to the poorer classes of shopkeepers and money exchange shops, people who were unable to keep armed retainers or any elaborate system of grilles such as the big banks maintained. These despicable desperadoes would shoot a man in his tracks for 8 pocketful of loose change.

A CLOSE TO NATURE SCENE. “ Gleaner ’’ was a witness of one of these little affairs in which a particularly notorious man was involved. “ Gleaner ” happened to be performing his morning ablutions-at the time —it was about seven, just about the time the shops were opening— - when he heard a tremendous rumpus outside, men shouting and women shrieking. On looking out he saw an armed robber in the act of holding up a money exchange shop opposite, and this with a police station not 50 yards away round the corner, mark you! A frightened clerk having handed over all the cash at hand, the. robber turned to flee when the owner of the place, unarmed, and absolutely nude from his morning ablutions, gave chase. One shot and he passed to hia Fathers.

# * * * THEY’RE OFF 1 Next, on the scene, or screen,' cams ■the police, European, Indian and Chinese, in all stages of attire, from birthday suits, pyjamas and just shirts, to tin helmeted battle array. Their yells faded in the distance/and the day for half an hour pursued its normal course.

THE RETURN. Bye and bye there came a low buz 4 which grew as it came nearer into a hubbub. A Sikh constable had captured the miscreant on the border of the French concession. When he had disarmed him the Chinese constables despoiled him of his victim to claim the capture in hopes of the large reward. The pro'cession as it passed “ Gieaner’s ” window was headed by the robber, barely discernible for the crowd of native police round him, each trying to catch hold of some part of him, yelling frantically “ I caught him.” Some distance behind strolled the smiling Sikhs safe in the knowledge that their tribesman would get the reward as an Irish sergeant in at the death was witness to the captura-

* * . nt - * A, SELF-DUG GRAVE. Before many suns had risen the robber was conveyed under escort to the Chinese authorities at the Kiangnan arsenal and in the presence of European police witnesses w r as shot, and dropped into the grave he had dug for himself. » * • •

A MURDERER OR HERO? Reverting to Chiang Kai Shek. The Shanghai Police placed a big sum on his head. He departed “on the run " to seek pastures new. He returnedv at the head of a victorious Cantonese army. . His arrival at the gates of Shanghai presented a pretty problem to the Municipal Fathers of the International Settlement. Should they meet him with an armed guard and the warrant for murder as an armed robber, or should they meet him with a guard of honour and the freedom of the city as the generalissimo of a conquering army? Luckily Chiang solved the difficulty, and headed off; at a tangent for Nanking. A replica of his features once adorned the walls of police stations as a wanted murderer: it now adorns postage stamps as an unwanted President.

HAPPY DAYS. “ Happy Days ” is the optimlstio title chosen for a Hamilton dance cecital. Weil, terpsichore may be rejoicing but personally “Gleaner’s” thinking more about the first instalment of 7s Gd I * * * # JEANNE D’ARC IN THE SPIRIT. “ Joan of Arc will ahvays be Immoral. Her immorality represents the spirit of France triumphant.”— from a recent noVel. This throws fresh light on life in the spirit world. OVERWROUGHT PATIENCE. “ Gleaner ” was delighted at a demonstration at a Hamilton picturetheatre on Saturday night. Phlegmatic and ultra-conservative in public, the average New Zealander is indeed the soul of patience and tolerance. Wailing Yankee singers “ putting over” sob-stuff about Alabammy mommos are inevitably listened to with a pained silence save for sighs of relief when something English and musical appears on the screen. But even'd Hamilton audience was appalled at the depths of sheer inanity and frightful discord to which a couple of Yankee showmen sunk the other night. They laughed at them at first; then they jeered and yelled and stamped their feet. It was a fine, heaMhy protest at the insidious Americanism which-threatens to mar everything British in us. “ Gleaner ” sincerely hopes that somebody will cable the American producing company responsible, for that cinematograph aboriion as follows:—“Hamilton au ionee of 5000 rose in seats and pehed screen with rotten eggs. Theatre staff escaped lynching through intervention of police.” It may be a bit exaggerated hut no more so than tho cabled reports of the recent earthquake and the Arapuni trouble.