To the Editor of the "Norta-Cuina Dairy News."
Smr,—The excellent letter on "The Road to Disbandment" which you published in your issue of January 11 fully deserved the favourable comments which you made upon it. The popular cry in China at the present time among students, in the press and in public assembles is '"'tsai ping, fei tu"—~ "disband the soldier and dismiss the military governors" and any possible suggestion which will help to accomplish this end will be as welcome to Chinese as to foreigners. Your correspondent suggests disarmament as a step in the right direction and there can be no doubt that it would solve the whole problem, if practicable, but could it be done? Wouwd Chang Tso-lin, for instance, submit to such a drastic measure, or Tsao Kun?
Does it not seem more reasonable to suggest that the first thing +o be done is to stop the manufacture of more arms and more munition? With the present large stocks on hand in all parts of the country, can any good reason, be adduced for continuing the production of arms and ammunition at the Shanghai Arsenal, Nanking, Hanyang and Tehchow or for spending a large sum as is being done at Kinghsien, Honan, for building a new Arsenal. Previous to disarmament, the stoppage of manufacture of additional equipment should be demanded before any request for new loans is considered.
The most effective method of all would be to call the roll of the present army. How many soldiers has China? According to many reports there are between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000, but of these how many are soldiers only on paper? Qne example may suffice as an illustration. It was believed that the divisions of the notorious Little Hsu were not only fully up to the required number but that they exceeded it. Instead of a division consisting of approximately 12,000 men it was said that it numbered about 15,000. What the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.