The above mentioned undertaking unfortunately did not prevent Chang Tso-lin commandeering the aeroplanes and plant from Nanyuan, but the diplomatic storm raised by this violation of the Government's obligation will prob-{ably deter any other Tuchun or military potentate from similar action in the future. Chang Tso-lin has returned four of the small machines taken away, and probably would do more if his face were not so deeply involved. Anyhow, he now realizes that aeroplanes are white elephants unless accompanied by their mahouts and a host of accessories which he cannot obtain except on prohibitive terms. He, in fact, has only secured a fraction of the material imported, and none of the brains and experilence required to organize an acrodronie, to maintain the equipment and actually to fly the aeroplanes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.