Sept. 25.
Tue letter that we. published yesterday signed dealing with the oppressive and in some ways seemingly unnecessary stagnation of trade, expressed the feelings of many business men int these days.
"Is it possible," the writer asked, that even a war, partic larly in a country the size of Chi can be allowed to paralyze trade so completely. for an indefinite period "Are there not ways and means; whereby the wheels of commerce can be set going again or must we sit down and be content to wait until Ching's war lords have ended their campaign to their own satisfaction?"
By the utmost allowance, the aren affected by the fighting is not a tenth of that part of China which most concerns Shanghai; and although the railways are monopolized by combatants for the movement of their troops and stores, the main waterways of China' are practically unaffected. The European War penetrated far more deeply into the countries and peoples involved than the Chinese civil war has even begun to do; yet, as our correspondent) says, under many difficulties trade was kept going. No attempt of the kind has been made in China although, as "Concerned" adds, It is inconceivable that both the foreign and Chinese business communities, being at the present thoroughly hard hit by the state of stagnation, are going to neglect any opportunity that holds out prospect. of getting back to work agai So long as coastal and riverine connexions are undisturbed, certainly some business might be done.
Our correspondent finds that] the fault lies with Chinese bat who refuse to grant the necessary facilities. We hold no brief for these banks, but we doubt when toms.
It should also be made] ther this is quite an accurate idea, plain that defeated generals and} at least whether it is all the cause politicians who fake refuge in of trouble.
'There is no doubt foreign concessions must thence-that the Chinese banks in Shang-forward comport themselves as have plenty of money to-day' private citizens. If they once in their treasuries. A few weeks. leave in order to prosecute a new ago they had not much money and war, there must be no readmit-they owed a good deal to the fortance fof them. This practice of eign banks. But these advances ising foreign settlements as an have been largely if mot wholly lum in. which, to engineer paid off, money having been called fresh plots is a great grievance of in from up country, a process, by the Chinese people and is totally the way, which nearly caused contrary to the purpose for which crisis in Hankow. Our corre the concessions were granted. {pondent may' be trusted to know:
The case for firm diplomacy as hat he is talking about when he! here suggested is reinforced by; says that "the native banks seem the fact that the Chinese are an te have declared a sort of mora-Jeminently reasonable people and torium." On the other hand, in cannot be roused when they know respect of imports at least, there that the other side's position is a must first be some evidence of a just one. And as distinct from the desire to buy from up country; officials, they are not and have and the mere sight of warlike never been anti-foreign. The preparations at once chokes off Tuchuns are also easily misjudge the Chinese appetite for purchase.
Very possibly there are) What money he has he prefers to vicious "examples among them, put into a hole in the ground. but there are also many who are) Latterly, there have been genuinely patriotic.
In the presymptoms" of a demand from sent struggle there are men on Szechuan, the explanation being both sides, such as Lu Yung-that since the triumph of General hsiang and Chi Hsieh-yuan, who Yang Sen and the expulsion of have governed their provinces Hsiong Keh-wu, the province has well and have shown been unwontedly peaceful and as sol \de for public welfare. The the war in east and north China curse of China does not come immediately under politicians, student unions and their eyes the Szechuanese are educational associations. ready to do business. But fur-among these that anti-t reignism ther down the Yangtze, in Hupeh, is found and they exercise a secret Anhui, Kiangsi, though there is tyranny to which the Tuchuns no fighting, there is plenty of themselves are susceptible. evidence of it not far off and nervousness shuts all purses. This condition of feeling is in marked contrast with the time-Like the Arsenals at Hanyang honoured axiom that the Chinese and at Techow, the Arsenal Maken which the main soareeof "il manage to do business under supplies of munitions for the Manchurian forees, has also extended its!
hours. About $0,000 rounds' of rifle ammunition a day are being' the|put out, it is reported. Besides this output, bombs, shells and hand-grenades are ' als manufactured. With the installation of a hi id new set of machiney for manufacturing field guns, the Mukden Arsenal will a position to produce heavy artillery. conditions that would elsewhere; seem impossible. The case would probably be different if the present war had broken out unex-' pectedly after years of prosper ity. But it is in reality only the, climax of a long period of oppression and bad government, which has kept all trading low.. 'The people have been -miserably ground down with taxes, fleeced' by soldiers, pillaged by bandits. They are poor and are likely to! remain so until there is once more some degree of ordered government. Meanwhile we stiould be sorry to appear to throw cold water on the suggestions made by "Concerned." If the rumour he quotes be correct, that "import, and trade centres, absolutely untouched by the war, are not only ready to do business, kut ha orders to execute, if only financial facilities were easier to obtain," then certainly no effort should be spared in trying to induce the banks to grant facilities. The first step one might suggest is to ascertain where such a demand exists. If it can be verified, surely it could be met; and as our correspondent says, once trade begins to move, more will follow. There is this fact to be borne in mind. By every appearance, the war is meant to settle the fate of China, and its authors on both sides will therefore be more anxious to start in supreme power (when they win it) with a clean state and popular approval, than is the case in the ordinary. interprovincial quarrel. Where the armies are, business. must stop. Qutside that area, conditions might even prove to Be better than they have recently been.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.