British army officers are reaching Shanghai from two directions. A number come from Siberia, the remainder from Tsingtao, after comploting the repatriation of Chinese labourers. These officers of the Chinese Labour Corps have come from France. either by way of Canada or Suez, and the conditions under which they are despatched display such incompetence, as, had it existed during hostilities, would inevitably and deservedly have lost us, the war-'The army pays its officers through bankers, of whom the best known is Cox. When an officer takes a journey he does so at his own expense in the first place. Then on completing his journey he fills up various army forms on which he claims allowances and so forth, and if he is lucky he finally recoups himself for his incidental expenses, which include hotel bills, for which a fixed allowance is laid down.
In the case of some of these Chinese Labour Corps officers. they have been sent from France at very short notice. In one instance the officer had not time to take his luggage with him. If they "have gone vid Canada they have had messing expenses to meet. Now, army pay is not large, and moreover the amounts which officers can draw from the Field Cashier or their army agents are limited. Obviously, they will not have too mitch money on their arrival in China after such a journey.
At Tsingtao the army agent is permitted to advance them £5. However useful that amount, was: in France during the war, it is an insult in China to-day.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.