To the Editor of the "Nontn-Cmiva Datty News."
St—In-your issue of November 5 appeared an article correspondent" dated Swatow, No: vember 3, purporting to give description of the general situation here. As the article is likely create a very wrong impression and contains several misleading statements, I should like, with your permission, to comment upon it, Tu the frst place, as the article appeared in print on November it could mot possibly have written here on November. 3. At far as one can gather from the body of the article and one's. knowledge Gt the situation it attempte to deferibe, the writer left here on oF bout October 30.
'At that time it was not generally known that"'Chen Chiung-ming's government was about to evacuate Swatow, and there was some excuse for optimism, but on. November. the anti-Rede had fled and. Chiang Kai-shek's troops were' in control the district Your correspondent seems to hav collected as much gossip. and. ae any rumours as possible, and ith: Gut making any attempt' to. distin: swish fact from hearer For example, he says "The boycott cartied on 40' stringently for, three months was stopped." This. isnot true. "The boycott has never, been lifted since the beginning of July.
All that can be that towards the end of the anti-Reds' short Stay, it was enforced with slightly Tess vigour.
Your correspondent's opinion that the supply of food to the foreign community by the new store would not be interfered. with, was: proved to be incorrect. before his article appeared in. print. a Under the new regime the Into eparoacing every pombe tele. every possible 'Strike pickets have frightened away all the delivery: coolies; one' ofi the Chinese assistants fe imprisoned: by. the Union which demands $300 for his release, and no stores can be, unloaded from any steamers from Hongkong, unless they are actually' lifted out of the hold by foreigners and carried ashore by foreigners in foreign-owned and foreign-<driven, motor launches.
T'do not know what authority, there is for saying that the Reds are unpopular in the countryside and that the villagers are arming against them. The Reds are unpopular, of course, but so were the anti-Reds. As far as squeeze is concerned Chen Chiung-ming's off. cials were worse than the Reds, and his troops being less well disciplined were more prone to looting.
There is not the slightest hope of any anti-Red rising of the populace.
The only hope of a return to normal conditions is, that the leaders lof the present regime may find that it will pay them better to permit trade relations with the British to be re-opened.
It is a great pity that anyone. should be so ready to any unfounded rumours that he may collect during a short visit, and to so makes it much more difficult for "the British community and those that suffer with them" to. maintain, in the words of your correspondent "the quiet, dignified, unperturbed attitude that has mark-fed their conduct during all these months.":
Immediately the Reds came here they set about reviving the strike and boycott in full force. Strike leaders have been appointed to official positions and at present their' avowed intention is to cut off all trade relations with Hongkong and other British ports and make life impossible for the British community here.
Tam, ete.
Swatow, Nov. 10, 1925.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.