the Editor of the To the Editor of the 4 "Nowrn-Ciiwa Datiy News Sin,—Of all the farcial effusions Which' have emanated from that comic institution, the Peking Government, in" recent years, Hthe scheme granting special per" mission for Rritish aeroplanes to fly over Chinese territory" publish-a in this morning's paper, is: the funniest of all. Tt has its' serious Side, unfortunately, in so far as it may to some extent have its tended effect of continuing to hoodwink the British and American peoples into the belief that China a well ordered, well governed country and that Peking is still the contre of effective control throughout the land. That of Bourse is part of the insidious campaign which has been on foot ever since the Washington Confer-fence to bluff the Treaty nations nto consenting to the rendition of extraterritoriality, a fair specimen of the type of untruth being told with that purpose being the recent stotment by @ Chinese writer overseas magazine to the effect that every day in every way China grows better and better! worth while going through these flying regulations in detail; it will be enough to ask how the Peking clique proposes to enforce them in any part of the county outside the Peking walls? Nobody knows better than the framers of the regulations that they dure not attempt for 0 moment to prevent anybody from Aying over or walking Into riy of the ships dockyards or arsenals in any part of China, and that nobody has the power to do so except the particular Tuchun, military gover: jor or bund! one to be in control lar district for the time bein, can effectively say "Yea and they can and do say it effeetiv ly to the Peking Government well us to everybody else, Pel can no more ent loti than it can collect tasses anywhere "NomrH-CHINA Datty News." have been reading the various letters which have been written discussing the' Prohibition question, also your leading. article for the past two days. Any minded person must agree that you Rave discussed it in a much fairer' nanner than many of your correspondents: some of these only appear to soe one side of the question, One man, who stated that "English mentality was swayed whiskey advertisements and that in consequence she should hang. her hhoad in shame, is x bad example of how people can be carried away by their own feelings and thus become blind to real facts, should try to remember that England has not swayed to the extent that she is forget ting to pay her debts, so that even though whiskey sold openly in that country still, the country has not become quite corrupt.
As one who lived in the States both before and after the Probil tion Inw came into effect Iam in a position to know quite a little about conditions an{ if it was necessary or desirable "I could a tale unfold."
But instead of making statements T shall enclose some newspaper articles published in that country which ought te speak much more effectively than anything which I trow rich within tide describes, then it nat rally follows that there must be quite a good deal of drinking going on in the country even today. Moreover, if the Government it necessary to maintain 1 fleet of fast boats to prevent smugulingg various kinds of strong drink int the country, that is also a proof that the people are still using it. The blame for smuggling cannot all be placed upon the smugglers: if there, would soon it into the country.
There are two sides to every ques: tion and a law which is broken 39
The Posing Govern tude for the safety the people from possible hurt the muches is lst ainisinge frequently ednnot have the undividsupport of th that country" aad peuple appear to finitely sad shen one observes the Personal Wheres ix being infringed. appalling and almost intolerable 8° lene will ree hardships, ort tind oppression 104 that ure daily: inilicte'l on the poor people of China very powerlessness ty save them Sorchow, 3 from the military scourge. Pam og, PROMIBITION OF SMOKING, Shanghai,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.