As to the situation in genera there is much talk of war agai Fengtien, though one high official decently declared that the rumour of Fengtien soldiers pressing from the east has nothing in it Present, though a few weeks ago there were really many Fengtien soldiers on the eastern bord Even so, it is stated that prepar tions for war are going forward strongly, that there are close upon 40 Red Russians drilling the troops and these men are often seen in and so must leave schools the Governor's motor-eat. Recruit that "are under foreign control. ing ix very active. Orders for 50
Most Chinese think that, students will not return to sion Schools next term, the latter will not be able to open, and, if they do open, that the persecution of the students will be so great the schools will have to close og At any rate the Canadian Church Mission have decided to attempt to open St. Andrew's School, which is the largest. Mission Middle Schoo! in the province. 'The date of opening has been deferred until three weeks after the opening of the government schools, and each old student is to re-enroll, but the foreign missionary will' still be Principat and the school will be carried on as heretofore on Christ-inn lines. There have been sung tions that the school should be bunded over to a-Board of Control of leading Chinese educationalists, with a Chinese Principal, and that it should be supported by the gentry of Kaifeng, but the mission authorities were prepared to close the school for a year or more, rather than to give up control in this way. St Mary's Hall, the gi school of the same Mission, " will probably have to close for a year, though the Women's Bible School and all of the lower and higher primary schools will open at the usual time, The Set at the Churches Regarding the question of missionaries returning ta. their work the and of the summer, the Jocal authorities are confident' that they can adequately protect the ives and property of foreigners, thought they would probably not be ble to prevent students from making it unpleasant for foreigners or motor lorries and cars have just been placed and the authorities were desirous of purchasing.weroplanes but had difficulty in over= coming treaty prohibitions. Six dismantled planes were, however, recently loaded on railway trucks at Chengchow station, though their destination was not known. The Russian planes had not arrived by August 1 and no definite date of arrival was known, though they were expected to visit Honan, Heading for Bankruptcy From reliable official sources haus been learned that there are at resent 230,000 soldiers on the payroll of Honan and that the cost fo the province is $2,400,000 a month—just five times what it was four years ago. The civil administration of the province requires nearly $600,000 monthly, so that the pro-jai financial authorities have to provide $3,000,000 a month. All that they can legitimately obtain is one million a month, so that the merchants and people generally are squeezed to the extent millions a month. Thi idered, cannot last long and the breaking-point has almost been reached, with the result that the Honan currency is rapidly depre-clating, the rate at present being about 20 per cent. below par. The authorities and merchants are very much concerned and a prominent official has proceeded to Peking to nee if the Central Government can ive any help, It is officially denied in Honan that the recent meeting between the Tupans of Hupeh and Honan was in the nature of a conference—Reuter's Pacific Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.