Speculation on Tuan Chi-jui's Flight: The Old Burial Customs: China's Debts The sudden and dramatic departure, looking very much like flight, from Peking to Tientsin on the part of Marshal Tuan Chi-jui, after having lived the life of a recluse so quietly in Peking for a year and a half, finding relief from tedium by studying books on Buddhism and playing chess, has given rise to much conjecture among the Chinese. The explanations made by the Marshal to the effect that he was compelled to Jeave Peking owing to the pressure brought to bear upon him to take! merce" an active part in polities again and so on, are simply pooh-poohed as evasions. It is argued that as he had survived more than one political crisis after his retirement from office, he could certainly do so this time again. Tientsin is a more lively place than Peking as far as political intrigues are concerned. Something must be behind his sudden movement, but nobody seems to know or to like to disclose what that is.
Fryanciat Investigation Wantap.
In the Government Gazette, has! been published a list of creditor banks with the amounts due ta/ them and the dates on which the! Government contracted the debts, which the local Chinese Press have reproduced. A demand is being made that all these amounts of indebtedness should he verified, and investigation or audit commi sion appointed to look into thi matter, before the public ace apt the statement by the Goyernment as true, and purchase the}, Salt Surplus Bonds when issued.
Attack on The "Sinwanpao" has publi an interesting article, advocating the creation of public cometer in which coffins could be buried once instead of being stored in a temple or guild building or dump-/ ed on a piece of vacant land for an indefinite period of time before burial. as has been the practice of the Chinese from times immemorial.
In purchasing the necessary land for the construction of a tomb, a Chinese invariably consults an expert on the subject of fengshui. They set ovt together and ma: spend months or even years in moving from place to place in their tedious hunt for a lucky and ideal site. The owner of the site. who usually has a lot of such land for disposal and who, as his forebears did before him, also acts as caretaker of the tombs built on his property at so much tell per tomb a year, always expects to be paid an exorbitant price for his precious land.
If the Chinese will only accept
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.