Sept. 30.
Wit the settlement in the British mills in Shanghai matters have so nearly returned to the normal, that there is considerable danger of our falling into the comfortable delusion that time, the conventional healer, will do what more necessary. But Shanghai, although undeniably an important part of the Chinese problem, is still only a part. Normality is not, nor even nearly, restored in China, until the Bolshevist citadel in Canton has been destroyed. It is significant that the boycott of British shipping continues steadily, despite the agreement reached in other quarters. The Seamen's Union is closely connected with Canton and there is not the slightest indication: that its intimidators will allow crews to come back to their vessels, No attempt was made to touch this Union when others were being closed. It would almost seem that Canton is too formidable a question for anyone in China to tackle.
Recent events and rumours have bred some faint hopefulness of something—it is hard to say what—being done to mend matters. We cannot but think any expectations of this kind wholly fallacious, The murder of the arch-Bolshevist Liao Chung-hoi was looked upon by many as a sign of anti-Com. munist revival. But it was immediately followed by the arrest of Hu Han-min, a clear warning that none but the reddest of red officials would be allowed to stand, The movement of General Chen Chiung-ming's army in the Swatow region has been hailed another symptom of better things, and so it certainly is: if, 28 appears to be the case, he has. freed our _fellow-countrymen om the wretchedness they have been enduring for the past three months, we may indeed rejoice. But between putting down the ragged outposts of Moscow in Swatow and defeating its well-equipped and well-led troops in Canton there is a wide gap; and frankly we fear that General Chen is not nearly well enough found for the task. Lastly, some hope has been placed in the conference with representatives of Hongkong Chinese now about to meet in Canton, It is possible that some sort of temporary arrangement may be patched up. Or it may happen that Peking, [with the Tariff Conference in view, to which a continuance of the present state of South China must prove fatal, will contrive to obtain a semblance of a truce.
If so, it would only mean that Moscow's agents in Canton are not yet quite ready for the full accomplishment of their plans. No truce could be more than superficial which failed to secure their expulsion, For the destruction of Hongkong is their immediate and most ardently desired objective; and for what might become of Chinese busi-newsmen resident in the colony they would not care a pin, Besides, according to the fixed terms of their war on the bourgeoisie, Chinese business men everywhere are as much Moscow's natural prey as those of any country.
The recent mass meeting Hongkong, from which ear Appeal Were nent to the Home Government for immediate and drastic ai was, perhaps, of a jingo character.' But that it had got hold of the root of the matter there can be no doubt.
Moscow's control of Canton was already strong enough then to be a formidable menace. It is far stronger to-day and it will grow stronger still. Residents of Shameen continue to wear khaki and do sentry go. The monotony of the task is hardly greater than its intrinsic useless ne For Moscow flies at far higher game than the tiny colony on Shameen. It is no more difficult than putting two and two together to see that the Soviet's peculiar hatred of Great Britain was inflamed tenfold by the results of the Inst general election, the rejection of Mr. Mac-Donald's pro-Soviet policy, the public rebuff given to all' that savoured of Moscow. And Moscow resolved to have her revenge. She appears to have failed in Central and North China, But in the South, she believes that the ruin of Hongkong is within her reach, With or without that goes the Sovietization of the whole of South China and schemes of destruction yet farther flung.
Granted that this is a wild dream which must fail as others like it have done, it will none the less cause a vast amount of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.