Whereas, for example, they completely wiped out the shop of the wang Hua Book Ca., which they accused of being devoted to. the aale of Nationalist literature they spared such part of the Commercial! Press in Changsha which did not} concern itself with that literature, only destroying all its copies of the Chu I" ard commentaries People are by no means con. vineed that Gen, Ho Chien' is either a reliable supporter of the Nanking Government or a redoubt-fable. organizer. His troops are unpaid ard are very unreliable.
While there are large tracts in Hunan, notably, the central part of the province, where the peasants steadfastly refuse to assist the Communists and where there has been! very little disturbance, there is little doubt that betwoten Changsha and Nanchang the Communists are in almost full control.
The Communists have laid waste] the countryside of Pinghsian and] Liuyang till most of the population have fled in terror and the villages empty!
"They bring, however, a kind of "nope" to a people dulled with years of civil war and ate—and some tilealistically inclined people may follow them. They promise "salva. tion." They are well-organized and] well fed and they are well paid "They compel the people of the country side to join their organizations and, having joined, they may be shot without question for disobedience—even if the order is to shoot their own parents!
In the long run, economic laws may render futile the attempt to control but the fact remains that, by' concentrating on propaganda' and compulsion, the Communists kay been able in the country districts to establish some kind of popular support, although in the towns, like Changsha, they are definitely popular and the stability of the occupation should not be long lived. with Nanking so] heavily obsessed by the campaign against the North, the chances of} the Communists obtaining renewed. footing in Changsha are exceeding ly bright and the inkuhitants, therefore, are likely to be exposed to} further danger. From nian points: of -view, the evacuation of the foreigners, unavoidable though it to be regretted for there is I Coubt that it is to tae foreigners that the people are looking for guidance and support.
The latest information from Changsha shows, as the "North-China Daily News" has already i
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.