Peking's Piecrust Promises:; Navy Reported to Be in Growing State of Disaffection Unless the Central Government in Peking manages to find some money for the payment of the officers and men of the Chinese Navy, unpleasant results may be expected from this direction in the near future.
The officers and men of the fleet re loud in their complaints against Peking's delay in remitting their monthly salaries. None have been paid, we understand, for the past 12 months.
Gen. Chi Shih-yuan, the Tuchun of Kiangsu, at Nanking, has been doing his utmost to mediate and keep the naval men in good humour, but what is the good, state the men, if Peking makes promises to pay which it never attempts to ful-In November, 1921, some of our readers may remember, the officers of the Navy issued a proclamation announcing that, unless they were paid forthwith, they would commandeer the salt revenues of Anhui. At that time Tuchun Chi mediated successfully, with the re-Sult that Peking paid the men about half the back pay which was in arrears, and the naval men retrained from carrying out their threat. Tuchun Chi also exacted a promise from Peking (in 1921) that the monthly salaries of $500,000 and expenses of $200,000 should be paid regularly from the national salt revenues. Admiral Tsiang Tseng, who is 1-known to many local people, was commander-in-chief at the time.
Peking, naturally, was profuse in promises, but, as stated, not a single cash has been received for the past year.
Since then, as is generally known, the Navy, under the new C.-in-C. Admiral Tu Shih-kwei, has taken part in a number of activities, including the defeat of Marshal Chang Tso-lin, the Mukden warlord. Expenses have gone up and the calls for money are many. but none has been received from the Government! As a naval officer remarked to the writer, "The Government expects us to fight in its defence. It expects us to do our best to maintain it. Yet it doesn't support us. How can we support others if we ourselves have not enough for our own maintenance?"
And the officers and men of the northern section of the Navy are not the only ones that are not paid. The southern section, said to be loyal to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, also have not been paid for months and months, The total tonnage of the Chinese Navy does not exceed 25,000. This figure includes cruisers of the type of the Haichi, Haichow, Haiying and the Taitain, and small craft made of wood. The vessels are' manned by men from the coastal provinces, generally Fukien, Kuangtung, Kiangsu and Shantung, whose numbers total about 15,000.
The vessels are distributed along the coast and on the Yangtze River, the main stations and ports of call being Shanghai, Nanking, Wuhu, Hankow, Ichang, Chefoo, Tsingtao, Chinwangtao, Foochow and Amoy. This list does not include the stations in Kuangtung, most of the vessels there being supporters of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and independent of Peking.
The total amount needed by the Navy monthly is $700,000, $500,000 of which are for salaries, the remainder for coal and other expenses.
The above report appears to be confirmed in ai telegram which has since reached Shanghai from Nanking, stating that, Admiral Tu Shih-kuei, Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, has called a meeting of the officers to discuss what steps shall be taken in connexion with this question.
This telegram says that the officers and men are contemplating action similar to that taken by them two years ago when Peking would not pay their back salaries, i.e., that the salt revenues of Anhui be commandeered until their pay is forthcoming, otherwise, they suggest, this should be used.
Pexinc, Mar. 20.—According to telegrams to the Government from Kuangsi, the Civil Governor has resigned and General Lin _Chun-ting has been made Provisional Civil Governor.—Reuter.
Pexixe, Mar. 18.+The International Anti-Opium Association has published resolutions from the Council of the English Presbyterian Mission and from the. District Committee of the London Missionary Society in Fukien addressed to the National Christian Council, registering their united protest against poppy cultivation within their districts, which is alleged to be going on to an unprecedented extent.—Reuter.
Tup Chinese Cotton Mill Owners' Association, states the vernacular. press, have unanimously resolved that under the present conditions of the market half time shifts chauid be adopted. In relation to this depression in the industry the "'Eastern Times" publishes another interesting statement—that most of the cotton mills in Tientsin halve suspended business, those remaining. open suffering losses to the extent of tens of thousands of dollars monthly.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.