Dubious Reports of Party Successes: Canton Troops' Claims of Victory: Further Taxation and Calls for Contributions Canton, Nov. 24.
Gen. Chen Chiung-ming's attempt to attack the city from several directions during the last few days has apparently failed and the Constitutionalist forces are claiming a_ great victory and declaring their intention of taking offend sive action shortly. The Canton-Kowloon Railway track between Taishatao and Sheklung is littered with dead. The charity able organizations in Canton have received orders from the Government to despatch men to bury the dead, but are not showing much enthusiasm in accepting the duty.
Mr. Chan Heung-lun, a former taotai and a leading official of the charitable associations here, has been ordered by the Canton authorities to leave the city. He is accused of ailing to ce-operate with the loca] authorities in their attempt to prevent the return of Gen, Chen Chiung-ming.
THE CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS, Gen. Tan Yen-kai's defeated army has arrived in Canton in time to reinforce Dr. Sun's troops before the reverse they sustained at the middle of the month could be successfully followed up by General Chen. General an's army is being reorganized into six corps, and in order to support 1t Dr. Sun has ordered the Canton-Hankow. Railway to increase its passenger rates by 30 per cent. and its freight tariff by 20 per cent. for rise next three months. According to estimates based on the present receipts of the raiiway, the present surcharge would provide about $3,0u0 for the support of the Hunanese, the present daily revenue being from $8,000 to $11,000. Only recently the Canton Government ordered the railway to contribute $3uv,0uv as a business licence, the Commissioner of Finance ruling that the original stock of the Une was $30,000,000. Since the beginning of the civil war and Government control of the line, the company hag contributed nearly a million dollars towards war expenses on one pretext or another, although it is a private company, in which the Government acquired a part interest during the Yuan Shrh-kai regime, Dr. Sun is asking the Cantonese to support other unsuccessful troops, in addition to the Hunanese, including troops from Yunnan, Kuangsi, Honan and Kiangsi.
To the presence in Canton of too many disorganized troops who have failed in their operations elsewhere, is attrisouted the responsibility for the crime wave now spreading over the province. Motor-cars and motor-boats, which at first were regarded merely as luxuries in Canton, are now in common use by kidnappers,. robbers and pirates. As the police have only mounted patrols au: i no armed cars or motor-cycle squads, the authorities are greatly handicapped in their efforts to run down the criminals, who are operating fearlessly in Canton and the district around. Moreover, the police are several months in arrears in their wages and are naturally not very enthusiastic in their hazardous duties. Another contributory factor is that many pdilice officers have been assigned to "persuading" citizens to pay the many new taxes and dues promptly and to pressing men for military service. Detectives find it more profitable to hunt for political suspects in order to receive the reward of from $50 to $200 each than to catch robbers, who are usually soldiers, well armed and able to shoot Eairly straight.
TAXATION OF LAND, Amongst the newest' forms of taxation is a decree ordering all persons to register mortgage-deeds with foreign firms with the Chinese authorities, the fee being two per cent. of the value of the property. Since Dr. Sun has engaged on hig policy of confication of property, many residents in Canton have transferred their. holdings to foreigners for protection. It is in order to get hold of these people that the Cantonese authorities have issued the order refusing to recognize transfers which have not een officially passed and verified, the fee for which is $2 for every $100. To avoid the inconvenience of continual Government intertference, it has suggested by some of the supporters of the present regime that an insurance fee of two per cent. should be paid to the Government on all property to guarantee the holder against further inquisition into his titles and a further $1 per man for a to exempt tne holder from being pressed into the military transportation service.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.