Urgent Need of Repatriation: Alternatively to Hand Them over to Marshal Chi Men Not Anxious for More Fighting:
Avenue Haig Camp The presence of over 8,000 Chin-eve soldiers in"the Settlement cannot Dut be the cause of considerable uneasiness and the matter of their disposition forms the main topic of discussion in Shanghai. It goes without - saying that "the men should he got away from the and the opinion as no funds is Purpose from the treasuries of the French Concession or Settlement, it will necessary for the Coureil to inform the Chinese authorities that, unless they are prepared to raise the money to meet the expense of re-patrioting these soldiers as nearly as possible to that part of China where their homes are, the only alternative will he to hand them over to Marshal Chi for ineorpor tion im his army. There seems no rouen to believe that Marshal Chi would not trent such recruits humanely, although it is not to. be denied that the soldiers are tired of fighting and would prefer to return to their homes as civilians No official arrangements have been made.
The Transportation Many rumours were current 'Thursday that British firms had been. approached with " view to inducing them to nindertuke such transports tion white of positively' star ed that no such arrangements would be possible eeause of the tremend-cus tonnage required. Tt was the feeling of many that ships flying some foreign flag, no nationality preferred, snowkd be used for trans port, as otherwise the" men might be put aboard Chinese boats under the impression that they were being sent home and then deflected say, to Nanking, and impressed into the army again. Other authorities Tnwehed at the rumours of such plots, saying that it would be impossible to carry off the soldiers contrary ty their wishes, ax thes could mutiny sad overpower the With ran to landing these 8,000 soldiers in Tsingtao, i was argued that the authorities ut the port might very well object to having. them dumped there and quarantine difficulties would arise in ease of, S.V.C. at the Avenue Haig Camp on Thursday afternoon. In ¢o-operation they are patrolling Avenue Haig and the part of the camp adjacent thereto, while French policemen are patrolling the side of the prison compound nearest the French Concession. About half the diers interned there are housed in one of the large stables and the rest are sheltered under small bamboo matsheds furnished by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Hot tea is supplied to the men, but there was some delay about the food which is being furnished by the Chines Chamber of Commerce and the men were hungry and rather restive until a great truck filled with bread came out about five o'clock yester-[day afternoon. Each man received large "slab" of bread, weighing perhaps a pound,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.