1e Editor of the fonrH-Cuina Day News."
Siz—Judging by the so-called oficial communiques issued by the contending factions in China's Tatest civil war, both sides are winning on all fronts. The question is: what and whom to believe?
In. the Peking papers one sees nothing but reports of Northern victories, while the commuriqués Circulated by "the Kuo Min News "Agency contain little else but claims hat the Nanking forees have red "crushing" defeats to X: the enemy.
In view of the respective successes of, the contending parties, oth of whom appear to have reduced the morale, strength and sistance of the other, the indecisive nature of the present struggle is really remarkable, We hear almost. daily of the impending fall of Tsinan, within 10 miles of which the Government forces were officially stated to have approached a month ago, when the Shansi troops were reported Preparing for evacuation. A few days ago, according to the Kuo Min News Agency, the Government for-approached within 10 miles of Tsinan, via the Tientsin-'Pukow Railway, while General Han Fu-chu and his men were advancing westward on the Shantung capital id the Kinotsi Railway. In view {Q) of General Han's recently announced retirement and (2) of the Northerners' claim that he has Joined them, the following questions arise: Is General Han still fighting? "If ¢0, for whom?
Other things that make the pr sent war a jigsaw puzzle to anyone eho wishes te understand {2 are inter alia:
How is it that Marshal Chang' Hsueh-liang is concurrently Vie Coumander-in-Chief of the military, "naval and air forces of the Govern-
1 Why is it that the "Young"
shal is emimed by both pa: to have joined them when all leadings of both factions for hi assistance have come to nought? "How can both sides be winning on all fronts all the time?
And, lastly, whol's the whole thing about?
The war has been in progress for ver three months and it's just boat time the Generals call it a draw, pack up their umbrellas and home,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.