Sept. 16, No special knowledge is needed to realise that the bandit scourge in Manchoukuo is very far from being overcome. From time to time there come despatches describing encounters between outlaws and Japanese and Manchurian troops sent to round them up, which have some~ times ended in serious casualties to the supporters of Jaw and order, as in the case reported yesterday when twenty-five Japanese officers and men were killed and sixty-five Wounded. The Japanese have been moderately successful" in. limiting the area of banditry atid in decreasing the number of men who have been in the habit in the past of pillaging when other sources of making a livelihood have failed. But they have accomplished very. little in lessening the number of outrages, if information coming from the north can be credited. In short, they have done much to cure the evil of the farmer-bandit, but in doing so have unwittingly caus ed the menace of the professional outlaw to become greater than ever. Manchuria is a country in which Hsingan, is another hunting! ground for these bands of robbers. Along the Sungari pirates and other the combatants, despite political Pressure exerted by sympathisers, strengthened this possibility but the outlaws enjoy a remarkable degree continuance of the struggle and the of freedom, in spite of precautions ferocity with which taken to restrict their preying on|waged lead the observer to pause the river traffic and the peasants before refusing living near by. So serious is the original impression.- Reports of problem throughout Manchuria, encounters and photographs of that a conservative estimate puts troops from both sides, taking in the number of bandit outrages all indiscriminately men, women and over the country at more than two: mere infants marching cheerfully to hundred, between August 5 and battle storming—suicidal' September 12 this year. Last year! breaches, would leave one to sup-the damage caused by these pose that practically everybody in marauders amounted to between Spain is armed, and that arms three million and three and a half] manufacturers must have found a million dollars, to say nothing of lucrative market in the country. the cost of the operations taken This, however, might be due to the against them.
These are grave exuberance of the news photo-figures and indicate that the duty grapher but it is impossible not to of suppression is an urgent one, be awed by the demonstration of and claims of mastery cannot be: military fervour. lightly made, communication'
'The loss of life among the between the insurgent forees in Japanese troops in Manchuria since the south and north at Burgos, the invasion of the three eastern' headquarters of the northern army, provinces in 1931 has also been' was of strategic importance. and heavy. According to estimates) enabled the determined onslaught made by the Japanese press, there] on the city group of Irun, San were 251 fatalities, killed or dead Sebartian and Bilbao, resulting in from disease, in 1931, and 2,871 the occupation of the former two casualties, wounded and sick." In cities after an orgy of destruction 1932 the gute was considerably which. seems to accompany all higher, being 1,699 fatalities and) victories in the war.
31,736 casualties: and in 1933 the first major success of the insurgfigure is still high, being 1,133 ents for the Government held most fainlities and 42,149' casualties." It should be remembered, however, of the important ports, controlling, supplies and communications, and that the Japanese were fighting stilt continues to hold most of them. against the famous "Volunteer" Leader Ma Chan-shan in these two years, and the country was not yet} Subjugated. Of more significance are the figures for 1934 and 1935, culled from the same sources. In the former year there were 419)
In the north, the insurgents are firmly positioned with a trained and disciplined army with the force of armed militia: and a bare nucleus of regular troops possessed Part of the insurgent army is the enjoy the advantage of the Govern ment's inability to enforce blockade on supplies, but there is marked superiority in the air force which has -been demonstrated so frequently during the struggle. This correspondent believes, too, that it is doubtful whether the majority of the civilian' forces assisting the would not desert to the Government if given the opportunity. Against this background, with its tremendous play of political forces having repercussions in other! European countries, the course of. the Spanish civil war continues and the toll of the victims increases.
Leaders of both sides are talking in terms of early and complete victory while the stream of refugees broadens. An early conclusion is: the common hope but there are no portents at present to justify it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.