'The murder of Father Tierney is another tragedy which standa as a poignant reminder of the dominance of bandit rule in Kiungsi and other parts. of China, The Government, no doubt, will contend that their efforts to secure the martyred nest's release were unexpected-, ly baulked at the last moment. It cannot, however, be overlooked that the Father's capri dates from November last and the tragedy might have been averted if greater promptitude and more effective measures had been employed by the Provincial authorities. The magnitude of the Government's task in dealing with the bandit menace is recognized, The essence of} by the problem is speed. Mora-over, while Chinese as well as foreigners are in danger of their lives in the bandit-ridden areas, the need for rapidity of action is enhanced by the knowledge that the longer the bandits enjoy immunity 80 much the more readily will they be able to obtain recruits to the communist creed. In the Yangtze valley the action of the Government has led to a slight improvement in the situation. Government; troops have been posted at certain points along the river, At. Shasi, at Kiukiang and at Yochow it is reported that military posts have been established. 'They are, however, mainly on the North bank of the river indeed it is only at Temple Hill, where the bandits were driven out a few days ago, that Government troops actually hold ground on the south bank. On' tat bank the bandits have dug vouches which will, in due course, be affected by rain but, at the moment, they constitute A serious embarrassment to those engaged in the work of restoring order, Recent deve-Jepments on the Peking-Hant.cw line have been disturbing end sugiest that much has to Ue done before Honan can be clea: ed, Kiangsi and par n are still under bandit cor-The news that strong Kuominchun troops have been despatched to the former province is cheering. If these hardened campaigners maintain their reputation some impression should be made on the situation there.
Atte should again be galled to the methods employed by the bandit-communists. They organization which functions by no means badly. They pay their troops. They manage to secure to the people immunity from taxation and from high prices of food. These Denefits probably are fleeting but, in these days, the long-suffering victims of years of conflict are not disposed to cavil ut the ephemeral benefit. They ye certainly, reluctant. to be-Hieve' that it is transcended by any to be secured from a Government which is unable, apparently, to assert its authority sway from the big centres of population. The advantages which the bandits possess in their mobility and capacity for retreating into inaccessible mountain areas in the west, at the least sign of pursuit, must necessarily impose on the Gox eynment's commanders an obliwution to exercise a very high Standard of military skill. No task is more difficult for" the General Staff of even the most highly-equipped army than that of coping with irregular troops versed in guerrilla warfare and operating in country naturally designed to favour that form of campaigning. 'This consideration adds force to the argument that rapid movement is essential, The mere' establishment of troops in per is, in the peculiar fraught with gr the troops are kept in a state] of-inactivity, their exposure to] the insidious propaganda of the Communists inevitably reduces their value as the days go by. Defections have been reported from more than one place in the last "few weeks. Although, therefore, the fact that troops are being moved up the river and into the bandit zones is encouraging, there would eater confidence if more de-mite signs were forthcoming of an intention to take the ini tiative and, having obtained it, to press the rounding up process to a rapid conclusion.
No doubt these factors are actively borne in mind at Nanking. There is no reason why the Government which has 0 successfully tackled the Norther revolt of last year should find the bandit problem beyond its powers to solve. The measures which have been announced indicate the firmness of intention but it is!
that the accumulation of evidence, of Communist defiance, such as the rejection of the sum offered for the ransom of Father Tierney, should give vise to impatience, if not real apprehension. Tt wi appreciated that the Government ave every incentive to deter-' mined action. Their political commitments which the approaching People's Conference: brings prominently to the fore, depend for liquidation on their ability to show material results. It is an open secret that much energy is being expended on the settlement of issues with that end in view. Gestures have their value but they are Hable to be judged in the light of the practical experience of the: for whose benefit they are made. At this moment along an important stretch of the Yangtze: junk and small boat traffic cannot operate because of che ban-duy' tenacity of their hold_on the right bank of the river, The chaos in Kiangsi, the recent untest in Honan aid the slow progress of the bandit-suppression operations do not contribute to the potency of gestures, even if they be decorated with the most attractive political appeal, Th severe handicaps imposed by the financial stringency and economit stress of the moment must be taken into account. Those handicaps, however, will be ac~ centrated rather than reduced if there be not at some early date convincing evidence of a forward move. The creeping paralysis with which the interior ix afflicted cannot be cured by anything but swift and resolute treatment. Unless that is speedily forthcoming the prospects ahead must lose what little brightness the past placid ity of the last few weeks has enabled them to assume. The telegrams published to-day show that more encouraging reports have just been received from Scene of operations in Kiangsi and Hunan. It is to be hoped that this development will proceed unchecked.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.