Suggestion that Farmers are Given Worthless Money In the pockets of Japanese soldiers killed in the fighting around Shanghat have been found banknotes the purpose of which has aroused some speculation, These notes have been either German or Chinese notes, though in certain cases" Ruselan rouble notes have been discovered, Needless to say these notes are of negotiable value. Some of the Chinese notes, for instance, are of the Bank of Territorial Development, which has been closed for. business since 1919, in the days of 'Yuan Shih-kal, 'The German notes are of the variety in which there was so much speculation, and 50 much money lost, after the Great 'War, and are, of course, quite worth-ess' to-day. will be remembered that one of the announcements recently made by Japanese military spokesmen in Shanghai indicated a desire to pay Chinese farmers for commodities taken by Japanese troops in occupa tion. Great stress was laid on this benevolent altitude of the Japanese Army, although the spokesman did not go on to say whether it was Proposed to show the same commercial rectitude in dealing with Chinese traders and Chinese owners of property which had come under Japanese control in the occupied areas. The underlying principle of this announcement was said to be found in the desire to differentiate Between the Chinese people, with. whom the Japanese invaders had no quarrel, and the members of the Chinese Government whom Intended to destroy.
To Pay the Peasants 'A. suggestion that appears not unworthy of consideration is that this paper' money on the persons of Private Japanese soldiers has been. distributed for the purpose of creating the impression that Chinese farmers and others are being paid for supplies forcibly taken from them by Japanese troops. If this is, 60, It gcoms a somewhat clumsy piece of theatricalism, for, apart from the fact that Chinese are familiar with exploited by provincial warlords in the not so distant past, the notes themselves are not likely to deceive the exceedingly suspicious farmer, The $5 note of the Bank of TD. of which a photograph is given, for example, has the name of "Chekiang" fon it, But careful. inspection shows that the original issue printed on the note was Harbin, 'This ig not surprising considering that the head office of the Bank was in Mukden and the notes "it had withdrawn from circulation were likely to be found' {in the provincial treasury there, Nor is the Chinese farmer kely to be 6 stupid as not to realize the aifculty of obtaining value for currency 0 unfamiliar to the Chinese people fas war time German mark notes, similar Reports from the North show that seem that such financial ingenuity. deserves a greater measure of success than so far hag been reported.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.