Meaning of Opposition to Removal of General Pao Vu-lin From Ove Owx Peking, Sept. 18.
The trouble over the removal of the "former Ditector of Public Safety, General Pao Yuin, and replacement by Mz. Vu Chin-ho, an interesting and. complicated {air,'in. which three different euro ents run together, very typical of the present state of polities in North Chin Doubiless the demonstration that was staged a week ago against the new Director, in the name of various igh-sounding public bodies, was partly due to the anxieties of minor OMleial "satellites who. realise that this change of chiefs means the Toss of their Jobs, but it equally certain that the opposition to the Femoval "of General" Pao ha Public, amongst whom. the recent mine support of eking
changes in the administration been "causing grave dissatisfact The present focal administration with ite crowd of party parasites has succeeded in making itself thoroughly disliked, "Its activities on behalf of the welfare of the public Would seems to consist solely in framing. all" kinds. of petty" and vexatious regulations, especially ax regards amusements—other peoples fof course—-as particularly "adver-
campaign against dancing-partner Hised'by Mayor Yuan Liang's famous the' true reason for which fs not all obscure to the citizens of Peking.
Otherwise, in spite of all the Teetures on modern municipal provements with which we Fogaled, nothing whatever rection to improve condi ra favourably with pre Some' people. say this is due to the desire of the Government. to emphasise the difference between "decaying Peking and modern Nanking, others that Nanking foresees. that anyhow they are going to lose the North to Manchoukuo and so does not mind what manner of persons are sent here, as Tong as they are momen ly "subservient to its interests, Good Wishes from Boston The Nanking Government, may, as some hold, be right in insisting fon the necessity for forcing its nominees on the North, without regard to popular wishes, but it is interesting to note, as exemplifying the difference between propaganda and fact, that though the municipal administration is supposed to be an elected one, the two chief posts are held by Government nominees who are not elected in any way. One wonders whether the World Federation of Municipalities (headquarters at Boston, Mass.) were aware of this, when' they recently sent their cetings to the Peking Munfcipal council "the first city council inst tuted in China im 2,000 years.' Anyhow, public opinion in Peking, whether' rightly "or wrongly, cer tainly views this latest change. with considerable misgiving, though as public opinion has nothing to say in Tnodern China, this is not of any importance. Mr. Vu Chin-ho, Nan~ King's choice, having retired to the 'Western Hills on sick leave, Mr, Chu Jui-tin, a subordinate of General Pao, has been, appointed acting Director in the' interim, and ap: parently the Government hopes wear down the opposition by the usual method of masterly inactivity. hand, a refusal to "cough up" might easily Urive the Northern generals into the arms of Mfan-
The third and most important current in this Pao Vu-lin affair is the Japanese desire to eradicate the last traces of the former regime of Chang Hsueh-liang, 30 that General Huang Fu, the chief protagonist of the pro-Japanese policy in Nanking, is absolutely adamant on the removal of General Pao. It is significant that the Japanese news-agencies here, doubtless with an jove to. future possibilities, have been publishing reports according. to which the Northern generals are accused of a plot to stop the pro-pored disbandment of their troops, overthrow the present administra: tion here, and reinstate the Young Marshal, ' The tone of these Iueubrations ominously reminiscent of the situation in Manchuria prior September, 1931, where the Japanese were' so concerned about the troubled state of that country, Now they seem to be showing the same kind of concern about. the state of Hopei and the North generally.
Shanghaikuan Celebrations that Sinodapanese relations, Other "happenings go to prove
Toast in these parts, are brations that took place there Saturday, Septemb 8 certain news-agencies reported merely to mark the anniversary of the recognition of Manchoukuo. by Japan, but were held actually to celebrate the annexation of this place and the surrounding districts fo Manchoukuo. Annexation is per= haps not quite the right word, for according to Japanese circles it was decided by a pleni habitants of Shanhaikuan and sur rounding villages. seeing the find prosperous state of Manchow kuo held a meeting on August 30 Jand elected i deputation—t sumably © te, Mplbiac Droceeded to Hsinking to pet Mr. Pu Yi to let them Join tp with Chief Bxeestive had no time to fortunate country. Althou Th conkrmation it is: now reported th the Japanese ave going to send a
garrison, pStailway between Sha mined ripag of 12000, mono atk the nett 0 the Japan teeth, The' aeroplane that, recently ave racey!ly been' showing. their
flew over Kalgan dropped leaflets that they would. be forced to bomb the city, unless the Chinese stopped their ' troop movements, against Jehol. This can only have been meant as a threat to General Sung" Che-yuan, the lof Charhar, who id other mutinous At the same time it is Reported that the Japanese Charge Affaires here has called on General Ho Ying-chin to suggest to him the advisability of turning Charhar into another demilitarized zone, as. been done in the Lan-Tung region. This, as has been common knowledge for some time, is. the intention of the Japanese.
Generals Alarmed Position Not Reassuring Much more important is, the fact that the vernining generals of the former Fengtien armies. have taken fright at this removal of one of their last remaining men from official position in the North and are behind the opposition, and have demanded that, if Pao' Yulin is removed, at any rate a Fengtien man shall be appointed to the post. What has probably not tended to allay' their fears is the fact that, Just at this very time, General Ho Ying-ching with a curious lack of flair. for local condit holding further military conferences to cut down expenses" and. discuss disbandment—of the Northern armies. And strangest of all, this very moment 18 "chosen, to, start sending away to the South the maining units of Southern troops Which have been garrisoning the country and providing guards for the palaces of Generals Huang and Ho. "This unexpected move, upsetting to. all political" calcula tions, is ascribed by some to the fact that the southerners cannot stand the northern winter, by others to the fear of coming troubles in which the few southern troops would be liable 40 be cut off, Presumably Nan! hopes to be able to control the Nor~ thorn generals by its hold on the purse-slyings, though, on the other Taking things all round, the po: tion in North China cannot be con-lered reassuring. These buffer zones merely leave openings for further never-ending disputes, whilst the bad handling of local polities by the Nanking Government has dissatisfied everyone, so that they have neither any reliable tree nor even public opinion behind the and are in an even weaker position, if possible, than they were before the Jehol campaign. No doubt Nanking has achieved its chief object, lof Weakening the opposition parties in the North and of putting' their own appointees in power, but there is' the important consideration of whether in doing so they have not overreached themeetves and, in' the of the country, too. long run, will not have lost this part
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.