Hongkong, Mar. 12.
'A. prediction that radio-telephone communication between Hongkong, China and the outside world would be established very shortly was made to-day by the Hon. Mr. Gordon Peiping, Mar. 10, According to very reliable sources it appears that China has lost an~ other large slice of territory during the last year. There seems to be no doubt whatever that the vast territory of Chinese Turkestan (Sinkiang) has fallen completely under the control of Soviet Russia, with the exception of the south-west corner round Hash 1992 Governor Chin of Sinkiang was overthrown by a revolt of ihe White Russian troops, cause he showed too' strong leanings towards the Reds. if that was the true reason, the Whites would seem fo have done themselves little good. For after Chin's flight to Russia and back to China, the of the province was given to a civilian official called "Liu "who having no troops of his own had to place. himjgelf under the protection of "Sheng Shih-tsai who commanded the Manchurian troops. 'These were the remnants of Ma' Chan-shan's famous Jarmy which after its fight with the Japanese on the Nonni River in North [Manchuria in 1931 had retreated into Russian territory and later entered Sinkiang from the North via Chugulchak. As they were the only Chinese force in the whole province that was properly armed and trained, Sheng Shih-isal—a Japanese-returned student, by the way—became thus de facto governor of Sinkieng.
In 1933 Ma Chung-ying, one of the numerous {reebooters who were al-tempting to usurp the government of [Chinese Turkestan, and a source of constant trouble, advanced on Urumchi with his mixed forees of Chantus and Kangu Mahommedans. He was defeated by the Manchurian troops Under Sheng and driven back to) Turfan and Hamil, In this connection it is interesting to note that, when Mr, Lo Wen-kan paid his fying visit to Sinkiang on behalf of the Nanking government, he is said to have been in favour of putting Ma Chung-ying in power, despite his antecedents, because he' was a. Mohammedan "and 'Known to be violently hostile to the Bolsheviks, He was, therefore, more Ukely' to be faithful to the Central Government than Sheng who was already at that time in communica tion with Soviet Russia, This idea could only have been purely platonte, for Nanking had no means whatsoever of giving Ma effective support.
The Triple Attack In January, 1996, another attack was made on Urumchi (Tihua), this ime by a combination of various disgruntled forces: by Ma Chung-ying from the east, by Yolbas Khan with Turkis from the south, and" by. a Chinese general, Chang Tzu-hen, with Chinese troops from Kuldja (li) in the west. In face of this combined threat Sheng, who by this time, had thrown in his lot completely with the /Bolsheviks appeared to them for help. Again In response they threw open the frontier, and although none of their actual military formations marched across the frontier, they allowed about 9,000 men to enter These were then armed, formed into army called the Army of the Altai and supplied with cavalry, guns, armoured ears and aeroplanes.
The concentric attack on Urumehi had been badly timed, the different forces arriving there piecemeal, thus allowing the Red Army to concentrate against one force at a time, It firs fell on, Chang Tzu-hen and routed im utterly; "he committed suicide. Next they turned against Ma Chung-ying and drove him back to the Tienshan mountains. But the Red Russian forces when pursuing him yecelved a severe check at a well-known pass, called Tapancheng, where Ma had strongly entrenched himself with about 500" men. This set-back might have had serious consequences for the Bolsheviks, if the various anti-Bolshevik groups had made use: of it, But such was their" jealousy of each other and, "above all, such their ignorance of the true state of affairs that they actually assisted the Reds.
Great Seereey Maintained The concentration of the Bolshevik forces had been carried through with the utmost secrecy so that only those irecty concerned were aware of coreigners residing in "Urum fat the time were confined to their houses for several weeks and were not permitted to communicate with the outside world in any way. AS a reguli, the White Russian troops were unaware that the forces attacking Ma at Tapancheng were Reds and actually marched to their assistance. And os they knew the ground and his tactics very well, having fought with bim before in these regions, they succeeded in dislodging him and driving him south towards. Turfan. Here Mongols who were by no means Mackie in addressing the annual gen-favourable to the Bolsheviks but were feral meeting of the Hongkong Tele-Ukewise unaware of the Red Russian hone Ca. jinfiitration. His remaining forces Radio-telephonic communication were finsily destroyed, and he himself between Hongkong and other ports foreed to flee. His present whereof China will be possible in October, abouts are uncertain: some say he is while similar connection with the Jo prisoner in Russian Turkestan, outside world is now within measure others that he is wandering about in fable distance of fuldliment, said Mr. the extreme south of Sinkiang.
Mackie.
Anyhow the Bolsheviks "had thus Mr. Mackie stated that the Canton gained control of the whole of the, Government radioptione station will Rorthern and eastern part of the be functioning before the end of province, their only remaining anta-October, linking Canton and Hong-on ist, Yolbas "Khan, having retreated ong with Shanghai and thence with to Hami and opened negotiations. The other parts of China. greater part of the White Russian The inclusion of Hongkong in the troops were disbanded, a few only world-wide network of radio-tele-being kept on to police the outlying! phone communication will be com-districts. Later on, the Bolsheviks Dlete when the Shanghai station for disbanded their own forces, ut have Conversations with the United States kept a firm hand on affairs Europe hes been completed—horde of advisers and spies who
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.