Economic Reconstruction to Follow "New Life"
Kweiyang, Apr. 1.
The immediate inauguration by the Government of a policy to guarantee security to the life and property of the people and to raise the standard of living by the development, on modern lines, of the long-dormant natural resources of the country Urgently is needed to save China, said Gen. Chiang Kal-shek in an interview to-day. There would be a new movement, he stid, to' follow up the new life movement and be. complementary to it, with the definite alm of saving the Chinese race from their resent peril and to relieve the people of the whole nation of their 'This movement, he continued, would be known' as the People's Economic Reconstruction Movement, must alm at the development of agriculture, improvement of agricultural products, protection of mining enterprises, opening up of natural resources, encouragement of trade, protection' of labour, ce-operation between capital and labour, construc. tion of highways, development communications, "simplification of currency, liberation of frozen and hoarded capital, and fostering of in-ustness, 'The' preliminary' steps must be abolition of illegal taxation, exemption of some products from Payment of export duties and reduc: ton of the levies on others, together with the promulgation and enforce ment of new mining laws and 1 striction of the of paper money.
'A Fundamental Step The measures now taken by the Central Government to increase the capital of the Central Bank, the Bank of China, and the Bank of Communi cations were intended, he explained, to. stabillz of society and better agriculture dustrial and commercial enterprises, which, he added, were a fundament tal step in the people's economic reconstruction movement.
The Generalissimo said that he was formulating ways and means for the application of the principles of th Before the interview, Gen. Chiang was tendered an official welcome to Kweiyang by military, velvil, and party officials. 'The Generalissimo took advantage of the occasion to urge, in strong terms, the suppress sion' of the use of opium and the growing of the poppy. He emphasis-fed that the function of the Government was to give security to the life and property of the people, and indicated that there was a new movement afoot to bring this into effect, Dut the people of Kweichow should help themselves so as to warrant the help of others. Those present con: stituted an intelligent section of the community, and they should take the lead in the suppression of the opium evil, which, with corruption on the part of civil and military offals, was responsible for all Kwelchow's troubles, Kweichow seemed to be a poor province, but, if it could grow opium, it could grow other crops. Below the sell there were mineral resources which should be developed to make it 'a rich province—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.