Front Ovr ww Consesroxoens Chengtu, Mar. 25, The present excitement is the, expected visit of the Generalissimo, General Chiang and his wife 0 Chengiu. The pleasureable exeltement has been long drawn out, for some ffiree weeks, and still we do know when His Excellency will arrive. The streets are beflagged as they rever have been since Yang Sen fined people $2 for not flying flags when he "o ordered. As flags can be bought for $1 it was no fun to. be fined the price of two. However this time mone of these tactics have been employed. There seems to be a genuine interest in the coming of Chiang Kai-shek, and the people want to do him honour for saving this part of the province from the Reds." The. situation was very grave when he appeared on the horizon two months ago. The test of tranquility is the exchange market. In those hectic days of winter, exchange to Shanghai was costing $35 to '$40 on $100; to-day it Is $5. on $100 and cheeks are being cashed here at $2. premium, only on $100.
However, the Red menace is not over, 'The' fact that there are. still 80,000 Reds fully armed in the province makes for a nervous and @angerous situation that calls for eternal vigilance and action. The re~ port that the Reds have retired and been broken up into small detach ments, simply is not true. There was 2 slight retirement to the borders of Yunnan, but the Yunnanese forces were too many for the Reds and the are back in Szechuen in strong. force and have re-occupied much of the old territory about Paoning in the northern part of the province, The Reeds, some 40,000 strong from Hunan, and Kiangsi, and the force of Ho Lung have been kept apart, 'These are largely in Kueichow, and the pressure on the Szechuen border has been considerably relieved, Active ce-operative efforts are necessary for fa long time yet, for the Reds are in no mood to' retire in spite of setbacks.
Oplam Dens to Close The encouraging feature of Chiang Kai-shek's visit to the province, and his initiation in @ bold way of th New Life Movement, is that a real reform movement is under way. Orders are out to close the 800 and more opium dens of the city; proclamations tell" of the. closing obnoxious military tax stations. that have cursed this province and ruined trade for a long time, Let us hope they will not be re-opened when the Ceneralissimo leaves. Then, too, some stinging rebukes have been adminietered to highly placed military ficers here, who have left their duty in dangerous times to make money for themselves in very questionable ways while the people and common soldiers have suffered, The streets The Post Office has torn down their old "structure and" commencing a monster modern edifice that will take three years to build.
The Spring Flower Fair is open just outside the West Gate of the city and drawing great crowds datly. This ts an institution that had Aourished "here for two thousand years and draws on the farmers. of the 990 neighbouring hsiens who make fine agricultural and horticultural exhibitions. At present there ie a scourge of meningitis that is orevelent in the city, and already hundreds have died.
'The foreign community have been attending to the cultural needs of the people, and have recently "put fon 2 most successful a three night' presentation of Gitbert and Sullivan's '"Gondoliers". The acting and singing were exceedingly complimentary to all concerned. "Tt was under the able direction of Prot. R. Gordon Agnew, with the veteran pianist, Ins. Blanche Brace at her best form. Now Professor Lucius C. Porter of Yen ching University is here visiting the University and giving a. two months course of intensely Interesting lectures on Chinese Philosophy. He is eaualat home in English and Chinese, and is drawing great crowds of students and teachers,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.