To the Editor of the "Nonmu-Citxa Dany News"
'Sin,—Your Kweiyang correspond-writing on February 17, deplores the' ease with which members of the more" well-to-do Chinese families evade military service. This is, apparently too true of other regions' beside that of which your correspond-cent writes, Since the outbreak of hostilities 1 have travelled. over a considerable part of China as far as Chungking and Kunming, In all parts visited 1 have been. stonished" atthe vast numbers of able-bodied young men who seem quite content to merely stand around and look nice, In the early months of last year the various dance-halls in Hankow were crowded, but T saw no military uniforms.
T.saw a good deal of the refugee trafic on the Yangtze and was forced, after much reflection, to the unvill ing conclusion that many were refugees. from. the recruiting sergeant rather than from any invader, In Hanoi and Haiphong alone there appeared to be enough Chinese to form a fair-sized army and in Hongkong too, From the amount of Ielsure these latter seemed to have dia' not appear as if they were en= gaged In any form of commerce in which their presence was indispensable, Money talks in most places, bit in China it positively shouts, In conclusion 1 would state that. 1 one who has the Chinese cause very much at heart and this letter written in no spirit of carping eriticism, As T-expect to leave for the south very shortly T will be unable {0 take part in any controversy, but T will watch your columns with Me terest, Shanghai, Mar, 23,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.