The Chinese Ministry of Economics did not attempt to conceal, Mr. Oong declared, that the execution of this plan would mean the surmounting of great difficulties because for one thing not even traffic routes for transporting the industrial plants had been sufficiently developed, for another most Chinese ports and a great number of coal mines were in the possession of the enemy.
Despite this, however, the Minister emphasized, the building-up of Chinese industry would be carried out thigh pressure.—To assure this the coal mines in the neighbourhood of Hankow would be developed first. Particular attention would be devoted to the electrification of the provinces of the interior.
The Chinese Government hoped, Mr. Oong continued that the measures planned would be specially productive as regards the mineral wealth of the rich provinces of Hunan, Hupeh, Szechuen, Kwangsi and Yunnan. Steps would also be taken to promote exports, despite almost insuperable difficulties, og the only export harbour at present available was Canton. Efforts would at ell events be made to keep the export at the present satisfactory level.
The Minister closed by staging that China could only finance the war out of her foreign credit balances which, however, were sufficient to meet all requirements for a very long time come.—Trans-Ocean. eet ttt
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.