Peiping "Learns" of War Society Actually Beginning to Realize That Con!
Rages; Town Planning Scheme Out srectat ro mum MeO"
Peiping, May 13. 'NDIFFERENT to the shocks and alarms of war in the rest of the world, Peiping continues its pleasant life quite undisturbed. The Sprng Races of the Peiping Club are being held just_as usual this year, and have been attended by large and care-free crowds of all nationalities, One is inclined to suspect that, even were the three continents of Europe, Africa and America all to be submerged, this sacred function would still take place. After all, is not Peiping, the centro of the universe Indeed, up till about one month ago, there was, one gathered, no such thing as a major war going on in Europe.
As long as it! was only England and France that were resisting German aggression, the cosmopolitan life here carried on in perfect peace and happiness, Tt Was almost considered bad taste 'As a matter of plain fact, all these to talk about the war in public, Jest anti-air-raid exercises for' a back~ buch remarks should be overheard by ward and old-fashioned city are ur enemies and hurt their footings. sheer tomfoolery. Peiping with its Afterall, docs not our local English [vast area of single-storied, fimsilyowspaper provide us with the most built and highly inflammable houses, impart news, controlled, as It is by without cellars or bomb-proof shel-the Japanese, assisted by German and ers of any kind, would be a veritable bro-German sub-editors death-trap in cise of a serious roid Recently. however, things have from the alr. All the more, as it is begun to change. "Even society is at enclosed by a high wall, pierced only {ust beginning to wake up to the fact Jat rare intervals by narrow gates. {hat there is actually a war going on.
The only sound and sensible anti When, the other day, a certain diplo-raid precaution would be to pull mat of a til then neutral. country, [down the city walls, s0 as to enable was given the frst Information that {the panic-stricken populace to escape his own country had been invaded by freely into the open country in any direction.
Germans, he exclaimed in accents of pained surprise: "But how's that!
Automatic Telephones Why, that means Was!" Said his in-enormous cost the telephone formant dey: "Well, there's been a system is being changed to an auto-bil of a. war, you Know, these last matic one, Although the automatic fight months." And. now, as. one system has already been installed in county after another is being dragged Several districts of the city, it is not into the whirlpool, it Is the nationals yet working, and one still has to ring EL. those countries who are still the exchange, 'The change-over sliting' on the fence looking on, who has now again been deferred fave beginning to feel themselves in an August 1. Seeing the number of much Uncomfortable and isolated minority. more. important matters demanding Urgent attention, such as transport fa-Air Defence Exercises cilities, sanitation and housing, it is The Japanese authorities, for their not clear what was the particular part, seem to hold the opinion that, Urgency of this change in the tele-even if Peiping is not experiencing phone system, nor why these large horrors of modern warfare in Sums of money should have been Actual fact, it should at least not be wasted on this comparatively unallowed to' forget about them. Tt Important alteration. Presumably the for that reason, doubtless, that we manufacturers in Japan had some have been made to go through a wede thing to say in the matter, strenuous, alr defence exercises culminating in two nights of strict Plan Dropped bblacle out, The Japanese have been The great town-planning scheme, to. unable to explain against which which "repeated reference has been particular country these air-raid pre-made, of residential quarter to the cautions are directed or from what went and an Industrial quarter to the quarter the city is threatened by an least of the city, with a broad connect fir attack. 'The only result of this Ing highway right through the city, sudden attempt to recreate a wat as one had fully: expected, has come mosphere fs, that the Chinese public to nothing. 'The whole thing has been has' become firmly convinced that dropped for the time being. All thab Gen. Chiang Kai-shek must have built there Is to show for it are two gates, up @ formidable alr force once more. cone in either wall, which are kept And this has cheered them up tre-tightly shut, and broad highways outside which lead to nowhere in partimend ously. cular.
On the two ehlet days the precau-Tt gocms that, when the Japanese tionary air defence period commenced own-planning experts had. finished 3pm, and lasted till 9 am. the drawing their " beautifully-executed ext morning. AL pam, all lights in maps and went into the less Important the streets "and in. public and question of inane, it was found that private buildings had to be exe the necessary funds were not availtinguished or covered over with, ble, or rather one should say, that i black loth. The lamps of motor ears would have required such a large t0 be similarly covered, though, printing of FRB, notes, as to have a matter of fact, all motor traMe seriously inflated the currency. Was suspended between 0 pin, and "AIL the more was this likely to.be fan, The city was in complete the case, seeing that a large part of darkness and unusually, but pleasant= /the building material would have had ly, quiet during those hours to be purchased from abroad, and that 'A. Japanese plane flew over the city the demolition of whole sections of during the blackout, making: careful the city: for the connecting road would note of any places where a light up-have meant pulling down much pro-peared, And numerous were the} perty belonging to Japanese, who' Chinese shop-keepers and others who, Would naturally demand compensa. much to their surprise, wore visited Yien, In this affair, the Chinese auext day by Japanese gendarmes and thorities wife, much to the annoyance made to pay a fine—and to. continue fof their Japanese advisers, Kept on {wo more days of private biackout—putting off starting these operations, for having failed to obey the regula-with the usual Chinese slogan tions. man-man-ti, have thus been fully. Jjustiied in the good old Chinese habit gestfully: Enter Drill of putting off the evil day.
The alr defence exercises consisted The other day the local Chinese of stretcher drill, first-aid, and anti-papers carried what the Anti-British gas precautions. "The Chinese anti Society is pleased to call its "Monthly, fir-raid Corps, that had been con-Report." This consisted of a list of scripted for the purpose, dressed in ames of those Chinese "traitors" who white and with masks of white cloth rent houses to Englishmen or work over their faces went through their for them as servants or office em-'ARP, drill with great zest. Indeed, lavees, The names and occupations the Chinese "who are a nation of of their foreign seducers were also actors, whatever else they may be, given in full in the black list, From entered thoroughly into the spirit of this one deduces that the members the thing and enjoyed themselves en-of the Anti-British Society must still ermously, all the more so as no actual de getting their quota from the FRB. danger was attached to these exer printing-press, and have sit to go on elses. jJustitying their existence.
"Phe victims, who were designated by certain marks, arranged before hand, as having Been hit by a bomb of poisoned by gas, threw themselves Manchoukuo Discovers to the ground und writhed about in agony with the greatest realism, until they had received first ald and had
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.