While there will be every sympathy with the British Government in asking for legislation Of so singular a nature to deal with terrorism as that contained in The Prevention of Violense Bill which has now been read a second time in the House of Commons, there can be no doubt that the measure will receive the most jealous scrutiny from members, who have not yet forgotten how the Official Secrets Act was passed for one purpose and used for another. Nevertheless, there will be general agreement that evils such as the LR.A. terroristic campaign requires different treatment irom the ordinary categories of crime, and it is essential that the widest possible power should be given to the authorities to deal with the menace. Search without warrants, and detention without the lodging of a charge seem strangely uncon stitutional measures, but it is obvious that the authorities should not be hampered in dealing with these political criminals of whom so many have already been arrested and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, Of even more importance is the revelation that other nations are closely concerned in the fostering of the LR.A. movement, and it is stated that they are actively doing so even to the extent of advancing money to the terrorist organizations. There need, however, be no very grave anxiety over the matter, for experience in the past has shown that the British authorities are generally better advised concerning such activities than a large number of foreigners believe. It will be remembered that immediately upon the outbreak of the Great War the German espionage system was rapidly broken down. It is more than probable that those responsible for counter-espionage work are just as well informed as they were then, and one of the significant aspects of the new Bill are those apparently extra-constitutional provisions which will permit the authorities to act where they have sufficient evidence to warrant such a step, though not enough to put before a Court. The provision, improperly bendied, might prove to be a dangerous one, though as an innocent person would undoubtedly have his remedy at law, it is not likely to be imprudently used China's Anti-Epidemic Campaign During the past year, the continued hostilities in China have caused vast movements "f populations, probably the greatest ever known in Chinese history, with the resulting danger of widespread epidemics of cholera, plague and malaria. Malaria, too, interferes seriously in many regions with new road construction. This has increased enormously the necessity for the development of new routes of water transport in China and, at the same time, problems of road transport have become of vital importance in South-West and Central China. Consequently, when, at the last Assembly, the States Members of the League of Nations voted a sum 3f 2,000,000 Swiss francs to continue during 1939 the technical assistance already given to China over a period of ten years, the Chinese Government asked for the services of medical advisers in cholera, plague and malaria, the provision of the necessary medical stores and for advisers in river and road engineering. Experts in plague and cholera, fully equipped with laboratory material and the necessary transport are now working in the north-west and centre of China. At the same time, a League transport service has been established to carry medical stores and petrol to the experts. At the request of the Chinese Government, much of the work of the medical and engineering experts has been concentrated on the Burma Road in order to keep this vital route open during the monsoon period of June to November. The road runs through highly malarial regions where the disease is of a very malignant type. Not only do large numbers of coolies engaged in the work on the road; die from malaria, but the fear engendered by their deaths drives away their companions to their villages, and the work is held up. One of the League experts has therefore been appointed by the Chinese Government as an adviser on malaria problems for the whole of the length of the road. He is equipped with mobile and stationary laboratories, a trained staff, and he works in close collaboration with the Chinese Government medical units stationed along the road. One of the League engineers has, at the request of the Ministry of Communications, made a general survey of the road in view of the forthcoming rains, particularly with regacc to the further improvement of the surface protection from landslides, rain drainage ani' the strengthening of the bridges. In addition to the personnel, large quantities of medical stores have been purchased by the League for use ie a, including large quantities of quinine. equipment for thirty field bacteriological laboratories, tons of chloride of lime for disinfection of wells in cholera-infected areas, several million doses of cholera and smallpox vaccine and the necessary syringes for inoculation, and drugs for the treatment of cholera, relapsing fever, dysentery and other diseases.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.