The Threat to Salt up the Yang. tze and Seize the Funds at Shih-erh-chu As far back as four months ago, the ''North-China Daily News" published a report to the effect that the officers and men of the Chinese Fleet had threatened to repeat their action of January, 1922, in commandeering the salt sevennes at Shih-erh-chu (12th Salt District) if their back salaries, which had not been paid for 14 months, were not forthcoming.
This was confirmed a few weeks ago when we also reported that an important meeting had been held in the yamen of the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Tu Shih-kuei, at Nanking. at which the matter was discussed at length, all present being unanimous in the opinion that some strong action must be taken if they were to exist.
Farther confirmation wag received on Wednesday, this being to the effect that steps had actually been taken to commandeer the revenues. It appears that Commander Hsu Feng-tso, an aide to the Commander-in-Chief, has gone to Shih-erh-chu, a district near Chinkiang and Yangchow, with instructions to ask the Salt Commissioner there how or by what means the salt revenues may be taken over by the Navy, without having to resort to force. Should the reply be an unfavourable one measures will have to be taken by the Navy to take over the revenues by force.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.