Chances in China;

              94 H A S K I N S & SELLS December
Chances in China
BY H. S. D E VAULT
(Recently returned from Shanghai)
THE newspapers are now devoting con­siderable
space to the most recent
military disturbance in China and while
as yet the conflict is of no more magnitude
than many others that have taken place
during the past ten years it is of consider­able
importance to American business
interests. Shanghai is unquestionably the
most important port of China, and it is
through this port that the great bulk of
trade between China and the United
States passes. A disturbance in this sec­tion
interrupts traffic between Shanghai
and the interior points, with results that
may readily be imagined. The operations
of bandits and pirates along the various
transportation routes during the past few
years have already had a very marked
effect upon business and the Chinese
government under the present system is
practically powerless to cope with the
situation.
China presents a tremendous field for
development. Her vast stores of natural
resources are almost untouched and all
enterprises of a commercial and industrial
nature offer excellent opportunity for in­vestment.
The development of these
opportunities to the fullest extent is first
dependent upon the establishment by the
Chinese people of a government capable
of safeguarding the interests of all con­cerned.
A little more than ten years ago
the form of government in China under­went
a radical change, and it is only fair
to suppose that, given a reasonable length
of time, the almost intolerable conditions
of today will have disappeared.
At present there seem to be two impor­tant
factors which may be said to be
largely responsible for retarding the prog­ress
and development of the country.
First, practically no effort is being made
by the government toward providing edu­cation
for the masses. There are said to
be sixty-five million children of school
age without any school facilities. Second,
the entire country is under the control of
military leaders.
The maintenance of the military forces
is the first consideration, and all other
government functions are considered as
of minor importance. The central gov­ernment
at Peking, which is headed by
President Tsao Kun, has only a partial
control over China as a whole. Dr. Sun
Yat Sen, with headquarters at Canton,
also terms himself president and controls
the South of China, while Chang Tso-lin,
the War Lord of Manchuria, rules the
Northeast with an iron hand. The several
provinces are governed by tuchuns, or
military governors, who are directed by
one or the other of these leaders. The
present conflict is between the governors
of Kiangsu and Chekiang provinces over
the control of the district in and around
Shanghai, but indications are that dis­turbances
may occur in other parts of
China.
Except for the temporary interruption,
these conditions should not be allowed to
interfere with business, as the great masses
of Chinese people are not in sympathy
with these military operations, and are
anxious for the time to come when they,
as a nation, will occupy a prominent
position in the commercial world.