The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-09
THE ARMlNG
OF CHINESE
The CeIestials Are Said to Be
Getting Ready for
a War.

YOKOHAMA, Sept. 26.-Mr. Gerow D.
Brill, a well-known official lately in the
employ of the Chinese government was
interviewed by a press representative.
Il am surprised he said, lat the ex-
traordinary ignorance that prevails, not
only in the coast ports of China with re-
gard to affairs in the interior of the Ce-
lestial Kingdom. Take, for instance. yes
| terday's kilograms regarding the facto-
ries for arms, and some smokeless pow
der, which Youanshikai, the governor Of
the province of Shantung, is going to
build The message, which / presume
came in the first instance from Shanghai
or Tientsin, seems to pre-suppose that
the Chinese are not already making their
own arms and ammunition. AS a matter
of fact, apart from the Shuku arsenal
which was captured by the allies. the
Chinese have arsenals and smokeIess
powder factories at Hanyang near Han
kow, at Marking, at Chengtu in Szechu-
en-, at Foochow on the coast and I be-
lieve also at Canton or somewhere near.
At Hanyang, before the recent troubles,
they were turning out some fifteen rifles
per day, but then they were not push
ing things. Now all is changed. The
factories are working at full pressure
night and day, and some hundreds of
rifles are probably produced daily now.
Then they have all the machinery and
metal for casting big guns, and they also
make quick-firing machine guns. The
rifles are magazine rifles, taking six car
tridges.'
What about ammunition
"At Hanyang they started to build
ND foo Ths,
work did not progress very rapidly till
the Boxer outbreak; then the Chinese
put on squirt, and the factory was fin
ished last December, and is now work
ing at full pressure"
Can you tell me anything about
Chang-chi-Tung' army?"
"Chang-chi-Tung is one of the wisest
men in China You may guess that he is
not making arms and ammunition for
nothing. The provincial army has under
gone thorough reorganization, and all old
and inefficient men and officers have been
weeded out Thousands of recruits have
been obtained from Human, the Human
csc being the bravest men in China. His
troops are trained by foreign instructors.
The Japanese and German instructors
were never dismissed. When things look
ed very bad last year they abstained
from drilling the troops, but they have
come to the front again and are hard at
work now. There are three German in
structors and number of Japanese. One
of the Germans is an officer of high
rank"
With what object do you think the
Chinese are preparing
1T is impossible to forecast the future
There will be trouble of some sort 1 have
no doubt but it might take any direc-
, ton The Chinese don't know that they
have been beaten. Supposing that the
great viceroys, who have hitherto held
aloof. throw in their lot with the En-
press Dowager, it will be extremely diff
cult for the powers to coerce them. Look
at the way in which they are arming.
Both Chang-ch:-Tung and Youanshikai
are paying great attention to the supply
of officers, the point in which the Chi
nese army is most weak.
''Supposing, however, that there is no
more fighting, what do you think of the
prospects of the commercial development
OF Gilman"
China will go ahead like a rocket. The
railways that have been planned will
alone transform her. 1t is to be remem-
bered that these railways are now being
built. A railway from Picking to Hankow
is now being pushed on at both ends, and
eighty miles are practically ready on the
HankoW side and construction trains are
running The line is in the hands of a
Belgian syndicate. From Hankow to
Canton the concession belongs to an
! American syndicate, though 1 hear they
! have sold it to the Belgians. The Yum
nan railway from India excites great in
terest in China. 1t is thought that the
line will do much to solidify British in
terests."
! Mr. Brill concluded by referring to the
vast amount of economic wealth that lies
undeveloped in Central China.