The Rich Hill tribune., 1904-10-06
CAN IT Get FOOD
RUSSIA WILL SOON FIND IT A
DIFFICULTY PROBLEM.
IS THE RAILROAD ADEQUATEP
Japs IN Possession Of Richest Country
After Russians Retreat to
7arbln They viii BE De-
pendent on Railroad.

MUKDEN.---The most interesting
military problem at present is how
large Russian army the railway car
support in Manchuria. While the army
Is south OF Hardin. almost all the
necessary food supplies can be OBJ
tanned in the country, but the farther
north 1t goes the more It must depend
on the railway, while al the same time
the Japanese viii gain an advantage
BY having an increased area TO draw
from.
The richest section Of Manchuria is
the country Of which Lao Yang is the
/ principal market. and the crops In that
section this season are unusually large.
! Merchants who are acquainted with
the country believe that. II General
! kuropatkin should retreat to Harbin.
be must then bring nearly every
I pound Of food by means OF the railway,
especially as this years crop In the
Sungari valley has proved a failure.
Besides this. every horse for the Rus
sian commander must be brought over
the railway.
If winter campaigning is attempted,
on which point there Is much specula.
ton, II Will become increasingly dif
Ieult after December, because the
ground freezes 10 so great aepJh as
10 render inueChiug operations Almost
Impossible.
Tne organization Of the japanese
army continues 10 be as efncIenl a.
IL has been since the beginning OF the
campaign. Most OF the troops were
equipped with winter clothing wnen
the flrst cold weather ana snow ar
rived. and khaki mas been replaced BY
heavier material with remarkable
Quickness.
The harvesting is progressing slowly
in the fields In front OF tne japanese
army and 10 the southwark. Tnou-
sands Of Chinese are employed as
teamsters and coolies by the Japanese
army; there is, therefore. a great
scarcity OF labor. and as a result many
OF the crops are neglected.
The correspondent Of the Associated
Press rode from Lao Yang 10 New
ehwang and found that surprisingly
little damage had been done to the
grain, considering that two great
armies had fought over the country,
while, with the exception Of a few
buildings which had been burned IA
the Russian settlement at Lao Yang,
there were small evidences Of destruc-
ton. The territory is far from being
as devastated as might naturally have
been expected.
The reports which charged the Jap
anese troops with looting at Lao Yang
were greatly exaggerated. Some Of the
soldiers who first entered Lao Yang.
finding plenty TO drink. helped them
selves and did some looting Of small
articles from the shops, but the con
duct Of the japanese army as a whole
throughout the campaign in respecting
property has been irreproachable.
Conditions at Mukden are bad.
There are 10000 refugees there with.
out resources and in the deepest pov.
erty. The Tartar general is conduct
ing a relief system. to which the
Dowager empress OF Russian has con-
tTibuted.
A committee for the relief OF desti.
tute Chinese throughout Manchuria
has been organized. with Henry d.
Miller. the American consul general at
Newchwang. as chairman.
Missionaries are active. The Japan
ese authorities are assisting them and
have permitted an the missionaries 20
return 20 their posts.
Several doctors are proceeding 10
Lao Yang 20 at;end the Chinese The
japanese army has made liberal dona.
tions 70 The British mission hospital
there and for the rSllef OF wounded
Chinese.