The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-01
CONDITIONS BAD.
Thirty Thousand Refugees il
Mukden Are iii the Dircst
Poverty,
i(Bv Associated Press.

.
# GEN ERA1, 1SURO1lI'S 1IEADQuhs>>.
TIERS IN TIE FIELD (unduted) via
#Tien Tsin, September 30-- Evening. Tho
most interesting military problem nj pres
ent58is how large a Russian army the
railway can support In Manchuria While
the army Is south Of Hardin. almost all
the necessary. food supplies can be OBJ
tanned III the country, but the farther
north II goes the more 1t must depend
& the Japanese will gain an advantage by
4 having an increased area 10 draw from.
I'M The richest section Of Mnncluria Is
the country of which Lao Yang Is the
n principal market, and the crops In that
section In this season are unusually iarEe.
y Merchants who are acquainted with the
country believe tina II General Kuropat-
Kin should retreat TO Hardin he must
then bring nearly every pound Of food
4 by means OF the railway, especially as
this years crop iii the sungari Valley
has proved d failure. Besides this every
horse for tho Russian commander must
be brought over the railway.
E If winter campaigning is attempted, on
which point there is muclt speculation. !,
will become increasingly difficult after
{ December, because the ground freezes to
SO great a depth as TO render intrench-
ing operations almost impossible. "a
Tho organization of the Japanese army
y continues to be as efficient as It has been
since the beginning OF the campaign.
Most Of the troops were equipped With
winter clothing when the first cold wealth
er ana snow arrived. and khaki has been
replaced by heavier material with remarks
i.ble quickncss
/ Tho railway Will be operated TO Lao
Yang within a week. and through trains
will be running to the front from Dalny
and New CllWanE. 4 III
TIE harvesting Is progressing slowly ~
the folds III front of the japanese army
and to- tic southwark. Thousands yof
s, Chinese nrc employed as fcamsters and
coolies BY the j a pancse army. There
is, Therefore. n great scarcity Of labor
and as Il result many..of the crops are
neglected
'rhe thick millet, which, has been a great
factor in tho movements Of both armies,
has nearly all been rcupcd, and dherc
Z Is now little more thltn bare plains. &.
The correspondent Of tho Associated
Chwang and found that surprisingly little
damage had been done TO the grain,
considering that two great armies hutl
< fought over the country, while with the
exceptions OF few buildings, which
had been burned In the Russian settle
ment at Limo Yang. there were small evil
dences Of destruction. The territory is
1 far from being devastated, as might NAY
urallyE have been expected.
Tho reports which charge the Japanese
troops With lootins ut Lao Yang were
greatly exaggerated. ,..Sonc Of the sol
dicrs, wlio hlxt et,tered Lao Yang. finding
$pIenty{to drink, helped themselves and did
some footing OF small articles from the
shops, but the conduct Of the Japanese
army as a whole throughout the cam
paign in respecting property has been
irreproacnablc The looting done 1T Lac
Yang was insignificant, and, compared
With the looting at Tien Tsn and Pektn
by foreign troops in 1900. 1t is not worthy
OF mention.
Conditions at Mrkdcn are bad, Ihere
are thirty thousand refugees there, with
out resources aih IN the deepest poverty,