The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-08-19
CHINA DEVELOPING A
GREAT WELL DRILLED ARMY

OF the tremendous possibilities of an
army of Chinese foreign military men
are prompted to consider the ability
OF the Chinese "a soldiers, their apt
ness, their knowledge and appreciation
OF modern methods of warfare and the
development OF their patriotism. on
which much depends.
There is a more immediate interest
III the Chinese army as it stands TODAY.
III It's present state, as opposed to its
possibilities, diplomatists and states
men are taking more interest than
military men. The reason is that upon
the loyalty of the modern system of
organization Inaugurated by the now
dlsgraced Yuan Shih kai the continu-
ance of the Manchu dynasty in power
Is generally thought to depend.
he armies of China are said to in
clude all told between 800. 900 and 600
900 men; but most of the soldiers are
| entirely ineffective except for suppress
ING rIsings of unarmed people. The
Hsuntangtul, comprising the former
Manchu army of the Eight Banners,
the Chinese army of the Green STANDARD
and others, is not to be taken into ac-
count for any serious campaign. It's
forces are little more than armed a.
compared with unarmed men and their
weapons are in most cases obsolete and
i'll kept
But there are in China over 100000
effective soldiers, trained and armed
with modern rifles and rapid fire artil-
lery. These troops, unlike the others.
are schooled in the modern methods of
warfare, many of them are able to read
/ and to write a little and they are of
| ficered by men who have studied in
military colleges abroad or those in
China, where foreign instructors are
employed
| According to the original program
| this new army should increase to the
number of 100000 men in 1913 and to
| ,1S5.000 in 1920; but that it viii be
permitted to develop is a grave ques-
ton to some extent because of the pres
ent political situation.
| It is the plan of the Chinese govern
ment to construct in the next ten years
| Q network of railways. which while de
velOping the country would also enable
the government to move troops to any
frontier. At present an army of a mil
lion men would be largely ineffective
owing to the lack of transport facili-
ties: but there are several reasons why
the execution of this project is uncer-
tain.
One reason is the present hostility of
the people of several if not all of the
provinces TO the system of foreign
loans. bv which alone the government
seems able TO finance the vast railway
projects it has in contemplation. Though
the people object to the government 5
borrowing money abroad. often threat
ening to prevent the construction OF
railways built with foreign money, the
wealthy classes, nevertheless. have not
sufficient confidence to invest their
money in enterprises controlled entirely
by their own people.
The new army has one great value
for the existing government as long as
it remains loyal. Though it may not
be sufficiently effective to defend the
country against aggression it is at least
well able TO protect Picking agains
any revolutionary outbreak which tn
Chinese could bring about
One entire division is composed Of
Manchu troops. while Nanchus arr
scattered throughout the other divisions
Many of the higher officers too are
Manchus, but perhaps the more capa
BILE in both rank and file are found
among the Chinese.
II It is said by the Chinese that tn
Manchus have been ruined as a rae
by the government system of giving t.
. every Manchu a pension according t
his class in life The pension Is no
! sufficient. they explain. to keep a MAJ
without effort on his own part, thong
. | it is enough to make him more or les
| Indifferent 10 labor in a country wher
a livelihood is difficult to get. Thi
pension measure has done much TO kee
alive hostility toward the race of tn
. conqueror. and il would seem that tn
hostility has not been 50 rife in man
| years as it is today.
Reports come from the Yangtse di'
: tricts that the modern soldiers Their
4 ore not thoroughly relied on by the GOV
ernors who put their confidence in tn
\ provincial troops. It is said in Pekin.
] too. that many men of the new arm
Z are supporting the demands of the deli
gates from the various provinces an
4 from Chinese communities over sea
j who are now here to memOTaliZe I'll
= throne for an early opening of the pr
, posed parliament. which has been prom
|. ised for eight years hence.
The present situation in the moder
army is much the same as that wit
the returned students 1t is the MancI
dynasty that adopted the new army ~
tenn. a we'll as the plan Of sending st
dents abroad to acquire a modern co
Iege education. Now that these mt
have attained the enlightenment whic