Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-12-02
CERMANIzED CITY IS
BECOMING JAPANESE
Chinese Port of Using Tao Is
Rapidly Losing Character of
Teuton Builders.

Islng q (by mail.)--Few traces
femain of the long siege which robbed
the Germans of this model city and
turned it into Japanese hands. BY
means OF ~aeroplane scouts the Japanese
were able to direct the fire of their big
guns against the forts of the heights
surrounding Tsing-tao SO accurately
tnat ilttle damage vas done to any
thlng but the military strongholds. A
few stray shells landed in the city.
/ Pieces of shell did slight damage to
the American consulate. The Brazilian
! consulate was wrecked. A corner was
knocked off the PrinZ Heinrich hotel.
a p~retentiouS building on the water
front But all damaged walls have been
repaired and the beautiful city which
tne Germans carved out of the granite
hills facing Kio-Chow bay is moving
along peacefully, little changed except
Ing that Japanese have replaced Ger
! mans.
Instead of $500 Europeans h lived
IN Islng-tao previous to the siege,
1880 Japanese have settled here.
Many OF these nave opened up shops
and taken over business which the Ger
mans conducted. The Japanese gov
eminent discouraged this rush to
TsinS-tao, which was overdone to the
extent that many of the new shops
nave had to close.
Military necessity" has enabled
AANlSti " lohC oNSl Il
private Institutions as we'll as the pub
l1Sh buildings. Lieutenant Colonel
4oshimura, the military governor, oc-
cupies the handsome stone structure
formerly used by Colonel Waldeck, the
German governor of the concession,
who is now a prisoner in Japan. This
imposing building surmounts a high
knoll in the heart Of the European sec
ton OF The city IL the great white
rag with the red moon in 1t which
floats from the lefty tower is the first
thing which meets the eye Of a visitor
entering Tsing-tao on the railway
manned by japanese.
A japanese garrison Of one battalion
occupies the barracks on the nights
overlooking the city. Japanese soldiers
police he city and two regiments of
Japanese are scattered along the 246
miles of railway built by the Germans
to connect their seaport with the rail-
way system which touches Peking.
Tien-tsin and Shanghai and connects
those centers with the Yang-tsekiang
and other great rivers penetrating the
interior of mir
General Ohtani commands he Jap
anese forces in Tsing-tao and along
the Shangtung railway. Baron Funa-
koshi, who was attached to the Japan
csc embassy at Berlin before the war.
but left that city previous to Japan's
declaration Of hostilities. is in charge
OF what the Japanese call a diplomatic
bureau" an organization designed to
look after claims and international
questions growing out of the war con-
ditions. The American consul, M. r.
Peck, returned to Tsing-tao immedi-
ately after the siege and is looking
after the interests Of Americans and
b~elltgerents in a semi official way. He
has no official standing and is in much
the same position as American cunsuls
in Belgium. To apply for official
recognition from the Japanese would
imply admission by the United States
of Japan's sovereignty in Tsing-tau
and the entire Kiao-Chow concession
held by Germany. This comprises an
area of man square miles along Kiao-
Chow bay in addition to the city OF
Tsing-tao proper, but does not include
the town Of Kiao-Chow, which is fire.
quently confused with the concession
bearing the same name.
Rumors are in circulation in Using
tao that the Japanese will soon estab-
lish a civil government in the conceS-
sion, but no official announcement has
been made. Japan has turned the
customs Over to China, under japanese
supervision. retaining 20 per cent OF
the receipts for operating purposes
Broadly speaking, Japan now stands
just where Germany did before the waI
in relation to the concession. Japan
has substituted it's name for Germany
throughout the treaty agreement be-
tween China and Germany, granting
the Germans the 99-year lease on tho
seaport territory and the right to build
RAILWAYS in S~hantupu proyjnce