The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1917-03-24
CHINA HELPING OUT ALLIES
Chinese Being Shipped to France to Work
in Fields and Factories

The pick of Chinese skilled and
partly skilled laborers is being sent
from Tien-tsin, China, to France, at
the rate of more than 1000 a week
and from Indo-China to France in at
least equal numbers. mainly to work
in French munition factories, accord
ing to representative of one of the
largest British manufacturing and
trading concerns in China, now on a
visit to the New York branch of the
company.
They are carried over to France at
the rate of between 1000 and 5000 a
ship, he says. It does not take a
large ship to carry 1000 Chinese. for
they go practically as freight. A
Chinese can flourish in a space that
would hardly do a white man for his
grave.
Only the best selected stock is 60
ing to France from Tien-tsin. A
large percentage of the men are six
feet tall. For the most part they
are Chinese who have learned some
thing about machinery in British
mills and factories or in construction
camps. Some are agricultural labor
ers, taken to France to increase food
production.
The expectation of Chinese to
France has been going on at Tien-
tsin for considerably more than a
year, and the number of Chinese now
in France. including those from
French China, is probably consider
ably more than 100000.
There is no doubt of the great val
ue of these Chinese in adding to the
man-power of France. They are
hard workers and, while they have
not quite the stamina of Europeans.
they are willing to put in long hours
and live on very little. Only those
are taken who are found to be of
better intelligence than the average
Chinese workmen. Generally speak
ing. three of them would be equal to
two Europeans in the less skilled la
Dor connected with making muni-
tions. They rank even higher as
agricultural laborers.
There is an inexhaustible stock of
Chinese fit to meet the required
standards. and the loss of those who
have gone has hardly been percept-
ible on industries in China.
With each shipment of Chinese go
several Europeans, usually English
men who talk Chinese. They act as
gang foremen to interpret orders to
the Chinese workmen. The Chinese,
however, is quick. when he is in a
foreign country, to get enough of
the language to enable him to do
without an interpreter.
The English and French officers
and civilians who are recruiting Chi
nese in Tien-tsin and thereabouts
have no difficulty getting all the men
they want. No trickery or shanghai
ing has ever been resorted to.
The authority who has brought
this information to New York ex-
presses this opinion: 1T is almost
certain that before the war is over
Chinese colonies will have established
themselves in France, and possibly
in every European country. While
the Chinese who go to foreign
land always intends eventually to
return to China, and often do. they
have always stuck to new lands.
where they have once got a foothold.
as in the United States. After set
Ting for some time they usually
send home for women, and there is
soon a younger generation with a
good deal of the Oriental worn
off. No women. however, have ac-
companied the Chinese who have left
Tien-tsin so far"