Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-23
Commercial Regiment
May Invade China in
Business Conquest

| tCorre spondsnce Associated Press
| Pcking, April "A commercial rcg-
ment for China composed of young
| y american business men subject to wal
service, who while serving their coun-
/ try will at the same time form the
skirmsh line of an American CONNER
! cial army to invade China after the war.
IS one of the possibilities if rccommen-
dations by the American minister. DR.
Paul S. Reisch, to the war and state
departments at Washington are
needed.
The idea of a commercial regiment
originated with Major Arthur Bassett
VI the United States army, stationed in
rtentSin. Hts plan was suggested to
Minister ReinsCh and by the latter sub
nitted TO Washington for Consdera-
/ ton.
The idea" said Major Rassett. lis
briefly, to take young men with bust
ness experience or who expect TO fol-
low a business career who are drafted
into the army and instead of sending
them to France orsanize them into a
special regiment and send them TO
China. These men could get their mill
ttilN lAEalilIlS Ilttt just DIS tlltl ouS NY
as elsewhere and at the same time &C
Quire grounding in Eastern CONNER
cial methods. They would relieve
troops now stationed here who would
/ he available for service on the western
front
The North China School OF Ian
guages, which is already doing good
work in teaching the northern or Man
! DARN Chinese has tentatively promised
to open a branch Of the school in TEN
tsin to teach American troops, as
have suggested. At the same time ar
ransements could easily be made for a
course Of instruction in Chinese COM
mercial methods and business oppOr-
tunities. With a knowledge of the Ian
guage and with facilities for observa-
| ton which could he assured, each man
at the close OF the war would become
q factor for the promotion Of American
| trade in China.
In the past trading has been done
from the treaty ports whence the
| Chinese took the goods into the interior
| and marketed them. The Japanese,
however, have more or less broken
away from this practice; they have
! penetrated mo Tie iIittl lbl anu ia e
made it necessary for the old method
{ of combining operations to treaty ports
to be done away. If Western nations
are to compete for this Chinese bust
ness, a large number of young business
men who speak the language and know
! the customs and practices of the people
I'LL he !r5i:rccsah ln They nust he
able to go into the interior and market
their goods direct.
| "In order to accomplish this the old
| trade regulations which have been IN
force in the past will have to be modi-
| fed so as to permit foreigners to trade
more freely in the interior. There
must be cooperation among western
powers to get the Chinese to agree to
| this modification. This is the only way
We shall ever be able to compete on an
equal basis After such modification
has been accomplished. it will be up to
the individual. NY idea is to have
young trained men on the ground
capable of getting the business.
There are really great commercial!
opportunities here in China. and it looks
as though this would be the commercial
battle ground after the war. If they
are to hold their own in this contest
western nations must prepare now for
the struggle"