The Washington herald., 1921-11-19
CHINA GAINS MUCH
FROM OCCUPATION,
WRITES JAPANESE
Claims British, Germans,
And Nipponese Have
Relieved People.
BY MIDoRI KoMATsU.
Especial Correspondent Of the "chugSi
shogyo," japanese

Leaving abstract questions for
later consideration. first will take
up the practical part OF the Chinese
propositions.
China now asks. among many
other things, and Japan. England
and France seem apparently will
ing to return to her 1Uaochow. Wei
haiwei and Kwangchow. No doubt
when such contingency takes
place, Chinese politicians. particu-
larly the student class, will be high
ly gratified. But will the Chinese
common people. inhabiting these
places, who have nothing to do with
politics and diplomacy. be equally
pleased? To this question the an
swer of nine out of ten foreign OBJ
servers. who have seen anything Of
the conditions in China and can form
intelligent judgment, will be an EN-
phatic no"
British Occupation.
/ do not claim any knowledge OF
the conditions obtaining in Kwang-
chow, which France leased in 1895
for ninety-nine years, but 1 know
something about those prevailing in
weihaiwei and Kiaochow. Before
Weihaiwei was leased to England
in 1898 it was a waste tract of land.
inhabited by wretchedly poor ma
tives, who knew practically nothing
of sanitation, with no schools and
no other equipment of civilization
During the twenty years of Brit
ish occupation. the place has been
turned into one of the fairest spots
in the Far East. There are good
schools and hospitals, good roads
have been constructed, hills planted
with trees, diseases stamped out
and the native inhabitants given
just and enlightened administration.
Under British rule, giving security
of life and property, they have be-
come incomparably better off than
they were before. All this will be-
come thing of the past in a few
years after withdrawal of the Brit
ish, and the greatest sufferers in
consequence will be hard-working
law-abiding, common Chinese.
In Japanese Kiaochow.
1t is exactly the same with regard
to kiochow, comprising the CITY OF
Tsingtao. The Germans had con.
verted this end OF the ShantunY
peninsula from a barren. dreary ex-
panse of land into a verdant, healthy
and prosperous place Of human
abode; and the Japanese. upon sue
ceeding to the rights of occupation
as a result OF the great war, have
further improved the conditions
there
am not boasting Of the achiev
ment of my countrymen there. but
! am simply stating the fact that
say that the Chinese in spite OF its
being under japanese domination
md II very good place to live in
much better than many other places
In which Chinese severe enty is up-
heid. In proof, / may quote from
The writing of a foreign observer
who recently visited the place.
What He observed.
The most convincing proof of
hN "llACts lne Japanese
occupation OF Tsingtao has beer
beneficial to the Chinese is the way
the latter have been fock'ng in
since the japanese took the place
For the entire district I found the
Chinese population had Increased
over 80 per cent-from a little over
$4,000 to nearly zoe. 900.
Not bad showing. that. for a
period of only six years. But wait
moment. During the same time
the Chinese population in the mu-
nicipality of Tsingtao itself in
creased to the almost unbelievable
extent of zoe per cent. Now, moth
ing has compelled the Chinese to
rush in to Tsingtao in this way
They have done so because they
wanted to-because they knew that
they could make a better liv'ng
there than elsewhere, and at the
same time be assured of personal
safety and justice and fair dealings
as they cannot be assured at present
under their. own nag"