The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-30


everything of value In shantung,
with the exception OF a British oil
concession, Is in the hands OF the
Japanese and nothing short of al
most complete evacuation OF the
province would satisfy the Chinese.
And while Japan maintains that
this Is necessary to protect her
railroads and disavows any mill
taristic ambition, the lines virtual
ly under military operation make
it impossible for China to mobilize
troops. or ever to hope to throw on
the yoke of foreign equation, or
to undertake any great commercial
development without foreign assist
ance.
~ PPOSITE the island of For
mosa lies the Fukien pro-
~ vince and from 1t another
Japanese scheme of expansion is
underway. It Is the proposed Kiu-
kiang-Foochow line. There is al
ready q provincial line from Kiu-
kiang to Nanchang upon which
japan holds a mortgage for more
than the line Is valued at. japan Is
seeking . sphere of influence" In
this region that Is believed to in
line to Foochov, or Annoy.
OF course. from a military stand
point these actual and proposed
lines are Of inestimable value. They
not only give Japan immediate ad-
vantage in mobility for her troops
in case 1t should become necessary
to use them. but at the same time
make 1t impossible for the Chinese
to mobilize hers.
But tn railway expansion is OF
tremendous Importance In changing
the economic aspect Of the situa-
ton. Due to the nature of China the
routes of commerce fall into certain
well-defined routes, routes about
which the trade with the outside
world has been built up. Any change
in this will naturally effect the
countries. who after long years
have built mp . thoroughly profit
able import and export trade with
China and have invested large sums
try.
China has depended on water
communication for her traffic with
the interior and her greatest cities
are located at vantage points on
these waterways The railways
which were constructed within
modern times naturally followed
the routes of the rivers In order to
reach the important trade and ag-
ricultural centers. The Yang TIE
River. which Is navigable for a
distance of 1000 miles, with
TT -
and the south anc drain large areas
and with its current flowing In the
direction of its foreign trade is the
great determining factor of the
transportation routes in China.
/" HE mouth OF the Yang TIE Is
not only the great converging
L point for domestic commerce,
but 1t also becomes the center of
foreign with domestic trade.
OF scarcely less Importance is the
Gulf of Chill, with Tientsin as its
chief center of commerce. and one
to the south with Canton as its
main port.
A certain portion of Manchuria
drains naturally to Vladivostock
and another portion to Dalny. but
these are of no more Importance
commercially than numerous ports
along the coast of China such as
Foochow. Annoy. Hangchow and
Tsingtao.
The railway systems already are
built, or planned to take direction
in accordance with these facts OF
nature and are designed to bring
traffic to the Tang TIE basin, either
at the head of navigation at Han
kow. or to deem water at Pukow
and Shanghai. The northern lines.
for political reasons, radiate from
Picking. but for commercial Pea-
sons they converge at Tientsin.
In Shanghai International trade
Is favored by an international set
Element and Shanghai becomes the
general point of distribution for
continental Asia north of India. In
Tfentsin the conditions are very
similar.
But this condition, which for so
many years has been reasonably
satisfactory to the foreign trade
Of nationals dealing with China
will change II the Japanese carry
out their plan to extend the Shan
tung railroad into the rich ore
field Of Shahsi.
The Kaomi- Tsuchow branch of
the Shantung line will form q con-
nection with the Lung Hal line
and make Tsingtao a strong COM
petitive port with Pukow and
Shanghai as an outlet port for all |
the territory drained by. this line |
from inner Kansu to the coast. II |
would be comparatively easy to d..
vert traffic from Pukow and ShanE- |
hal by trafiic agreement with the |
Lung Hal line. II these two trunk
lines. the Shahsi-Shantung line and |
the Lung Hal sfngtao line. are |
made to converge at Tsingtao a |
direct cross current Of the now Of |
trade as planned by the Chinese
Railway Administration IL deveIop- |
ed. Shanghai Is deprived Sof the
whole Asfatic northwest as q
hinteriand and Tsingtao becomes |
the focal point for domestic trade.
. HE steamship routes TO
Tsingtao, Dalny and the
i Korean ports naturally be-
come grouped. The trade at these I
ports all II in the hands Of the
Japanese and hence its prffcipal |
foreign source ana destination a
Japan At Kobe. Japan, then
ocean freights would stop. From
and to Kobe there viii ply vessels
which VIII pass by Shanghai on |
their way mp the Yang Tee which