New Britain herald., 1923-12-11
]! BRITISH RULED
 PATCH OF PONGEE
English Government to Give Up
 Right to Valuable Land

washington, D, C., Dec. H. what makes pongee, pongee?' riddle that probably not one out of score of the wearers of the cool summer silk can answer, is tied up in d way with Wei hai-Wei, one of the half dozen or so patches of China that have been un- der foreign control" says bulletin from the Washington, D. C., head quarters of the National Geographic society
 Now il is announced that this patch of pongee- land is to be turned back to its age-old owner as a result of British-Chinese agreement just reached in Picking. Great Britain has held if under lease for the past quar- ter century
 Great Britain's step in taking over control of Wei-hai-wei in 1898 was not due to any economic importance of the place." says tho bulletin, but solely to the fact that if has strategic value as naval base. The year 1897 and 1898 saw the high water mark of territorial acquisition in China by foreign powers, and Great Britain felt impelled to take a part in the procedure, she has explained, by way Of self-protection.
 Moved to Checkmate Russia.
 Germany started the scramble in November. 1897, by seizing the ill-fat- ed Kiaochow Bay, from which she was to be driven by Japan during the world war, and by forcing China to grant her 99-year lease on the sur rounding territory. Almost immedi- ateiy Russia forced from China a a5- year lease on Port Arthur at the southern tip Of Manchuria. Follow ing this Great Britain negotiated for control of Wei-hai-wei, exactly mid. way between the German and Russian ports. She made her reasons for Inc move plain by setting out in ihc agreement that the lease was to run for 25 years or so long as Russia oc- cupies Port Arthur The lease was therefore nominally for 25 years.
 When Japan defeated Russia and took 93-year lease on Port Arthur Great Britain did not extend her Wei. hsi-wei lease correspondingly. and has let it run in the original term. The Britlsh-ruled town of Port Edward will be made into Il sort of treaty port for British residents and traders.
 Chlef Value Naval.
 "Wei-hai-wei is near the tin of shantung's principal peninsula, which. with what may be called for Ameri. can ears the Port Arthur peninsula to the north, almost closes the en- | m sa rt,lF -T Yellow Sea. With Port Arthur. this British territory dominates the water road to Peking's and Tientsin's ports.
 Just ss the Bay of wei-hai.wei is valuable in strategic position, 50 it is valuable physically. for its harhor is deep and sheltered. But in the sphere of geography that lies outside naval considerations the place Is Of small account. Germany's and Japan's Tslngtau had a rich hinterland be- hind fl and became rather d prosper. ons port. But the low. sandy coast lands and rolling hills about wei.hai. wei are not known to contain miner als, and they fall far short Of consti- tnting Garden of Eden agricultural. ly, The regions two bids to fame economically are ground nuts, Of which considerable quantities are produced in the valleys-and pongee silk.
 Oak Fed silk Worms. ITO most persons, no doubt. silk means q fiber spun by domesticated silk wornis fed on mulberry leaves. But the silk industry is different in tho Wei-hai-Hei neiehborhood and other parts Of Shantung. The pougee by which name their silk is known -nnbleached and in its natural color. Is not the product Of domestlcated but of wild silk worms. And they do moi aat mulberry leaves, but browse so 10 speak. on the leaves Of thp scrub oak trees Of the shantuns hills Their ,ocoons arc gathered in large auanti- ties and so the otherwise waste hill ands are made 10 yield a relatively -ieh harvest. Tn returning the wei.hsi-wei icase- hold 10 China, Great Britain will turn back a better region than she re- feived. New plants and animals have 1t en introduced. considerable denud- sd areas have been reforesied. and good roads have been built. Wei-hai. wei has favorable climate and dur | ng the twenty five years of British l occupancy has been used fn certain | ,xtent as q summer resort by Europ- l ans from Hongkons and the south | .rn treaty ports"