Evening star., 1925-06-14

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trucks-and are motivated by sails.
These huge boats shelter families. who
never step on land, from birth to
death. There are river junks and sea
going junkS with big eyes painted on
their bows so that they may see where
they are going.
Sampans, Junks and River Traffic.
Many are anchored in crowded
waterways, like Soochow Creek, so
that it seems impossible for them
to move one way or the other. They
differ in characteristics, those around
Hongkong having sails mellowed deep
brown, patched and tattered, while
those around the YangtZe have sails
generally of duh gray, woven like kin
dergarten mats and lacking the eyes
considered so necessary in the South
ern ports. The trip from Hongkong to
Shanghai was made a nightmare by
the junks which cut across our bow
in order to get rid of the evil spirits
by having us just escape hitting their
sterns Sidewise. A heavy fog hung
about us, and we wended our way
up the treacherous coast, seeing
nothing and hearing only weird, pierc-
ing shrieks from Chinese throats, or
the eerie wall of conch shell whistles,
and occasional scraping against the
side of the ship as one of the clumsy
craft came too close. In Hongkong
the junk that brought the pilot out
to us was sculled by a woman with
baby on her back. There were two
men forward managing the sail and
two more women with babies in the
center of the boat. Every once in
a while one or more would disappear
below some place. There was evident
ly a sort of cabin housing entire fami-
lies. We had tragic experience in
June with the upper Yangtze River
Junkmen, when an American by the
name of Hawley was brutally beaten
to death. The YangtZe River biSects
China and is navigable by junks for
l,7O0 miles; so it forms the main trade
artery, absorbing about 60 per cent of
the entire foreign trade. Naturally
the junkmen, who have for genera
tions piled back and forth, earning
their meager livelihood, resent the in
PRODUCTION of steam carriers as an in
fringement on their monopoly. No one
who could afford to ship by foreign
steamboats, would continue to patron
1ze these slow, unsafe junks, subject
not only to treacherous currents, but
also to frequent robbery by bandits
pseudo customs officials: However,
some kind of an agreement was reach
ed whereby the carrying of wood oil
was SiNSI " lilS JullhS, except LOT GER
tain months of the year when the river
was high and temptingly opportune for
the running of foreign ships. 1t was
within the agreed time that Mr.. Haw-
ley was loading his vessel for Brit
ish owned company, at Wahnsien.
The Hawley Murder.
The junkmen. with threats against
the life of any foreigner who attempt
n La ,~,x fv,a Il,y
reSorted to force and broke I'D the
crates and boxes. Mr.. Hawley, with
true Yankee recklessnesS and disre-
gard of danger. rushed single handed
to the rescue of the goods which had
been intrusted to his care. Such an
action in drama and literature is al
ways rewarded with success; but not
often in real life. AS there was no
American gunboat in the port, a Brit
ish commander demanded that instant
punishment be meted to the murderers,
and that the officials of the town should
honor the dead man by marching in
his funeral procession. This prompt
and decisive handling of the situation
was of inestimable value in the pres
ervation of the lives of other foreign
ers. For the two men found guilty
were ordered publicly executed: which
was done in the case of one, and the
the penalty for him according to
Chinese law. Now the Junkmen's
Guild will not be so apt to murder
foreigners; but they have threatened
the lives of all compradores (Chinese
executives of foreign companies), as
well as those of their families, if they
send foreign ships up the Yangtze
with certain specified cargoes.
The Chinese are a f1sh-eating ma
a hn VI
see big nets attached to stakes near
the shore and to fishing junks. 1t is
a common thing to meet Cinnamon
strolling down the city streets with
huge fish on the ends of sticks-look-
ing as though they had just pulled
them out of the river. And on drying
racks in front of native houses YOU
can always see land smelly a varied
assortment of what in crossword
puzzle would be designated as cold
hlooded, aquatic animals" In fact,
/ found one the size of a small shark
suspended from my front window one
day; until l ordered it's prompt re-
moval-after which it hung from the
back.
Chinese Division of Labor
When commenting on the cheap
ness of Chinese labor it must be en-
the work of one American. In one
industry it is contended that it takes
five Chinese to do the work of one
American, and in one household (my
OWN / can state positively that it
takes eight Chinese to do the work
of four. Domestic positions in China
are held by specialists-and the aver
age household servant is not a coolie.
The cook. boy, missy amah, are es-
sentials of every home-and rank as
professionals. Then there must be
coolies, or learn pidgins,' to do the
dirty work. This means a wash
amah and a house coolie. If you have
front yard you must have a gar
dener, and usually an outdoor coolie
to wait on him. Also for a car you
are required by custom to employ
chauffeur, even If you prefer to drive
it yourself; otherwise you will find
your tires shredded and accessories
stolen. Living in an apartment, with
no garden, but car, we require six
servants, for whom we provide lodg
ing. but supposedly not board, and
a sew-sew amah, who comes in three
DAYS a week to do mending. How