Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08

along the Tientsin -Peiping road. Some
distance from the new highway found
my little fiivver which / was driving,
in mud hole with the engine stalled.
I was Tuning and fussing and wonder
ing how I was going to get 1t out and
started, as night was near and I had
no desire to spend the night on the
road, miles from town.
Suddenly up drove handsome Amer
lean limousine chauffered by Chinese
soldier. The passenger, high Chinese
general, noticed my brigade flag and
stopped.
The general, who spoke English, had
his chauffeur tow me out and start the
car, and then he asked why I drove
around in such cheap car. told him
my Government didn't provide more ex-
penSive ones.
We'll" he said, "why don't you buy
one with your own money!"
/ told him couldn't afford to.
"Then," he said, why don't you use
some of the entertainment fund you are
allowed, as commander in chief here,
and buy good carr"
told him we didn't have any enter
tainment fund.
He was greatly amazed. and asked
what my salary was l told him $4,000
year He could hardly believe that.
Well" he said. that's little enough,
but you must make up on the pick
| ings. I told him there were no pick
| ings." 1 doubt whether he believed me.
| Then asked him what he made.
/ We'll, l get $4,000 Mex CHATS
| $4,000 in American money! as salary,
and $4,000 Mex for entertainment, and,
of course, there are the 'pickings (by
which he meant loot.
How much did your 'pickings'
/
"Only $3.50, 1000 Mex" he replied
Soon after we had completed the new
Sino- American stretch of 20 miles an
agent for a low-priced American car
booked orders for 200 machines, and the
agents of other American makes booked
orders for many cars.
The Chinese are poor, but a certain
percentage can and do buy luxurieS.
When / first arrived in Tientsin there
were only 5000 bicycles in the city, and
when I left, less than two years later,
there were $1,000.
If coolies can buy $40 Mex bicycles,
the merchants and officials can buy
motor cars and luxurieS, and as their
! roads improve and are rebuilt the coun-
| try will be a fine market for American
made machines.
Opportunity in China.
An American talking machine COM
pany was having Indifferent success in
China until its Chinese agent suggest
ed that it build a small, cheap set. In
two years the company sold almost
$4,000 $40 instruments.
Business people in China are ready
to receive us with open arms They
trust us. They know we mean them no
harm. But don't try to sell them every
thing: send your representatives over
ana take an interest in them as a ma
ton. They have the complacency we
are looking for any can't find.
We deal in periods of months and
years; they deal in periods of centuries.
They said to us. You have just elect
ed Hoover and you expect your troubles
to be over for four years; we don't ex-
pect our revolution to be over for 800
years.
What difference does it make? The
Manchurians came down upon us and
now Manchuria belongs to us. Japan
Is getting ready to come across now
and In 200 years Japan will be a part
of China. What is the use of fighting
back when we can absorb them. Their
children will marry Chinese, and before
we know 1t they will all be Chinese"
The Chinese appreciated our attitude
toward them and on numerous occa
sions told me how grateful they were
for the presence of the Marines. BY
our attitude of refusing to join with
other nations in any measures against
the Chinese and in any steps to extend
our lines, we caused the others to halt
their ambitious plans, which were SO
obnoxious to the Chinese.
Both factions first the Northerners
and after the shift of power the South
erners, intimated that they even might
protest the withdrawal of our forces.
II the Sd Brigade of the United States
Marines successfully accomplished its
mission In China it was due to perfect
teamwork by its entire nersnnnel