The Ely miner., 1929-09-06

ANCHURIA, whose important
MI east-west railway, the Chi
AV1 nese Eastern, has been the
bone of contention between
China and Russia, is an empire in it.
self. The state of Texas along with
New York and Pennsylvania might be
fitted into Manchuria and still leave
enough room for New Jersey. In this
domain of vast size is a mixed popu-
lation of Chinese, Koreans, japanese
and Russians which numbers between
2O,0O0,O00 and 25,000,000. So near to
China's swarming deltas and Japan's
overcrowded islands, it is still land
of great open spaces. This is sig
niticant fact in Manchuria' politics.
For while Japan and China COM
peted by sending in streams of immi-
grants; but in late years the Chinese
stream has become dominant owing to
its lower scale of living.
This northern dependency Of China
is shaped like a giant jaw tooth whose
roots touch the Great Wall where it
reaches the sea and whose crown
forms the south bank of the Amur
river. This tooth is the wedge which
separates Russia and Mongolia on
the one side and Japanese Korea and
the narrow strip of Russian territory
along the Sea Of Japan on the other.
1t is land where empires meet, and,
having met, build railroads.
Manchuria is better served in the
matter of railway lines than any other
part of China. After the treaty of
Portsmouth, which ended the Russo
Japanese war, the railways were di-
vided. Japan took over matters in the
root of the tooth and Russia those in
the crown. So it stood until a few
weeks ago when the Chinese ousted
Russian railway officials and seized
the line. Japan still maintains her
own rights in the leased territory
surrounding Port Arthur and Dairen
and along the railway concession run
ming north almost to Harbin.
Dairen, Manchuria's chief seaport,
shas been largely japanese built and
resembles other cities of Japan ex-
eept that it is worked out on a more
modern and magnificent scale. It's
docks and harbor equipment are COM
parable with the great seaports of the
world.
Hardin, the metropolis of the north,
is purely Russian. 1t lies on the
banks of the Sungari river at the point
of change from trans-Siberian trains
to the southern connections with
Peiping and Tokyo. Harbin now shell
ters great numbers of exiles from the
old regime in Russia.
Mukden the Focal Point.
Mukden, the provincial capital, lies
in the plains of central Manchuria and
is the focal point of three empires.
Here the Chinese and Japanese and
Europeans each have their distinct
cities, three in one. Modern Japanese
business and residential blocks sur
round the railway station where the
traveller from Chosen (Korea) or
Peiping alights. disreputable ve-'
hicle with lines reminiscent of old
Russia bears the tourist through
struggling European quarter to the
gates of the high-walled Chinese city
two miles away. japanese, Russians
and Chinese meet but do not mingle.
The japanese quarter is a splendid
example of colonial efficiency. Streets
are straight, broad and hard paved.
Bazaars are filled with the latest prod
ucts from japanese farms and fac
tories-luscious yellow persimmons,
dainty tea sets, and gorgeous fowered
cotton kimono cloth done up in one
garment bolts. There are hospitals,
schools and police stations, electric
lighted and presided over by the lat
est products of the imperial educa-
tional system. Over the railway sta
tion is an excellent European style
hotel, complete with brass beds and
tile baths.
A short drive in the rickety Russian
droskie and all is changed. The air
grows heavier with strange odors.
Gray brick Russian houses straggle
along bumpy road bordered by open
drains. with millet and sweet potato
fields stretching beyond. Occasional
recently built Chinese structures give
the appearance of new patches on an
ancient garment.
This is the so-caIled international
settlement and is well named.
Wretched looking white Russian refu-
gees abound. Korean women smoke
their pipes in half-open doorways.
Occasionally European consular
compounds form islands of respecta-
bility; the American consulate, oc-
cupying a series of large and gaudy
temple buildings, being particularly
imposing, while stately Georgian
structure upholds the dignity of Great
Britain.
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