New Britain herald., 1930-08-02
SERVANTS LIKELY
 TOLOSE BY MOVE
Small Army Of PeipinS Chinese
 Threatened by Plan

Peiping, Aug ? (UP)-A com munity of Chinese residents here equal to a good sized town has been alarmed by the prospect that the American Marine Guard and the American Legation will be removed from PIeping to Shanghai. For more than a quarter Of a century, thousands of Chinese have depend ed wholly or in part for their SUD- port upon employment which the American Legation and Guard offer, Withdrawal Of 600 Americans at thfs time would be particularly dis l tressing to the Chinese in Peiping { because the city already is suffering 1 from unemployment created by re- moEal of the capital to Nanking and depressed business due 10 the drop in silver exchange The foreign staff of the customs, the posts. the salt monopoly and several British and American business firms have been withdrawn. and hundreds of Chinese trained as servants to foreigners have been thrown out of work.
 But withdrawal of the 500 Ameri- cans composing the Guard and the Legation staff would be the most serious blow of all. The American standard of living is high accord ing to Chinese standards. and Americans are considered good spenders. The enlisted men in the Guard get more money than other soldiers. and spend it freely. As they have board, room and clothes free. they can spend most Of their pay on luxuries, and generally have done so.
 Hundreds Of Chinese servants have grown up in the service of Americans. as house boys, cooks, chauffeurs, rickshaw- -pullers and coolies. They are hardly prepared 10 work for Chinese or other for (igners. whose notions of cooking and Housekeeping are somewhat different,
 The apprentice system applies in China to household servants as well as skilled artisans. Boys go into kitchen at an early age to learn foreign cooking, and help around the house without pay to learn boy pidgin." These apprentices in many cases are too old to enter other trades, and their own trade appears to be disappearing.
 There are dozens of Chinese ser wants who have worked for the Marine Guard since it was estab- Iished almost so years ago. and consider themselves a part of the guard. They are utterly dismayed by the recommendation made by the American minister that the Guard be withdrawn.
 Some of these Chinese servants are Characters, who are better known to American members of the Guard than most of their fellow Americans Several Of the mess boys have been developed into fair ly good prizefghters under tutelage of American soldiers. and appear as preliminary fighters in contests be- tween Marine and Army boxers These servants have lived with the Guard since they were small boys
 It is estimated that ten thousand Chlnise are almost entirely depend ent upon the American Legation and Guard for support at present An ordinary American family in Peiping often employs six Chinese servants, and each servant has family, with a large average. Ii is not uncommon for 3n Chinese to de- rive their entire support from 8 single American family.
 So the Chinese in Peiping are hoping that the Legation and Guard~ will remain here. They care noth- ing about Sovereign rights" but rice and radishes (the Chinese equivalent Of bread and butter) are far more important,