The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-13
World Front
By HARRY CANNES

THE airplane is becoming
L one of the most powerful
weapons of imperialist domi-
nation. In China it is now the
chief weapon of a t ia c k
against the Soviet districts.
So far has the use of the
bombing plane gone that theoretical
articles on it's utilization appear in
the foreign language press in China.
We refer to one particularly by
Wilbur Burton, 1.-The Airplane:
Most Effective Weapon of State
Ever Devised and Its Application
in China"
1.-THE airplanes, of course" writes
Mr.. Burton, cannot be used indie
pendently of other weapons. Aerial
flights alone will not end a revolt.
But the airplane may drop propa-
ganda literature or warnings in a
given area-or it may drop high ex-
plosives or poison gas bombs. The
usual technique is to drop propa-
ganda literature and /or warnings
first, and follow up with high ex-
plosives if necessary. Poison gas
has so far been used infrequently-
but it is a last resort that cannot
be ignored, for while high explo-
siyes are unlikely to kill more than
a few persons, poison gas could wipe
out the population of an entire
region"
NER. BURTON'S article, of course,
lu is mainly an advertisement for
the American bombing planes which
are now flooding China.
Chang Kai Shek in his desperate
effort to destroy some of the Soviet
districts, is resorting to the whole
sale use of explosives and poison
gas dropped from American bomb
ing planes.
Against these ferocious attacks
the Red Armies are abandoning
some of their previous territories
which they could hold against hun
dreds of thousands of Kuomintang
troops but which cannot be de-
Tended against air attacks of the
kind described by Mr.. Burton. Huge
sections of the Red Army are NOV
ing to Szechuan province in order
to consolidate the tremendous gains
of the Red Army there in a terri
| tory less approachable by bombing
planes.
IN Szechuan the situation is as
follows, according to a capitalist
news source in Shanghai: THE
provincial forces are still on the
defensive, while the Communists
are taking the offensive. Gen
eral Chang Kai-shek has sent
100000 rounds of ammunition for
the use of the Szechuan troops and
has instructed General Liu Hsiang
to resume his duties at once.
Many students have been impressed
into military service by the troops
OF General Liu Hsiang. 1t is under
stood that, as result of the recent
operations against the Communists
in Northern Szechuan, more re-
cruits are necessary to fill up the
vacancies in the army At first
ricksha pullers and workers were
impressed, but as they went into
hiding the recruiting units began
to visit schools to impress students
into service"
ONE of our correspondents in
" Shanghai sends us the following
information on the use of airplanes
in the colonial countries for war,
for war preparations and for ex-
ploitation of the countries:
The great Royal Dutch Airlines,
K. L. M. (Koninklijke Luchtvaart
Maatschappij voor Nederland en-
Kolonien), is planning to make an
extensive aerial survey and map
ping of New Guinea for syndicate
formed by the Royal Dutch Shell
Oil Co., Standard Oil of N. j., and
Standard Oil of California. 1t is
an undertaking which will cost
about one million dollars. At pres
ent there are no aerodromes in New
Guinea, the nearest being the ter
minal Of the Dutch K. l.. M. at
Bandoeng, Java, and the terminal
of the Quantas Empire Anyways,
Ltd, at Darwin in the northern
territory of Australia. The British
Imperial Always intends to start
service shortly on long line con-
Meeting Singapore with Darwin,
over the route recently flown in
the MacRobertson races.
The kind of air survey contem-
plated is not only of value in locat-
ing suitable places for military and
civil airdromes and the like, but
will give enough of the geophysical
details of the land to reveal possible
mineral and oil resources worthy Of
exploitation.
The Curtiss- Wright Corporation
finds that its subsidiary, the Gen.
trail Aviation Manufacturing Com
! pany, located at Shien Chiao, Hang
chow, China, for assembling the air.
planes purchased by parties in
China, is operating very profitably.
Aside from the small directing staff
of highly paid American experts,
the factory is manned by staff of
100 natives from whom the total
weekly payroll is under 500.
General Chang Kai-shek and
General Chen Chi Tang have
opened up ferocious drive against
all revolutionary forces in Kuomin-
tang territory, simultaneously with
their renewed attack against the
Soviet districts. In Shanghai, on
Oct. Is, over 80 workers were ar
rested, charged with being Commu-
nists, and face execution.
In Canton, the Public Safety Bu-