Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-07-02
China War ? Years Old Fridov
With No Sign End Is Near
Future Tests Resistance Against
Jopon's Ability to Stond Drain
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI, July 1.-The storm of
war rolling over China reaches its
I'd anniversary July with no signs
Of breaking.
China, though terribly punished,
fights on. Her government has been
driven more than 1000 miles from
the coast. A third of her population
and area, including her richest prov
inces and most of her modern ma
chinery of industry, commerce and
communications, are in japanese
handsome $4,000 square miles
with 170,00O,000 inhabitants.
China's dead are counted by the
millions. Japanese place the Chi
nese military dead alone at 2 ,3OO,O 900.
Neutrals put the total Chinese killed
at 100000, including civilian vic
Tins of air raids.
More than $4,000 900 Chinese have
been driven from their homes or
reduced to restitution.
Trustworthy figures on the money
cost to the Chinese government and
nation are not available, but it is
known that nearly all the available
treasure of an already poor country
has been thrown into the struggle.
Hankow Last Big Victory.
With the fall of Hankow last Octo-
Der Is, at the end of nearly 16
months of war, the phase of major
army operations-an almost unbro-
ken string of Japanese victories
ended.
Now it is test of endurance and
nerves, of China's will to resist
against Japan's ability to withstand
the constant drain of money and
men, the nervous strain of pursuing
the elusive final victory.
Clear-cut victory for either side
seems unlikely under present con-
ditions.
China cannot now muster the Of
fensive strength to drive Japan off
the Asiatic mainland. Without
greatly increasing her present army
OF some 1,250,000 men, Japan can
not risk pushing farther into China S
interior to crush Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek's forces.
Beaten in all the major military
struggles, China is deliberately play
ing for time, discounting the loss of
her greatest industrial centers and
communications lines. She expects
to go on fighting for S, 10 or even
20 years, hoping that will cause
Japan to collapse internally.
Unsuccessful Politically.
In contrast to her military tri-
umphs, Japan's political maneuvers
in China have been conspicuously
unsuccessful. What Japan needs
above everything else today is a
strong Chinese government under
her control. She is still seeking,
somewhat despairingly, for Chi
nese statesman or general of suffi-
Gent stature to head such regime.
After many months in Office, the
Marking and Peiping puppet regimes
exercise only very nominal control,
extending as far as japanese guns
can shoot. Many of the puppet off,
Gals have been assassinated.
The growing uncertainty of ia
pans generals over the duration and
final outcome of the war has caused
them to strike out in a new direction
in an attempt to force third powers
to discontinue their aid to Chang
Kal-Shek.
A steadily more aggressive atti-
tude has been adopted toward neu-
trail nations, especially Great Britain
and France, eliminating in threats
to take over foreign settlements and
concessions by force.
Air Attacks Intensified.
1t has also brought intensifcation
of aerial attacks on an unprecedent-
ed scale, with undefended cities as
the targets of an attempt to smash
China's morale. Nine thousand
civilians died in Chungking alone in
three raids in May.
The japanese believe that by cap
turing the principal cities, railways,
rivers and highways, they would
force the Chinese to come to them
to trade. This hope has not been
realized.
Japanese troops now occupy the
cities and railway lines in seven of
China's % provinces. Their soldiers
and marines have scratched out a
! toehold in five others, mostly along