Evening star., 1941-12-30

SlllIld 5 NdtlUIldl INcoUulCC SOlli-
mission dispatched a convoy from
Lashio paying tonnage rates exactly
double the established tariff. In
Lashio early in October Chinese
government official was promising to
fix delivery of commercial or con-
traband shipment of goods to Kun
ming and offering to pay nearly four
times the regular tonnage rates.
Such things merely are an ordinary
Burma road phenomenon but ex-
plain why the road has been the
biggest squeeze and biggest racket
of the Far East for the past three
years.
Due to the personalities involved
many such incidents also explain
why the abuses have gone un-
checked.
Gasoline Richest in Graft.
Perhaps the richest subject for
graft connected with the Burma
Road has been gasoline because
motor fuel is one of the chief lacks
inside China and the black market
prices make it liquid gold, Sixty to
80 per cent Of cargo over the road
has often been the average for gas
oline, including high octane for avia-
ton. Vast quantities Of this precious
fuel have constantly disappeared
from trucks to the enrichment of all
parties to the contraband trade.
Gasoline is simply delivered to
dumps inside China usually under
fictitious names and then it simply
never reaches its supposed destina-
ton. No Chinese representatives
along the road have ever altered this
situation. Gas sells in Running for
as much as $160 gallon-to pri-
vate persons, of course.
In Running streets you see an
enormous number of new American
limousines especially Bucks. very
few of which are owned by the gov
eminent or army officials.
Chungking also has a great many
automobiles owned by private citi-
zens despite the fact that the gaso-
line and motorcar shortage is sup
posedly very great. War profteers
and flxers inside government de-
partments ride well.
Abuses Threaten Lives.
Even in Rangoon the majority of
fine automobiles, particularly new
American makes. are owned by Chi
nese representatives of the Burma
road and other Chinese agencies or
private enterprises. These same
prosperous Chinese have taken q
large proportion of the finest sub
urban houses near Rangoon. Their
number has increased markedly
since the lease-lend shipments began
to arrive several months ago.
Until the lease-lend to China was
inaugurated the Burma road racket
was chiefly vicious for its seriously
weakening effect upon China s
armed strength, upon her industrial
capacity and upon the morale of
her people. 1t still exercises the
same effects, but now that China
and the United States are allies
the Burma road abuses definitely
threaten to throw much larger
burden Of combat throughout East
ern Asia upon the Americans and
the British. They threaten, also
unless wholesale cleanup is soon
made through all the Burma road
agencies, to cost an inestimable
number of American and British
lives in the next year or two-lives
which might be saved provided
China is made capable of an all
out effort on her own fronts.
But China will never be capable
of doing her armed utmost in the
field until Burma road abuses and
racketeers are abolished. She can
not do her utmost without regularly
receiving the maximum of bonafide
war materials over the Burma road
nor can her allies do their utmost
to help her.
The Burma road scandal has be-
come an urgent war problem fo,
the American Government and the
American people, quite as much a.
Tor the Chinese government. II
would not have become that had il
not been for uncurbed cupidity on
the part Of q considerable number
OF Chinese authorities, both official
and private, in connection with the
Burma road over the past three
years.
tcopyrisht 1e41, by Chicago Daily News