Evening star., 1941-12-30
Burma Road Abuses
Declared Reduced,
Shipments Speeded
Traffic Up Skiold
In Lost Two Months,
Official Sources, Say
By BLAIR BOLLES.

Burma road traffic into Chung
king has increased skiold during
the last two months, official sources
here said today in commenting on
reports of graft and irregularities
in the use and supervision OF the
road.
It is felt the flow is considerably
In excess of what normally might
have been expected after the sub
sidence of the summer floods, which
impede the dispatch Of the goods
from Rangoon northward into
China.
The American Government re-
portedly is satisfied with the prog
ress made in the improvement OF
the roads use as a real lifeline to
keep China well armed for the fight
with Japan. This Government Is
said to be well aware of all the facts
relating to the roads use.
The increased traffic on Burma
road is said to result from institu-
ton of reforms concerning the use
and control of the road which fol-
lowed the visit to the Burma road
region of Daniel Arnstein, New York
taxicab operator and traffic author
ity, invited to the Far East by the
Chinese government.
Some Abuses Admitted.
It was learned that Mr.. Arnstein
In his full report on the road, which
was never made public, granted
there were some abuses in connec-
ton with the road and outlined
procedure for remedy. 1t Is said Of
ficially that most Of the abuses have
been eliminated.
Goods of war now make up the
bulk of material transported over the
road, it was said. A regulation re-
Gently effective requires that every
other truckload admitted to the
road be made up of war material.
This reduces the use of the road for
private purposes.
Reports have reached Washington
of friction between British and Chi
nese officials over handling the
Burma Road supplies. as an added
difficulty to the problem of getting
goods of war from the United States
across the Pacific, into the Bay of
Bengal, up to Rangoon, north to the
China border and then over 1000
miles of mountains to Chungking,
the temporary Chinese capital.
The Chinese government has
asked the British to be given the
right to police the part of the road
which lies in British Burma, accord
ing to a reliable authority here. One
of Mr.. Arnstein's chief problems
was the arrangement for adequate
patroling of the winding roadway in
China.
Important to America.
The American Government Is
only slightly less interested in the
Burma Road than the Chinese gov
eminent, which gets the bulk of its
American-made war material over
the road, and the United States
has exercised a measure of control
over the road since it opened.
Diplomatic problems have added
TO the problems arising out of greed
and banditry in connection with the
road. The Burmese governments in
sistence over long period that it
should collect duties on goods land
ed at Rangoon for transhipment
to Lashio and the Burma Road
melted only after long diplomatic
conversations carried on by the
United States.
The floods of the Irrawaddy River
In Burma make the use Of the rail-
road from Rangoon to Lashio al
most impossible at some seasons.
The United States has further
olans for improving the Burma Road
service. it was learned, although de-
tails are not available here. A large
American Burma Road delegation
eventually will be set up to see that
the reforms recently instituted are
preserved.