Evening star., 1941-11-13
First of a Series.)
By LELAND STOWE,

Special Correspondence of The Star and
Chicago Daily News
RUNNING, Southwest China
(via Clipper The first thousands
of tons of Americas huge allot-
ment of lend aid for China
are now rolling, laboriously but
steadily, up over the Yunnan Noun
tains and over the saWtoothed,
gorge-bitten road which is undoubt-
edly the most famous and signif1-
cant highway of our day. These
tons of war materials constitute
the initial wavelet of lease-lend
flood which has already been chan
neled out of Washington appro-
priations to the tune of half
billion dollars. or perhaps more.
This is why the Burma road, with
the current opening of the dry sea-
son, is beginning the largest and
the most critical period in its 'ex-
istence.
We have just spent five days
traversing the 3.500-foot climbs and
downward plunges of the Burma
road in a caravan of American
lease lend supplies. We have seen
at first hand both the enormous
physical obstacles which Chinese
patience and ingenuity have over
come and the equally formidable
difficulties in organization and ad-
ministration which must be con-
ouered in the next six months.
Capacity to be Taxed to Limits.
For by January it is estimated
that virtually all of the cargo trans
ported over China's lifeline should
be American aid materials. except
for gasoline. This means inevi-
tably that the capacity OF the
Burma -Yunnan highway will soon
be taxed to its limits, including the
limits of Chinese political and pro-
vincial cooperation and also OF
transport reorganization.
You can get hint of the physical
problem involved from the fact that
the number of lorries leaving Lashio,
in Burma was doubled in June-de-
spite the full flush of the rainy sea-
son-over the number of departures
recorded last March; perhaps even
more so by the further fact that
today over three times as much traf-
fic is entering Wanting on the
Yunnan frontier as was rumbllng
in one year ago. But you can
scarcely appreciate the remaining
reorga anizational task along the en-
tire mile grapevine of the Burma
road unless you are we'll acquainted
with its previous history and with
China. or unless you have travelled
it yourself.
Five days is very fast time, as we'll
as pretty rough going. for trip over
these bronco busting mountains.
and down into the depths of the
Salween and Mekong River gorges.
In caravan of heavy trucks 1t
would have taken us at least twice
and possibly three times as long
But We were so fortunate as to
hook up with a fleet of q Ford
super-de luxe sta ton wagons desig-
mated for the Chinese air force and.
comparatively speaking. We Travelled
soft if anything can be described
as soft when rolling up and down
hundreds of halrpin curves. hour
after hour and day after day, be-
tween attitudes of 5000 and 5000
feet Anyhow. you had no chance
to doze or get bored, even if you did
have plenty of chances-one kind
or another
Through China's Back Door.
Peter RoWlands young Quaker
Red Cross man newly arrived from
England. and a young Chinese vet
erlnary returning from Edinburgh
also joined up with the station
wagons. When we left Lashio the
handsome yellow and green flivvers
were loaded with American automo-
billie tires talso lease-lend) and later
on each carried 500-pound drum
of gasoline With our equipment
thrown in that provided lots of load,
but weight is welcome over a road
like this, especially when rain
greases the roadbed for nearly half
the trip.
Over the Burma road you come
IN through China's back door and
t. ats an idea, certainly a most
educational way to enter China
For until the Japanese invasion
occurred all of Western Yunnan
was one of Chinas inland closed
doors. Over all the long route from
Wanting. through Paoshan, Hsia-
kwan and hu'hsiung to RUNNING,
you traverse wild uplands which
for thousands of years have known
nothing more than rare trails and
occasional cart paths linking vii
lagos and towns. This is part of
Chinas hinterlands which tourists