Evening star., 1942-01-08
Nv LLOYD LEHRBAS.

The Japanese Army has an elite
corps called the special service
section" which-on the basis of its
record in past Japanese conquests
can be expected to play . major
role In exploitation Of the Philip
pines.
What the S. s. s. is doing in Ma
Mia Is yet to be disclosed, but tho
known record OF its widespread op-
erations in occupied China shows
the possibilities.
The special service section" Is
the army's hand-picked and power
full unit for accommodating vast funds
for operations for which no ac-
counting is ever made, and for per-
mitting high-ranking Officers to
feather their own nests in the proc
ess-all at the expense Of the con-
quered peoples.
The Japanese Army itself main
tains the polite fiction of the Sa-
mural code of spotless incorruptt-
bility, relegating to the S. s. S. .
monopoly on plundering occupied
territories.
Profits Still Piling Up.
Japanese officers, frequently in
uniform, direct its operations down
to the smallest detail, and Japanese
"ronin" (gangsterS and Korean
camp followers do the dirty work.
Profits in occupied China-which
are still piling up-amount to mil
lions OF dollars annually from spe-
cial licenses, taxes, fees, monopoly
exactions, protection payments, cut
on narcotic sales and ransoms from
kidnapings.
After many years. and against
great odds, the Chinese government
had finally made considerable prog
ress i'm eradicating opium smoking.
Within a few days after Japanese
troops occupied areas around
Shanghai gigantic Japanese
dominated opium monopoly sprang
up, with the S. S. S. providing the
opium and other narcotics, furnish
ing protection, and handling all
finances.
A special United States Treasury
agent in Shanghai forwarded to
Washington a comprehensive report
on the detailed operations, naming
the japanese S. S. S. officers.
Opium Dives Licensed.
Opium smoke curled in the wake
of the advancing japanese Army.
Nine. Chang Kai-shek, wife OF the
generalissimo. charged that the jap
anese had set out on deliberate
campaign to drug the Chinese into
q nation of slaves.
An American missionary, in a de-
tailed survey of the Japanese
sponsored narcotics business in
Nanking, counted more than 500
opium dives which were licensed
and protected by the S. S. S. and
estimated that one in eight Of Nam
kings population had become users
of narcotics.
Almost as soon as the army had
sentries posted along the borders OF
the International Settlement at
Shanghai after conquest OF the
Chinese area in November, 1887, the
s. S. S. began selling licenses for
gambling houses and brothels. and
collecting percentage Of all profits.
At the hollywood, "Bee-Ba-Bo,"
Flower Club" and two-score more
gambling houses seen by many
Americans and other foreigners the
customer could play everything from
roulette to craps. with free pipe OF
opium, a pretty little Cantonese girl,
and a free taxi ride home.
An American off1cial reported
that a main residential street in
Peiping leading to the American
school was lined with Japanese
S. S. S. brothels, and that the once
proud capital of the Chinese en-
pire had "at least" 1000 entertain
ment establishments" with a month
" income of $7,000,000 (Chinese
currency.
One Japanese major had the mo-
nopoly on taxing all eggs and egg
products shipped down the Yangtze
River from Nanking. one OF the
worlds greatest producing CEN
tiers. which normally sent shiploads
of frozen and packed and canned
eggs to Europe. He collected hand
somely, pocketed part OF the levy,
passed some on to his superior of1l-
GERS, and contributed the remainder
to the S. S. S. Golfers.
Another officer had the monopoly
on collecting taxes on all hogs
shipped to Shanghai, while others
collected on all incoming or out
going shipments of cotton, gaso-
line. rice, chickens everything
down to the lovely and smelly Chi
nese cabbage which every Chinese
ate.
If Chinese wanted to travel any
where, he paid fee. Wealthy
Chinese merchants were kidnapped
and released only when a ransom
was paid to a go-between for the
S. S. S. The homes and shops Of
Chinese suspected of being anti
japanese" were raided. the goods
and furnishings confiscated, and the
proceeds credited to the S. S. S.