The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-02-25
''INDUSC0"
START ON new
development


China's postwar planners are draft
ing an industrial revolution which viii
make that country major industrial
producer, according to Frank w
Gapp, former financial editor of The
China Weekly Review, writing in {
recent issue of The Wall Street Jour
nal
The 30-year job that the economic
craftsmen have undertaken, writes
Mr.. Gapp, is that of converting China
into an assembly-line producer Of
autos, planes, refrigerators, radios and
other things that America takes fol
granted.
He points out that China, with vast
manpower, also has much of the nee
essary raw materials; coal reserves
estimated at $50 billion tons, iron re.
serves of 100 billion tons; and tin,
copper, tungsten, anthony, mercury,
oil, etc, abundantly available.
The basis for all postwar planning
in China is to be found in the propos-
ais of DIR. Sun Yet-sen, whose ideas
were at least 25 years ahead of his
country, Mr.. Gapp writes. In 1922,
DR.. Sun published book called 1.-THE
international Development of China, "
in which he outlined an industrial pro-
gram based on cooperation among the
great powers.
Most important project is the de-
velopment of China's communications
system, DR.. Sun wrote, including 100,-
900 miles of railways, 100000 miles
of macadam roads, improvement of
rivers and harbors, and construction
of telegraph and telephone lines.
Cities must be developed, he con-
tinued, water power and natural re-
sources used to their fullest extent;
agriculture must be improved and ir-
rigation introduced to permit the use
of semi-deserts of Mongolia and Sin
kiang. Reforestation of Central and
North China must be a prelude to
the revival of these areas. COLOMBIA
ton must be planned for Manchuria,
Mongolia, Sinkiang, Kokonor and
Tibet.
"Industrializing China, an essential
ly agricultural country, won't be an
overnight job. The planners estimate,
for instance, that it will take 25 years
to bring about mass production of
late model autos; by that time, they
hope, roads will have been built to
accommodate them.
Presumably those who have laid
out the seven areas have in mind the
best distribution of available raw ma.
terials, so that in case any one terri
tory at some time were cut off rom
the others it could get along by itself.
Transportation and communication
problems also probably played a role
in deciding the set-up of these dis
tricts
Actually, a beginning has been
made in the Chinese industrial rev
olution. Japan has forced many Chi
nese people into the interior, where
they have set up foundries and fac
tories in what formerly was regarded
do d Wiiuel ue5Ss DeldllS are Sod ce
the Chinese don't want the Japanese
to find out where they have estab-
lished these small-scale industrial op-
This statement by Mr.. Gapp sug-
gests the important work which has
ben done by the Chinese Industrial
Co-operatiyes, which are working on |
the problem of using small-scale, eff |
cient and modern machinery in Chi |
nese town and village economy rather |
than to develop mass production in
large units. Chinese government |
dominated banks made 80 million dol |
airs (Chinese) available for the CO.
operatives during 1913. United China
Relief during the year appropriated |
more than 100000 through Indusco,
nc, to be used for the training and |
lp-grading of the foremen and skilled |
aborers of the co-operatives; in |
accounting systems and |
n study of how modern machines |
ian be adapted to Chinese conditions |
fhe U. S. army forces in China have |
'ecently placed large contracts with |
hese co-operatiyes rather than in |
his country.