The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1950-03-09
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
~ Hassl Bronnon
Keeling, Fornosa
Delayed)

Keeling, Forrnosa
(Delayed)
This small island is the source
OF more speculation today prob
ably than any other -pot in the
world. Here the Chinese Nat
ionalists have established their
government after fleeing the
mainland of China now controlled
by the Communists. The National
lists say they will fight and
eventually win back control Of
the mainland from the Commu-
nists.
No one here. however, seriously
thinks the Nationalist could hold
out very long against the Com
munists should they achieve air
strength and attack Formosa !.
and certainly the Nationalist will
never wrest control Of the main
land of China from the Com
munists without a great deal Of
help from the United States. Our
ship the S. S. President Monroe,
delivered some military equip
ment at this unscheduled port Of
call which took two days TO un-
load.
Keeling, port Of entrance to
the island, is a beautiful harbor
and the island itself Is very
scenic. It rains almost every day
at this time Of the year (Novem-
Der 28th) and it is very warm, a
welcome change from the cold
weather in Japan.
Taipeh is the capitol of the
Island which is 935 miles f-om
Kobe, Japan, on the north with
the Philippines TO the south and
: Hong Kong two days away.
Everywhere you look you see
Chinese soldiers and the whole
Chinese navy is anchored in kee-
lung harbor But that is not say
ing very much. The navy and
the sailors, like the soldiers, look
completely wretched, unkept.
There are a few heavy bombers
based on the Island. Officials
aren't saying where they are
located.
The prevailing opinion here
seems to be that If the Commun-
lists try to take Formosa the Nat
konalists will fight but their re-
sistance can't last very long.
There is also = iafec~group that
seem to think they may be de-
feated from within.
Certainly everyone you meet
who has been in China for any
length Of time thinks General
issimo Chang Kai-shek's regime
has been so corrupt that China
rightly has had enough of him.
Newspaper reports received
here vary according to the edi-
torial policies of the papers in
volved. Hong Kong's pro-Red
press charges the Nationalist
with executing some 500 political
prisoners before evacuating
Chungking and with setting fire
to building containing dead and
dying men. The Picking radio re-
ported Gen. Yang Ky-cheng, who
helped young Marshall Chang
Hsuhliang kidnap General Chang
in 1896 was among the prison.
ers killed in Chngking. He had
been prisoner since the incident.
In this tense atmosphere
charges and counter-charges fly
and it is had to know what to
Sa,ieve.
Meanwhile the six and one
half million people making their
home in the $4,000 mile territory,
continue to cultivate their crops
of rice. tea, sugar, sweet potatoes,
camphor and jute. Two crops
are raised annually on the fertile
wester slopes of the range OF
mountains that extend to .l4,50
feet at their highest peak. The
land is beautifully terraced in
this section and all Of it is done
by hand, like everything else in
China.
One of the things that made a
lasting impression on all of the
ships passengers was the sight
of hundreds. of Chinese coolies
working on the dock scraping,
with small hand chisels or some
sharp steel instrument, the paint
off the metal sides of the build
ing located alongside the harbor
where the Monroe was locked.
They all worked in unison as If
TO unheard music and the UNI
earthly noise they made was
enough to awaken the dead. This
terrific din started at eight in
the morning and with the first
stroke of their chisels there was
no more sleeping for anyone
located on the port side of the
ship. These men and women
worked all day long and received
as wages, so we were told, the
magnificent sum of fifteen cents