CHINA’S “GUERRILLA” FACTORIES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 187, 4 May 1940, Page 15

CHINA’S “GUERRILLA” FACTORIES

“Japan’s Economic Offensive in China,” toy Lowe Ghuan-hua. (London: Allen and Unwin).

The retreat of Chinese industry to the interior in the face of Japan’s occupation of all the great cities has been one of the biggest feats to the credit of the resourceful Chinese race. Because of a lack of statistics and because even if they were fully available the figures would still appear puny things in contrast with the human factor of the Far Eastern conflict, writers have tended to neglect that field. Yet, with, its foreign trade considerably reduced by the recent Japanese military action in the south, the Chiang Gov-, ernment’s progress in building a powerful war industry in the interior will almost certainly decide its victory or defeat. Here Mr. Lowe helps to lift the veil.

After bitterly indicting Japan on the ground that it is attempting to ruin most of the manufacturing industries in occupied China, with the aim of reducing it, like Manchukuo, to a supply base for Japanese industry, Mr. Lowe describes the defenders’ early counter-measures. For some time, he says, it was assumed that new. industrial centres might be safely developed in such interior cities as Chungking and Kunming, whence, indeed, nearly 350 factories have been moved'since 1937. However, the continuous Japanese bombing raids prevented development of this policy. Therefore, the Chinese Government in July, 1938, inaugurated the “Industrial Co-operative Movement,” the purpose of which is to build factory cooperatives in the scattered -villages through Government territory in order to satisfy local needs and form an industrial defence system more or less immune from Japan’s military attack and economic offensive. The Government supplies the capital by loans, and the object has been to establish 30,000 units in two years. Apparently some fair success has been achieved. In a list of industries that can be established on the available resources Mr. Lowe does not include heavy armament and machine building, but most else that is necessary. He aptly calls this great programme “guerrilla tactics in economic warfare.” For the rest Mr. Lowe’s researches include “Japan’s economic offensive against third-Power interests,” her wider “imperialist ambitions,” and the effect of the war on her own economy. He includes maps and contemporary historical documents. The book will have certain interest for the general reader and is valuable for reference.