A PACIFIC PROBLEM

Hokitika Guardian, 1 June 1929, Page 3

A PACIFIC PROBLEM

SITUATION IN CHINA

GENERAL CROZIER’S VIEWS

* CHRISTCHURCH .May 30. “The central tact among the problems of the Pacific,” said .Major-Gen-eral William Crosier, a distinguished American soldier and traveller, at present in Christchurch, in an interview yesterday, “ seems to be China. They are a great and numerous people who are in the process of emergence from their ancient ways into the light of the modern Occidental civilisation and they are one of the two countries of he world most prominently engaged in that process; the other is India, the Indian people are travelling along the path of Western development under the guidance and tutelage ol Great liritaiu, whereas the Chinese people are going along on their own without restraint or guidance of any other sort than that afforded by influence alone.” It was. interesting, he said, to compare the progress of the two countries under these two different methods. China, was very backward and inter-nationally-speaking she lacked the ability to defend herself while at the same time she afforded a very valuable market for the produce of other countries, which made her a danger point for tin 1 nations interested in the Pacific. The country was a possible scene of rivalries which she was unable to control and which might Income very intense. “The are two clases of trouble in China,” said the General. “There art; certain unsatislactorv conditions in ielations between China and the foreign Powers, and the other class of troublo arises from internal conditions of semianarchy ,and constant civil war, which lias prevailed in China since the oveithrow of the Manclm Empire in 1911.” Of these sources of trouble, the one most harmful to the Chinese people was the second ; but unfortunately tha* 'olein"lit- known as “ Young China,” composed largely of those Chinese who had been educated on foreign lines, 'did not see the situation in that light. They imagined that the greatest source of China’s troubles lay in the unsatisfactory siiite of her foreign relations, and were directing the 'most intense, efforts, towards the cure of the lesser of the two evils.

Those who were endeavouring to found a real democracy in China, were lip against the fact that 90 per cent, of the Chinese were ignorant and illiterate and had no idea of the foioigu nuesfion whatever. The most valuable feature of Occidental civilisation, said General Crosier, was the observance of ti.e principle that the Government should he primarily in the interests ol the governed and this principle had not and never had had any appreciation in China. Each leader was striving to secure control of as much of the country as he could and this caused much misery for the people in theii struggles against one anothei.