AVIATION VISITOR

Hokitika Guardian, 22 March 1933, Page 8

AVIATION VISITOR

U.S. INSTRUCTOR TO CHINESE

development of aviation

WELLINGTON, March 20

• 'An .arrival by the Maunganui' from Sydney is Colonel Vincent Schmidt, a n American aviation instructor, who ha« been for the past two years in the provinc, e of Yunnan,*'in China, as , instructor to the Tenth Chinese Annv under the National Government. He (,iid Wia Chinese air equipment was much behind that of Jap in, but trie Chinese were building up rapidly with machines imported from England, France, Italy, and Germany. In four of five years they should hav e a really strong force, re they were spending a great cloal of money on it. Civil wa r militated against a united front being opposed to Hi e Japanese action in the north, but the internal position was improving, and he thought that in two or three vciars’ time the Chinese could be expected 'to act more nation.

He did not think the Jnpanes e would proceed south jniside the Great Wall, .but, undoubtedly .t'hev would realise their project of completing the combination of the three provinces which they had itivaded as the buffer state of Manchukuo. The Japanese forces were, as good as anything in Europe in equipment, staff work, and other respects, and in the air corps life did not mean much to either the Japanese or the Chinese. Tile Japanese would not hesitate to bomb any town to achieve an objective, even-if it meant heavy losses of civilian life. The peopl e in the south of China were not connected with the troubles in the north, and were not. concerned about them. Foreigners of all nation, wen* disliked' in Chinn,