CHINA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 36, 5 October 1912, Page 8

CHINA.

THE PROSPECTS BRIGHT

The Rev. Norris E. King, missionary of the China Inland M'ssion, who held a meeting on Thursday evening in the Broadway Church, was first connected with the China Inland Mission 17 years ago, going out to China from Victoria. He first worked in the west of China, 1800 miles from the coast, but had to leave tins station, through the Boxer troubles, and subsequently was compelled through ill-health to return to Australia oil furlough. Eight years ago he returned to China and wot away to the northern prov.vmes, !.is headquarters being the city of Piag Yank Fu, one of the ancient capitals of China, being a capital 2000 years 8.0. In January this year, together with other Europeans, he had to ’cave the province through the revolution. “This was not owing to any fear either-of the Imperial or ; evolutionary parties,” Mr King explained to a Taranaki Herald reporter, ‘but was due rather to the fact that bands oi brigands had manifested themselves in all directions both in the city and in the country districts, and life and property of both foreigners and Chinese were at stake. In some cases whole cities fell into the bands of brigands. Another source of danger was the fact that it was quite uncertain as to whether the European nations would interfere, in which casethe lives of Europeans inland v ou!c be in certain danger.” Mr King was at Shanghai for some little time, and then found it necessary, on account of Mrs King's health, to return for a while to Australia, and whilst on leave ho is touring Australasia: on behalf of the mission.

As far as Mi King understood iron, what he saw in China and from news that he has received since lie came away, the Republican Party arc getting matters well in hand. They have had, ho said, a good deal of uphill work. There had been many hostile elements and many difficulties owing to the fact that there were so many parties contending for power. But there was no doubt that the rigid party had got into power at the present time, arid internal strife and difficulties were gradually being settled.

The very fact that opium-growing was being put down was an evidence of the growing power of the new party. During* Hhe time that the balance of power Was disthibhd, even in provinces where “the growing had been absolutely abolished the Tit fibers began to grow again, but this'hdd' been stopped again now with a very firm hand.

The appointment of Dr. Morrison as political adviser to the President was sure to meet with the approbation of all who knew China well, including the missionaries, Mr King continued. For riiariy y&irs : now Dr. Morrison had 1 been a 'strfcrri'g advocate of missionary work, although when he first visited China, thfbugh immature opinions on the work, he ' was rather opposed to it. Whilst visiting England a few years ago, however, lit seemed to go out of his way to comment on the work of the missionaries.

“One might also mention,” said Mr King, “that several of tire new leaders of China are members of the Christian Church, including Dr. Sun Y'et Sen and Li Yuan Hung, two of the most prominent factors in the new Republican Party. , With the new conditions I think China will advance in every way. New opportunities will be given for missionary work, and certainly, politically and commercially, there will be progress in China. China will no doubt form a very fine field for foreign trade and produce.” After a few general remarks Mr King said: “I visited the oil works at Moturoa this morning, and was greatly interested in the operations that were going on. In the district in the West of China, that I once worked in, there are a large number of salt wells, some of the bores being as deep as 2000 ft. From many of these wells quantities of crude petroleum arc obtained, and from others there is a large quantity of natural gas produced, which is utilised by the Chinese for evaporating salt water. Up to the present they have no method of using the crude petroleum, but there is no doubt that there are large quantities of crude petroleum obtained in that district.’ “As far as I understand, the Standard Oil Company has its eye on the district as a future sphere of operations.”

Referring again to the China Inland Mission, Mr King said they had workers in sixteen of the provinces of China, and at the close of last year there were 1000 allied foreign missionaries connected with the mission. Ihe number would he augmented this year’ by about forty new workers, three of whom would go from New Zealand Mr J. Thomson (Auckland), Mr H. Funnel (Christchurch), and Miss Hardesty (Napier). Mr King has just completed a successful tour of the South Island in the interests of the mission, having addressed about seventy meetings in the various denominations, and hopes to hold meetings in the North Island for two months.