CHINESE AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 317, 7 January 1909, Page 3

CHINESE AFFAIRS.

CABLE NEWS (By Cable.—Pres3 Association.—Copyright.)

YX'AX'S FALL. Keeeived 0. 10.J5 n.ni. I'ekin, January (i. Yuan Shi Kui anil family have slarti'd for weiwei, llanau, his native place. BRITISH II'ESSSIMISM. ileeeived li, lO.iiii [i.ni. London, January li. Sir Edwnrd (ircy, .Minister for Foieion Allans, regards seriously the situation the downfall ereates, and iu view of the danger to foreign interests it involves, Mr. Jordan, British .Minister, is in coinnmnication with Sir Edward lirey w ith a view to making representations to L'ekin.

Tokio, January U. ■lt is believed in Tokio that the downfall of Yuan Shi Kai will not affect the relations of China and Japan.

THE ONE MAS SEEDED.

In an interesting article on "What will happen in China,' lately published in the Daily Mail, Mr. F. A. McKciizie writes: •'The one man who has led the new reform movement is Yuan Shi-Kai, until recently Viceroy of Pe-ehih-li, and now a member of the Government at Pekin, and the man behind the throne. "Yuan started reform because he realised that unless China changed her ways she could not hold together. He gathered around him a group of young pllicials who had been trained abroad, and organised a strong lighting force under his personal control. He has naturally had to face bitter opposition, especially from officials robbed of their perquisites find disturbed in their ancient ways. This opposition has been led by two powerful men—Tieh Liang, a Grand Councillor and President of the Hoard of War, and Viceroy Chang Chitting. But Chang, great and influential as he is, is old, and Yuan, despite many struggles, has never lost his dominant power. "Y'uan has two great sources of strength. He is the hero of the new army, and his policy has made it possible for China to obtain large loans in England. These loans, spent on railways and internal works, have yielded much profit to provincial officials. When I was with the reformed Chinese army in 1906 I heard Yuan's praises from ail lips. Y'unn's photo was on the barrack walls, and his authority was admitted everywhere."