WHAT CHINA CAN DO IN THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 November 1917, Page 8

WHAT CHINA CAN DO IN THE WAR.

Not suflieient emphasis has been laid upon the importance of China's intervention in the war. pays an English paper. The added hostility of nearly 400 millions of (he human race can scarcely he regarded as negligible by the Germans who see that their moral isolation in the world is complete. The business men of Oermnny will find some difficulty in reconciling themselves to ii position which sees the collapse of all their grandiose schemes for capturing the trade of the great Far Eastern market. Wo speak of the ambition of the Kaiser as envisaging: dominions from lierlin to Baghdad, but this is doing only modest jusctice to his dream. He set., no 7 cepjirjuJueaMiinitaiions in...his much within the scope of his aims as Berlin to Baghdad. Certainly it was with no desire to leave China out of the reach of the mailed fist that Gormanv spent .£20,000000 in Kiaochau. With the set purpose of increasing German power and influence in China the German traders strove laboriously for years, running great commercial risks which under other circumstance* would have been inexcusable. An interesting revelation of 'their methods has just been made. "The German firms bought goods in Manchester and Bradford, for which they often pai'd cash. They obtained this cash by 'drawing six months' bills on London financial houses or banks, and discounting the bills in Loudon. When these bills fell duo they were renewed for a further six months, and in r.oine cases it' is believed there were second renewals; so that the German firms were not called upon to produce the actual proceeds of the goods for twelve months or more after shipment. They sold the goods in China on long and Oange-ous credit, and if they received partial payments in China before they had to send home the money to meet the London bills, they used these partial payments as capital in their business." In oilier words. Germany made use of this country'si resources to promote her nntiona) aims. And all this cunning and painstaking effort has been brought to naught by China's declaration cf war.

China is helping with labor, and in the future can considerably increase the istent of her man-power contribution. She can render the Allies yeoman service by furnishing them with foodstuffs such as beans, rice and tea, and raw materials, Mich as silk, quicksilver, wool, hides, etc. Her value to the anilGerman coalition is decidedly appreciable. By way of return China unquestionably can count on Allied assistance after (he war in finance and railway construction. Had the war not eomo China's railway communications would liave been immensely extended and on transport development her economic future largely depends,