China: An Eye-witness Account

Mrs. garland. the prominent Wellington sculptress, who has just returned from Communist China recounted briefly the rise of the present regime, pointing out as she did so that China has never in its history fought an aggressive war. The scheme to harness floods instigated by the Communists Impressed her, especially as the labour on these schemes was voluntary- Under the previous regime ninety per cent of the four hundred and seventy million Chinese lived on the land, five per cent of which were landlords. The land however, was reallocated with the advance of the Red Army, the basic allowance being approximately a third of an acre. The arranged marriages which had previously been the custom were now illegal," there were equal wages for men and women; there were equal land owning rights. Mrs. Garland spoke of the widespread feeling of excitement she had seen in action in China. Peace, she said, was almost a mania. Mrs. Garland's talk stimulated a lot of questions, and the discussions were some of the most interesting at Congress.