Spring Maneuvers

A dog invests in a buried bone. A peasant invests in a silver filled stocking. A fool invests in wildcat stock. But a Manchurian War Lord invests in munitions. Chang Tso-Lin, sitting at Mukden, took inventory of his assets. He decided to diversify and strengthen his holdings by new purchases. He prepared for Spring "maneuvers." So he bought a shipload of French munitions. He tried to buy a few warehouses full of Italian arms which were encumbering the vicinity of Peking, but negotiations fell through so he sent to Holland and bought a big shipment of arms that was stranded there in 1918 after the War. Then he hired a Mexican ship,--for Mexico wasn't signatory to the arms embargo agreement. Now he sits at Mukden waiting for his ship to come in. Meanwhile along the Pekmukden line north of Shanghaikwan, Chang rolled his rolling stock together. When Spring sets in, the Chinese pipes will begin to play "Chang's going to maneuver."