RUSSIA AND JAPAN

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 306, 24 December 1903, Page 4

RUSSIA AND JAPAN

MORE SIGNS~OF~WAR. j PROGRESS OF NEGOTIATION The Issue Dependent on the Natnr. of Russia's Reply. . (By Cable.-], ress Assoclation.-Oopyright.) LONDON, December 03 The "Dally Mail" states that Janan ' has taken over Butterfieltl and SwS_ fleet of twenty-five steamers. ** The Japanese warships are reported ! to be concentrating off Port Arthur jit is understood that Japan is „.. aerting her position in Corea and tak ing over the construction of the Seoul" l'usan railway. owjuiViscount Hayashi, Japanese Minister in London, in the course of an inter" £* •aid that peace or war was entirely 2 pendent on the nature of Russia's reply ♦1 1 « meS '" I>aris correspondent says that Russia is disposed to rccon sider her Note. The '"nines'" Berlin corresponded states that Russia is really feeC £ way in order to discover how muc h _£ may demand from Japan with any nroV pect of success. ' F *" The advices from St. Petersburg ar. hopeful of a peaceful issue. It is state,! at Odessa that the condition of the a? senals and stores at Port Arthur, Dalnv and Vladivostok will suffice to conduct _ war for a year-. The British armoured cruiser Kin" AI fred is conveying to China a new crfew £S_J£___ *■**•*■•*■ The "Daily Chronicle" says German military opinion is that, in the event of war unless the allies assist Japan, she will be defeated, inasmuch as it will ulli mately become a land war, to be decisive. Much anxiety is felt at Pekin. The Chinese officials are discussing with the Legations China's best means of preserving neutrality. Uniformly optimistic, their pessimism is now significant. The "Standard" states that the Japanese Minister at Rome declares that the situation is not desperate. Japan sent counter-proposals to Russia in the hope of averting a rupture, and other advices received state that Great Britain and France used their good offices at Tokio and St. Petersburg on behalf of peace. " RUSSIA'S TACTICS. j Reported Designs on c Port on tilt _~..,.. Yellow Sea. NEW YORK, December 23. • The "New York Sun" states that Russia, since August, has steadily increased her demands, and has been trying to force Japan to go to war. Now Russiti refuses to discuss with America the integrity of China or the equality of cott. mercial opportunity, and urges the sub* division of Corea into spheres of influence. PEKIN, December 23. China has seized as Government property the Kaiping mine, on the ground that the company claimed the right lo sell Chingwangtoo as a winter port, be< tween Tientsin and Pekin, to Russia. LONDON, Deceh_feer 23. ' The company claimed the right to sell * Chingwangtoo to others, not to Russia. •. According to the "Standard," a secret edict has been issued ordering Yuan r s_ih. kai to take possession of Chingwangtoo. The port was opened voluntarily oy, China, and does not belong to any engineering or mining company. The Customs officer has been ordered to take over Chingwangtoo. This is no empty bluff. The order is undoubtedly inspired by Russia. The Chinese are prepared to countenance any illegality. Russia is al«" , ready in possession of the survey port, and has taken the census of the neiglw bouring villages. Japan's Gold Reserre. j (Received 9.10 a.m.) '! LONDON, December 23. A Reuter message asserts that the officials at Tokio state that Russia rejects the proposal for a mutual guarantee foil the preservation of the Chinese and Korean sovereignties, while she is willing to make provision for securing individual interests. In the meantime, says the message, the preparations for war continue apace, though Butter field and Swire deny that they have sold their steamers to Japan. Japan claims to possess a specie re> serve of 153,000,000 yen (£31,365,000), besides Treasury funds of 50,000,000 yen (£10,250,000).