THE FAR EAST.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16700, 8 December 1919, Page 9

THE FAR EAST.

CHINO-JAPANESE FRICTION.

I (Br Cib'.B— PrM« Awociaticm—Cop jrisflli.) I 'Australian ar.d N.Z. C»blo Association.) I PEKING, December 2. i Tin- landing of the Japanese troops |at Fooihow cau.-ed groat excitement [ anions the Chinese, who demand the j uv.ill of the Japanese Consul, and a i public apology. I Tiit-re i- a great deal of dissatis- ! taction at the action of the Japanese j Consul at Ticn-tMn, who demanded the : removal of the chairman of the Chinese I Clrimher of Commerce becauso of tho i Chinese boycott of the Japanese. j In its incidence, the boycott of ' l;.pTi]ese goods by the peoplo in China lis .';!lliii£ heavily upon some of th<> ; < liincse merchants in Sydney, says the ! "Daily Telegraph." In the larger i cires of China there are many "depart- ] incut'' stores, wliero a wide range of ! merchandiser can be purchased. A j number of these establishments have | bnen started by Chinese! fruit mer- | ' liants. who amassed fortunes in Sydnev. niifi some of whom have returned to China, while others were assisted by from investors at 10 per cent. | interest. There has been a shortage of British nri'.l American goods go : ng into China lor some time past, nnd as these big emporiums bad to keen their stocks up they were obliged to draw npon Japanese manufactured lines. In the course of time this came to the knowledge of the student class—whose number is legion, who are the sons of merchants, officials, arid the liotter class generally, and "who have imbibed Western ideas and thought—and pickets wero placed round (lie stores. Business thon fell i ofT to sii'h an extent that hands had to bo dismissed. In addition, investors demanded a return of their deposits. One big store was forced into liquidation. Only Inst weok a Sydney firm, which is a big shareholder in one of these department stores, had to forwnrd a sum exceeding £-10,000 to relieve the financial stringency arising from tho bovcott. In ordinary times this would !>o worth nearly half a million dollars, but owing to the adverse exchange it is only worth about 2?'0.0V) dollars. The Chinese merchants in Sydney have been discussing tho boycott at recent meetings, and the case of a Chineso merchant who had come out by a Japanese boat was brought under notice. Resentment was en keen that the gentleman who was a passenger by the_ proscribed vessel has been obliged to Jive well outside tho city area. THE YELLOW PERIL. (Received December 7th. 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 3. The Pi.'kin correspondent of tTie "Now York Sun" states that General Mali l incr. Commander of tho Chinese Army in Shantung, in a speech said:—"Tho refusal to sign the Ponce Treaty hurts China, and the boycott of Japanese | goods rnins Japan. China and Japan ' are adjacent countries, nnd if they united thev would bo sufficiently powerful to overthrow tho Western Powers."