CHINAS TROUBLES

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18922, 10 February 1927, Page 9

CHINAS TROUBLES

* PROTECTING FOREIGNERS. CHANG TSO-LIN'S OFFER. IBY CABLE—?EKSS ASSOCIATION:—rCPTSIfIHT. 1 .AVSTHAL'A:; AND ;; • CAELE ASSOCIATION'.; (Received February 9th. 7.15 p.m.; NEW YORK, February S. The Washington correspondent of the "New York Times'' .ays Chang Tsoliii's stateuien'. pledging protection for all r'oteijjnor.s under the jurisdiction of the Peking Government, in return for an acknowledgment by ;!ie Powers of Chiliad sovereign rights is considered here tu bo in line witli Mr Kellogg's offer to negotiate fur a revision of the Customs and extraterritorial treaties, but official, decline to discuss the matter since they aro not yet eonvineed one side or the uther is assured of control of f.'hina as a whole.

Conlidentia! reports indicate thai Feng Yu-hsiang's offensive against tho Northern forces, on the boundary of the Ilonati and Shensi provinces, northwest of Hankow, if successful, might force the fall of Shanghai and Nanking, radically changing the situation as it concerns the military control of the whole of China.

BRITAIN AND CANTON. NEGOTIATIONS RESUMED. (avstsalian 4VD >.\Z. CABLE association.) SHANGHAI, February 8. Negotiations between Mr Chen and Mr O'Mallcy have been resumed. It is understood an agreement has virtually been reached, but tho Nationalist Government is still awaiting the British Government's decision regarding the 'concentration of troops at Shanghai. The suggestion is now advanced by Mr Chen that troops from England disembark at Singapore.

MINISTERIAL SPEECHES ON CHINA. A PLEA FOR DISCRETION. (AUSTRALIAN AND W.l. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, February S. In the House of Lords, Lord Haldane said he thought that during a delicato crisis like that in China, nobody but the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister should speak, as other Ministers' utterances published in China were calculated to create distrust. v He did not question the Government's obligation to protect our women and children in China, but all the talk of the Expeditionary Forcq would be most harmful. It would have been better to preserve silence anent the destination of the forces.

Lord Beauchamp agreed that all the talk of the Expeditionary Force had given an unfortunate appearance of aggression, which was bound to be harmful and to affect negotiations. Lord Salisbury, referring to his own visit to Australia, wished that there were more opportunities for Peers nnd 'Commons to sec tho Dominions. This would redound to the welfare of the Empire/ Lord Hnldane's rebuke was indiscrcot. His speeches ought to bo addressed to Labour members, not to Ministers.

MARTIAL LAW AT ICHANG. MORE TROOPS FOR SHANGHAI. (Stdsm "Sun" SEKVICt) (Received February 10th, 1 a.m.) PEKING, Fobruary 0. A naval wireless message stntcs that martial law lias been proclaimed nt Ichang, and all passing vessels are obliged to stop for military inspection. At Kiukiang there was considerable excitement and crowds were seen running down the Bund. Two platoons of bluejackets landed to investigate and ascertained that a public execution of Northern spies was taking placo. The bluejackets then withdrew without incident. The second battalions of the Durham and Gloucester regiments left Hong Kong to-day for Shanghai.

CHANG STATES HIS POLICY. (AV3TBALUS ASD H.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATES.) (Received February Dth, 11.50 p.m.) PEKING, February 8. In a long statement of policy Chang Tso-lin says his present operations are directed solely against Bolshevism. Ho is ready to negotiate with anyone except the Bolsheviks. His policy aims at the preservation of national and sovereign rights and administrative reforms.