THE FAR EAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 162, 2 April 1908, Page 7

THE FAR EAST.

MANCHURIA. A RUSSO-AMERICAN DIFFERENCE. TR'ADE INTERESTS. by IELECiurn —rnEsa association —corYMGni (Rec. April 1, 9.56 p.m.) St. Petersburg, April 1. Russia is irritated becauso Sir. Fisher, American Consul at Harbin, refuses to ask permission to cxercise consular functions in Russia's railway none in Manchuria. It is understood that Mr. Fisher is acting at tho direct instance of the State Department at Washington, which is seeking to preserve the integrity of Chinese possessions in Manchuria in order to protect the trade interests of the commercial nations, CHINA AND JAPAN. THE BOYCOTT. Peking, March 31. As a result of tho boycott of Japanese goods in Canton and elsewhere, the British Minister (Sir John Jordan) is going to Canton to interview tho Viceroy on Japan's bohalf. . ! WHO IS TO BLAME? China's great Mjeapon of retaliation, tho trade boycott, formerly directed against the United, States, now appears to be concentrated on the country' which, according to certain prophets, was to re-unite and lead the awakened East. At the samo time, China invites a visit from the fleet of the. United States, which has-just made so. symbolic an entry into Pacific waters. ; Thispeculiar 'position in Eastern affairs is attracting world-wide interest. . ' ■ ■ Tho mediation of Sir J. N.. Jordan, Envoy-Extraordinary to China, is explainable" not only, on the ground that Britain is Japan's ally, but that British interests are immediately involved in some of the outstanding, disputes between China and Japan. For instance, with regard to the Fa-ku-menn railway extension, about which se much has been heard lately, before Japan interposed 1 with ...a; per-, emptory veto, China had granted a concession for this extension to a British syndicate. ."The Times" observes that "the Chinese, by their , action, have placed tho British'. concessionaries in a ; very . unpleasant position, even if they did not deliberately seek thereby to creato a conflict. between British anil , Japanese interests." : Tho '. Japanese, veto ;is based on an, undertaking by China, not to construct a railway which would compete ..with the South . Manchurian; line. Britain >»as. expressly recognised the validity of this undertaking."; ■ ( •• The Tokio correspondent of "The Times"blames China for the dangerous feeliiig now existing botween that country and Japan. He writes'Tate,; with her usual. waywardness, .contrived to dispose, matters so. that Japan, whose prowess—exercised largely in her neighbour's ' behalf —had suggested to. the latter N a new estimate of Oriental potentiality; should be precisely, the. State to .experience the first cffects of that estimate. The trouble began with a fishery dispute, which culminated in the assassination ot' a Chinese subject who had ■ proceeded from the, leased territory to Kai-piiig for purposes of negotiation, and in the arrest aiul' conveyance of Mukden-of p. Japanese , sub-, ject who accompanied him. This strange affair was followed by. the posting of Chinese troops in the neutral zone northward of ICwantung. Then the Mukden officials, in the interests of tho State's salt monopoly, 1 attempted, to impose an almost prohibitive tax on the export of that staple from Kwantung, where its manufacture constitutes the chief local industry; . "Then ■ followed; ii vehement protest against the working of mines along the Mukden-Antung line of railway, although such, a concession seems to be clearly 'guaranteed by the Peking Treaty, of 1805., "-Then this Chinese essayed to invalidate- Japan's right to 1 exploit tho coal mines of Fn-shuu "and Yentai, from which tho Russians had. relircd.l Then Peking proposed such conditions that tho timber-felling enterprise .in the. Yalu , Valley,-• though ■ definitely provided for by Treaty, became practically impossible. Then, the Chinese ..began to talk seriously of.'building a railway from Hsin-, mitt-tun to Fa-ku-nieit, anil -thence into Mongolia;'which road would have competed .direct ■with the iSo'uth' Manclnu-ia:n''liiie, and would, 'therefore, have .been contrary to the Peking Protocol. -Their there -wero difficulties' about posts aiid telegraphs; and.while all these complications refused to- yield. to (negotiation owing, apparently,..to .China's, peculiar temper,''there ensued another problem which bulks much more, largely than all the. rest, inasmuch, as it concerns the ownership of territory!; Doubtless thi:i ! ]asfc : questioii v will prove historical." ' Summing .up, tlie i writer states that /on the wliolo China's present mood does' not conduco to • tho amicable setfleinent of international questions. Lastly, there has occurred the' ■Tat'su Maru back-down, : which . set Canton aflame, and has even caused Australian Cliirie6o to. take, up .the boycott., , ' ,:"It. is obvious," .comments'; "Tho Times,""that China is ,by no means the negligible quantity which she used to be in politicalaf- : fairs. Spurred, no doubt, by Japan's example,; .she'shows many aspirations and some attainment to reform; slio also undoubtedly can exert moro independence against foreign Powers than she was'wont. .- '. . . Ono sign of astuteness in tho Chinese certainly does strike the.'observer, that' they, generally manage, to get others to romovo their chestnuts from the fire.. It seems somewhat . ungracious, to say, the least, for China to ■ con;plain of . Japanese. proceedings in Manchuria; .considering the services which Japan lias already rendered to China and the world " generally .in that. province.' No : doubt there are' points in which Japan might do still'more to redeem her promise -of making Manchuria absolutely open to' tho - world. A little more respect, and a, more Sareful observanco of her own public" engagements, would make China's complaints more, worthy of attention." .' . , ' ,