FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 155, 29 December 1910, Page 7

FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

'AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. M. DESCHANEL SPEAKS. By Tolecraph.— Press Association.— Copyright. PARIS, 28th December. Tho well-known journal Le Temps publishes an interview Avith M. Paul Deschanel, the well-known member of the Chamber of Deputies and authority on French ioreign affairs. M. Deichanel declared that the RussoJapanese agreement had enabled Russia to resume her position in the councils of Europe. It would prove a great source of weakness to the Triple Alliance ii fresh complications or changes in the balance o! power occurred in the Near East. Prance had been late in realising the essentially nationalist character ol the Young Turk revolution, but though Turkey momentarily inclined to the Teutonic Powers in order to counterbalance Slav and Hellenic influences at home, Turkey would ultimately not favour any particular Power. France's financial resources provided an incomparable weapon, winch ought to bo subservieat to her policy. M. Deschanel added : "I, like Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener, Lord Beresford, Mr. Balfour, Mr. Haldane, and Mr. Robert Blatchford, desire to point out the contrast between Great Britain's diplomacy, which has become Continental, and Great Britain's system of defence, which remains insular. All are becoming agreed upon the necessity for an effort." TURKEY AND PEACE. In the speech from the Throne at the opening of the Turkish Parliament last month occurred the following sentence : ''Relations with all Powers are friendly. "We are carefully persevering in a foreign policy the only purpose of which is worthily to maintain peace and to safeguard our legitimate right without prejudice to others." 'RUSSO-JAPANESE AGREEMENT. At the annual general meeting of the Hirbin Chamber of Commerce, discussion took place on the probable effect of tli3 new Russo-Japanese agreement on Russian trade in Manchuria. Russian merchants regard the agreement hs of great importance, says a Russian exchange, because they see in it, for one thing, a guarantee against political disturbances in the Par East and a basis for a more peaceful commercial development, the strengthening of credit, etc. But these results of the agree- j ment are indirect. Direct consequences are those arising from the removal of J 'competition between the Russian and Japanese railways by Article 1 of the agreement, which will lead to a revision of the height rates on the lines, and will affect trade in other ways. In Harbin business circles there are no two opinions as to the importance to the interests of both railways of this removal of competition. All are convinced that Doth lines will derive great profit thereirom, being enabled by mutual agreement to raise the rates on those goods which must be carried by the railways in any circumstances, and to increase the quantity carried of such goods as have hitherto been confined principally to one or other of the lines — tor example, flour and timber on the Russian railway and coal on the Japanese — and the transfer of which Irom one to the other has been impeded by the change of freight rates at Kwang-changtse. While tlie railways will thus benefit from the agreement, the advantages to merchants aro more problematic. Home fire inclined to hunk that their buMuesb will surier owing to the increased freight, while others are of opnion that this can be balanced by paying lower prices to the producers of the coiumocii* , tk»-»Qfcinese farmers and. merchant^ ,