"LAW AND ORDER"

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 154, 27 December 1935, Page 3

"LAW AND ORDER"

MANCHUKUO POSITION

PROSPERITY POSTPONED

Four years have passed since the oppressed thirty millions of Manchukuo rofce like one man against their tyrants and (with Japan's help) insisted on independence, writes the Japanese correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian." About three years have passed since a foreign propagandist said in an interview that it might take a couple of years to exterminate the last of the bandits. And during the past summer we have heard of nothing but outrages and kidnappings' and pitched battles between the Japanese soldiers and the bandits. Never do we hear of the "Manchus" shedding their blood except in conflict with the Japanese. Recently an official report stated that just on five hundred Japanese soldiers had lost their lives in Manchukuo since the beginning of the year. But/ we are told, the people at least enjoy the blessings of a stable currency and know where'• they are, and financially they are prospering.. Against this there is the fact that .under the old regime, though the note issues be-, came sadly depreciated, a good deal' of silver continued to circulate. That has now been demonetised, and great quantities of it have been shipped to London and New York since the American policy caused a rise. Simultaneously the Bank of Manchukuo notes have declined considerably. The amount o£ money poured in to keep the army going and the large investments by the Japanese could not fail to ■ bring about a certain amount of prosperity, but the expectation that Manchuria would be a source of wealth has had to be postponed. EXTRATERRITORIALITY. The most interesting 6f recent developments is the announcement - that the State has made such splendid progress that Japan intends shortly to abandon extraterritorial rights for her citizens. It is mentioned'that, this is only to be done gradually—that it will begin with making Japanese subject to. Manchukuo taxes and will end by making them subject to Manchukuo judicial processes. There seems, however, to be something wrong with. the order of the programme. At present not a thing can be done in Manchukuo except by Japanese order. Every official has his Japanese mentor, and Japanese police and soldiers do the work of keeping order. In extolling the progress made, the vofficial statement, says nothing about Japanese ..advisers and.executives being reduced in number. Up to the present one has heard only of their increase.. . This, no doubt, enables Japanese citizens in Manchukuo to regard the promise to abolish extraterritoriality with equanimity, but it is rather differenffor other nationals; unfortunately the Japanese cannot.be depended upon to use their influence to see that foreigners enjoy their legal rights. It. is probable that comparatively few! members of Parliament realised the full significance of the case of 'Mr. Mason, of the British-American.Tobacco Company, which was the subject of inquiries in the House of Commons. British subjects still have extraterritorial rights in Manchukuo. The Manchukuo police even in the capital are incompetent to perform their duties, so Japanese police do them. These arrested an Englishman, and instead of handing him over to his Consul, as they were bound to do by law, they kept him three days in confinement, permitted him to see no one, and ill-treat-ed him. The information' was carefully kept out of the Press.: ANNEXATION? If Japan surrenders extraterritoriality, it is sure to be demanded that other States shall surrender it also, whether they recognise Manchukuo or not. So long as they refuse recognition it will be a delicate matter should Manchukuo refuse to recognise the status of their. Consuls. After they have given recognition it will be a no less difficult one; in the face of Japan's reminder that she has herself surrendered extraterritorial rights and is bound to Manchukuo in a treaty for mutual defence.- She has already used the argument that she is not responsible for the acts of the. Manchukuo Government, though it is obvious that the State could not last a day without her .support. The independent Empire of Manchukuo is such a preposterous creation that some day annexation may bring a sense of positive relief. There is no heir to the Manchukuo throne, and the Japanese Ambassador is also the com-mander-in-chief of .the army of occupation, which is at present expensively busy building itself permanent barracks. At present Japan enjoys all the advantages of sovereignty in Manchuria, while she avoids some of the responsibilities. But. when untoward circumstances have sufficiently accumulated it is always possible that, in response to a request from the' Emperor Kang Te, supported by. a petition from his notables',' Japan may take oyer the responsibilities of government from a people who. discover that freedom is not what they thought it would be when they demanded it in 1931. On the other hand, this phantom Empire may continue if foreigners understand that they are welcome as tourists, or even as commercial travellers, but that development and exploitation oan get on quite well without their help— except, maj'be, in the form of a loan. I