CHINA AND JAPAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13724, 14 April 1908, Page 5

CHINA AND JAPAN.

RESULT -OF THE BOYCOTT. JAPANESE SHIPPING SUFFERS By Telegraph.—Press Association. —CopynffhtPekix, April 12. The last Japanese steamer, the i America Mara, sailed from China to j San Francisco without a package of i Chinese cargo, and with only 25 I passengers, compared with. 730 i aboard the British, liner Empress of | India, which sailed on Thursday. j j HISTORY OF TIIK TROUBLE. | NEARLY A WAR. I i A correspondent writing from Hong- ! Kong, on March 19, says:—The cubit's will i have given you the main .'act* m relation j to the seizure by China of the Japanese i steamer I mi Tatsu Maru 11. on a charge lof gun-running. But it is impossible for I those at a distance to realist', how close jwe have been to way—on thy very verge, iin fact. At the. conclusion of the war with ) Russia, 'Japan, as all the 'world know* now, proceeded to administer the portion of Manchuria "which had fallen into her hands much as if it were a conquered province. The rendition of N'ewchang to the ; Chinese was delayed from time to timo on specious pretexts, and when that important town was at last- handed over to its legitimate owner it was stipulated that all the transactions which had been sanctioned by the Military Administration should be undisturbed. These included the acquirement by Japanese of lands and privileges at what was said to be only a tithe of their real value. But this is only one illustration "of the view that Japan took of her obligations towards China, the acknowledged owner of the three provinces of Manchuria.' For a very lon,* time at Liaoyang, Kaipm&, Mukden, Hatching, and other important towns, Chinese civil law was superseded by Japanese military law. Quite recently Japan "forbade" China from extending her railway from Hsinmintun to l-'akurnen, on the ground that the line would compote with the .South Manchurian line, 'Not unnaturally the hatred which China formerly felt for Russia has been transferred to Japan in a much more virulent form. China, has been in "a state of ferment | for years past. To this Japan has coni tributed, but unwittingly. Thousands of i Chinese students have gone to Japan, obj tained a smattering of secondhand Western ! knowledge, and have returned to stir up | the people to demand seli-government. j Whatever divisions there may be amongst j them as to the ultimate form of govern- | ment in China, they are united in their desire to overthrow the present dynasty. As i a result, rebellions are constantly break- ! ing out in different parts of the Empire, j particularly in the south. Dr. Sun Yat Sen, I the notorious rebel, who was brought into i great prominence by his illegal arrest and confinement in the Chinese Legation in London, is supposed to be at the present time organising a great rebellion in Yunnan and the Two Kwang provinces. San Yat Son very wisely keeps out of China proper himself; there is a reward of 20Q,000d01. on his head, and he carries out the work of organisation from Annam, Singapore, and, it is said, from Hongkong. Naturally these rebellions and preparations for rebellion create a great demand for arms and ammunition, and gun-running has become a very popular and profitable enterprise. In spite of the vigi- ! lance of the foreign-managed Chinese i Customs, an immense quantity of munii tions have found their way into the in- | terior. It l.as been an open secret that j the greater portion was smuggled from ! Japan. Naturally this knowledge did not tend to improve the sentiment of China towards Japan. It was while China was inwardly fuming with indignation at her inability to put a stop to this smuggling that the Customs authorities received secret information from Kobe which caused them to believe that they would capture some of the smugglers. This information' was to the effect that the Daini Tatsu Maru had left Kobe with a large quantity of arms and ammunition intended for the...rebels in Kwangtung (there is as usual a rebellion j raging there) and that these supplies were to l>e discharged into junks on the shallow waterways near Macao. The Uaini Tatsu Mara was found anchored at a. spot out of sight of Macao 7 with several cargo junks : in the vicinity, as if waiting to receive he ! cargo. A Portuguese launch was alongside ■ the Japanese vessel. Captain Wu wasted no time. He made fast to the Tatsu i Maru, and went on "board with a prize I party. The captain of the Daini 'latsu Maru at first refused to see him, but even- , 11tally he argued the point with the Chinese j officer, and claimed that although he had j arms and ammunition they were properly j consigned. A Portuguese steam launch I with some harbour officers then steamed i I up, and Captain Wu was informed that ' | the steamer was in Portuguese waters. Wu j j pointed out that according to the chart the ! j vessel was in Chinese territorial waters, j i and ordered the Japanere captain to steam ;to Canton. He also hauled down the Ja- j ; panese flag, and hoisted the Dragon flag in j ! its stead. The vessel was then taken to ! j Whampoa. I i Intense indignation was aroused in Ja- • I par. at the seizure, and the Shipowners' ! j Union, of Tokib, and the Tokio press goner- i i ally -urged the Japanese Government to de- . ; niand the immediate release of the steamer. ; i It was claimed that the arms and amir'l- : ' nition had been shipped with the perm is- j ; si on of the Kobe authorities', and of the : | Macao Government, and that the Daini ; ! Tatsu Maru anchored so far from Macao { | because her draught would not permit Ivor j |to enter the harbour. The Japanese Go- { j vernment accordingly demanded the release j | of the steamer through the Consul at Can- 1 I ton, but before the demand could he made ; ! th* Chinese Viceroy had confiscated (he : | vessel. ! [The cable has since informed us that 1 I China was obliged to apologise to Japan, i and that the boycott movement had re- i | suited.] j | ' ;■ i