The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1927. THE LATEST FROM CHINA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19773, 22 February 1927, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1927. THE LATEST FROM CHINA

What looks like good news is contained in the cable messr ge which states that Mr O ’Malley and Mr Eugene Chen, repres nting the British and Canton Governments, have signed an agreement with reference to the present situation jst China. At time of writing, nothing had come to hand beyond the bare statement, but in view of the firm stand taken by the British Government and its announcement of the points it was willing to concede, it can be taken for granted that the terms agreed upon will not be found detrimental to British interests on the one hand, or to the reasonable aspirations of the Chinese on the other. If, in the absence of information, it is permissible to hazard a guess, it will probably be found that the Canton representative has withdrawn his objection to the presence of British troops at Shanghai, and that he has been satisfied that they are there for the legitimate purpose of guarding British lives and for that purpose only. It is also likely that, whatever understanding may have been come to, it has been made clear that it is with Canton only, without detriment to the Peking Government, and without any binding force over the whole of China, the latter condition being securable only when the country has once again become poltically united. Further conjecture might be entered upon, but is best withheld till the nature of the agreement is disclosed. In the meantime, it is abundantly clear that Mr Chen’s claim that he is able to hold the Shanghai native populace in check and assure the safety of foreigners there is based upon a very insecure foundation. The situation is reported to closely resemble that of Hankow a few weeks ago, and, were it not for the presence of foreign troops, mob violence would before now have had its way.' Mob violence in the East is vastly different from a riot in a European country. Had it broken out in Shanghai before the troops arrived, there is no doubt that the world would have been supplied with some horrible details to shudder over. So far as Chinese cheek on the mob is concerned, it appears to be Peking and not Canton which is exercising it. General Sun Chuan Fang has taken charge, and is dealing drastically with the general strike which was being attempted. His method is simple, but effective. His patrols seize every agitator in sight, and behead him on the spot- It is not the British way, nor would it be tolerated in Britain. But its efficacy is proven by the significant statement that the strike movement has slowed down.

Whether Sun will remain in charge of Shanghai, the next few days will show. They will also show, in the event of Sun’s defeat, how far the Canton Government can exercise control.