"LAW AND ORDER"

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 305, 30 December 1935, Page 6

"LAW AND ORDER"

MANCHUKUO POSITION ' | PROSPERITY POSTPONED Four years have passed since the oppressed 30,000,000 of -Manchukuo rose 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 u.Manchus” shedding their blood except in conflict with the Japanese. Recently an official report stated .that just on five hundred Japanese soldiers had Jost 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 became 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 of 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 bad to be postponed. Extraterritoriality. The most interesting of recent developments is the announcement that the State has made such splendid progress that Japan intends shortly to

abandon ext raterritorial 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 police and soldiers to do the work of keeping order. In extolling the progress made the official 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 different for 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. lhev kept him three days in confinement, permitted him to see no one, and ill-t.reated him. The information was can?fully kept out of the Press. Annexation? If Japan surrenders extraterritorialilv 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 Manchukua refuse to recognise the status of their Consuls. After they I have given recognition it will be a no less dCfficult 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. respond sible for the acts of the Manchukuo Government, though it is obvious that the State could not last a day without her support. The independen Empire of xManchukuo 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 bartacks. At present .Japan enjoys all the adavntages of sovereignty in Manchuria, while she avoids some of the responsibilities. Rut 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 over 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 mav continue if foreigners understand that they are welcome as tourists, or even as commercial travellers, but that development, and exploitation can get on quite well without their help—except, in the form of a loan. ,