CHINA AND JAPAN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 481, 14 April 1909, Page 3

CHINA AND JAPAN.

TROUBLE OVER PRATAS ISLANDS. (feosi ouk own conunspoK-nENT.) Hong-Kong, March 11. A few months ago the efforts of many welldesigning people were rewarded by what looked like a patchiug-up of better relations between tho Japanese, and Chinese nations. The" Self Government Association of Canton did all in its power to thwart tho efforts of tboso aiming at these proposals of peace, but there was much good result. To-day all'ihat is at end, and there is tho old state of illfeeling and distrust. Tho rift in the lute nas been caused by the discovery of the presence of Japanese ou tho Pratas Islands, northeast of Hong-Kong. The islands are of themselves not of any great value; thero is one island about two miles long and about ono mile broad, and somo'forty feet above the sea-level, and thero is a shoal about twentv miles long. Tho islands liavo long bad aii unenviable record as the place where many a good vessel had been wrecked, and they were very badly in need of a lighthouse.

Chinese Fishermen Driven Away, The first report of the presence •of the Japaneso was received in Canton a week ago, a number of fishermen sending a message to the Viceroy that the place had been occupied by a party of Japanese, who had driven off fishermen that had made a practice of using the islands for years. The Viceroy at once sent a gunboat and a Customs cruiser to tho placo, where they remained for four days. On returning to Canton the officials reported that they had found over one hundred Japanese on the island, and that the Japaneso nag had been hoisted. The intruders—as the Chinese say the Japaneso are—had erected railway lines for the /carriage of phosphates down to tho water's edge, ami large quantities of the produce were sacked .ready for transport, only awaiting the arrival of a steamer. Houses had been built, and the Japanese had settled down as thougTi they were to remain thero for an indefinite time: At first there was somo difficulty in obtaining any information from the Japanese, as thoy said they did not speak Chinese, but an official from the Vicerov, who spoke the Japanese language, conducted the further inquiries. Tho Japaneso merely said that they were sent thero bv their emp oyers for the purpose of removing the phosphates, and that as .the island belonged to the Japanese they did not require to obtain ally permission from Chinese officials. The Viceroy's officials made an interesting discovery, in tho shapo of a post bearing .the legend that the island had been discovered by the Japanese in tho fourteenth year of Meiji—about eighteen months ago. Indignation in Canton. The .Cantonese are very much enraged at the whole affair, and especially at tho report that tho Japaneso havo destroyed a temple that was on tho islands, that thev had chased away a number of the fishermen who had used tho islands, and that thev had burned several junks. As is but to'bo expected, the stories probably are being exaggerated, but tho Chinese accuso tho Japanese of exterminating the huge flocks of penguins ,that wore to be found on tho islands ■ The return of the gunboats to Canton was followed by a violent outbreak of ant;Japanese feeling on the part of the vernacular press. The Viceroy has ordered the press to refrain from tho publication of further comment until tho matter has been cone into more fully. Tho Self Government"Association made the most of the opportunity by the issuing of a second edition of tho story of the Tatsu Mjiru case of last year. They especially reminded their countrymen of tho action of Japan in making tho Chinese "fort? fire a salute as tho released steamer sailed away, ant! they asked tho patriots of China to remember tho Day of National Disgrace, as tho association had named that dav. Chinese are using envelopes on which aro printed these national disgrace characters, and there is a renewed activity in this crusade against the Japaneso, following tho Pratas Island trouble. • . Tho only'official news of tho matter from Japan is that tho Government of Japan regarded tho islands as belonging to nobody and that the Japaneso who wero on tho group wero there for the purposes of trade purely and simply.