The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1895. THE AFTERMATH.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 248, 23 April 1895, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1895. THE AFTERMATH.

Notwithstanding that the war between Japan and China may be considered practically" ended by the acceptance of the terms of peace dictated by victorious Japan, yet the trouble is not concluded. Although the other Great Powers, for good and sufficient diplomatic reasons no doubt, took no active part in the conflict while it continued, yet now when the two principal parties have counted the cost and assessed the damages they claim a right to say whether or not the concessions agreed to be made by China to Japan shall be given by the one or accepted by the other.

The terms of the treaty of peace include the payment of an idemnity of 200,000,000 taels, cession of Formosa, and the Leac-tong Peninsula to the 40th parallel of latitude, the opening 1 to commerce of five new [ ports, including Tientsin, the dues not to exceed 12 per cent. Japan is to be allowed to open cotton factories and other industries in China. We are told that China merchants believe that the commercial effect of the treaty, especially the opening of Pekin, w;ll be excellent and fai" reaching, and tend to the immediate relief of the stagnation in the Eastern trade, thuu»h the establishment of Japanese cotton factories in China will seriously injure the Lancashire factories. Here is the point which touches England. The Iluropean view is thnt China is so corrupt that the Great Powers should take control of the country for a period of years to restore order and encourage self Government. It is known that France, Germany, aDd Russia are agreed on the point of not allowing China to become the prey of Japan, but, it is reported that China has secured an alliance with Russia owing to promises with regard to the Pamirs, and China granting- Russia a portion of Manchuria to facilitate the Siberian railway route. It cun easily be understood, then, why Russia is fir from approving of the terms of tho treaty of peace — which by the way was signed last Saturday — especially by the cession of Leao-tong Peninsula. Jn this objection Russia is supported by France and Germany. Spain, a nation which has been a mere nonentity among the European Powers since the great Peninsula war, but hi'.s lately come into a certain kind o< prominence by 7 - the rebellion in Cuba, has wakened up, and tak?n alarm at the occupation of the islar d vi Formosa by Japan, and intends to reinforce her troops in the Phillipit'e Islands— a valuable possession of hers in the China Sea. Of these islands there are said to be 1200, of which -JOS are inhabited by a population ot upwards of five millions. These islands are so clo.se to Japan that if the JattiT nation coveted them they would become a comparatively easy pn-y in their present defenceless condition, a d i T . i-s just possible the Jiip.s may know now little they would hive to fear from Spain if they only had to encounter tlmt nation. i'rom the foregoiuir it will be seen that the incident of die China-Japan war has not yet closed, and there already exist complications which may lead to a still greater conflict among thn Furopean Powers who appear to be only too anxious to get a reasonable excuse to ny at each other's throats.