CHINESE TROUBLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 February 1927, Page 2

CHINESE TROUBLE.

[by TKLEGRArn PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

DISPATCH OF TROOPS. DELHI. Feb. I

AVliile Calcutta has hitherto been calm, meetings of protest have been held here, at Bombay, and Madras protesting against the dispatch of Indian troops to China.

THE BRITISH IDEA. -MALTA. Feb. 2. .Major General Dumhn, British Commander for China, said here that he is of the opinion that there will be no trouble in China, as the force that is being sent is quite sufficient to prevent it. BRUSH AIR ARMAAIFNTS. LONDON. Feb. 2. An incident that marks the-great (advance made in the last twenty years, is the departure of the aircraft carrier “Argus” for China. She is loaded with (aeroplanes and stores. She is also carrying a full complement of the Nava! Air Force’s personnel. This means increasing the strength of the aircraft in China to eighty.** with reserves. SHANGHAI MOVE. PEKING, Feb. 1. Tlie foreign residents in tlie environs of Shanghai have been officially ordered to enter the protection of the settlement immedlatelv. PEKING, Feb. T. The latest local Shanghai development is that the Chinese authorities have protested against the erection of huts to accommodate British forces in the territory th)it is dually controlled by the Settlement und the Chinese authorities. The nccommodarion of forces now presents serious difficulty.

ALL CHINA UNITING. PEKING, Feb. 1. Britain’s action in sending her large naval and military forces to China is now promoting the union of North and South China mgainst foreign aggression.

This fs despite the magnanimous British proposals, offering a return of foreign concessions, customs autonomy, and a revision of treaties. It was originally believed the British proposals might entice the support of the Peking Government, but an opposite reaction is to lie observed. LORD ORE VS VIEWS. LONDON, Feh. 2. “AVliile Sir Austen Chamberlain’s speech on China has commanded the assent and approval of the world, he does not mention the function of the League of Nations.” said Lord Grey: “The reason is that the Chinese difficulty is not suitable for the League to take action. The reasons are:—Because civil war prevents the League from intervention under a clause expressly stating that it is not intended to deal with internal affairs; and (2) because the Chinese National policy has been considerably influenced by tlie Moscow Government which is avowedly Hostile to the League of Nations and therefore the Cantonese would regard the introduction r

of the League as a hostile and challenging gesture.” Lord Grey exhorted the Government not to take strong action, and to restrain its use of force till tlie last moment, and then to use it only for the defence of British lives and property.

A REPORTED BREAK. PEKING, Feb. 1

Air Eugene Chen, the Canton Foreign Minister, has broken off negotiations. He refuses to sign any agreement when there are British armed forces concentrating in Shanghai.

LONDON. Feh. 2. Official circles here are unable to confirm the report from .Hankow that Air Eugene Chen has broken off negotiations with Mr O’Malley on the ground thkit- no agreement is possible while the British armed forces are concentrating at Shanghai. On the contrary, the Foreign Office affirms that the negotiations are i til! proceeding, and that no news of Miy sort has yet been received giving a hint of a rupture.

AA'ell-informed circles believe that, / even if the report is correct, ihe, rupture wifi he only a temporary one. Air Chen is considered unlikely to persist so far as to provoke a final breakdown, especially in view of a huge measuro of approval being won fo.un many countries by Britain’s concilia- % tory policy.

LONDON PRESS COMMENT. LONDON, Feb. 1

The London newspapers assume the accuracy of the Hankow v eport that the negotiations have broken down “The Times” emphasises the necessity of refraining from attaching any undue importance to incidents in CLir.a at present, owing to a state of chaos prevailing in the country. Tt says:— “It is fortunate that tho British Government have decided upon a clear, elastic policy, adapted to a difficult period of transition. The events in the Pacific are becoming l.is vitally important as affairs in Europe have been hitherto. Figures prepared in Geneva show that the economic centre of gravity of tho world is gradually being transferred from the Atlantic to the Pasific. and that China cannot fail to play a great part in these new developments.” “The Times” concludes: “The question lias to be faced as whether we lire dealing with a section of Cuina whose national aspirations Britain has gone too far to meet, or with tho trickery of Bolshevist conspiuators.’’ CHINA’S CTJSTOAIS. PEKING, Feb. 1. Consternation is felt in financial circles in Shanghai at the dismissal of Sir F. Aglen, Customs Controller. Stock holders in Chinese loans ainceming to hundreds of millions oi dollars, are alarmed, despite the Poking Cabinet’s assurances that all the forc-ign loans and indemnities will not be impaired. The customs are tho sole guarantee for the repiyment of the loans. The dismissal of Sir F. Aglen is regaided as preliminary to the seizure of the customs.

F.S.A. AIOYE. XFAY YORK. February I. The “New York World ” says:— “ President Cooiidge has under consideration the appointment ot a Commission to negotiate a new treaty which will supersede those against which China is revolting, without waiting for the establishment of a Central Government ill China.

It is felt in AA’ashington that such an action will meet the demands of Mr Wellington Kuo (Pekin Premier) for an explicit declaration, showing that the United States is sincere in its intention of divorcing icsell Irom the extra-territoriality statutes.

There is no present intention that such a Commission should function before China is in a position to name her delegates to meet the Commissioners, hut the appointment of the Commission is designed to give uu assurance to the Chinese.