IRRATIONAL QUIXOTRY.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17748, 16 March 1927, Page 5

IRRATIONAL QUIXOTRY.

BRITISH POLICY DERIDED. LOCAL PAPER ANGRY. Received Tuesday, 11.10 p.m. SHANGHAI, March 15. The British Concession at Hankow, seized and held by the Cantonese on January 4, to-day officially reverted to the Chinese in accordance with the Chen-O'Malley agreement. Commenting thereon, the "North China Daily News," the official British organ, declared that it must be said that Britons at Hankow and elsewhere loolc to the future with deep misgiving, and ca.unot rid themselves of the t-uu-. ' ' the Concession, ncver to . Lave.

been lost. A grave blunder has heen committed and Britons' interests sacrificed to false political expediency. The only explanation of this strange, sad story is that the British Government never meant to impose any conditions or require guarantees for the welfare of its nationals, but made up its mind to hand over the Concession as a free gift. By so doing it sought to appeal to the best sense of the Chinese by a supreme act of friendship. The paper describes this act as a piece of irrational quixotry which, instead.of mollifying, set the extremists against the British. The only hopeful sign is. says the paper, that the Chinese are beginning to under stand the madness of the course to which the Labour Unions under the dominance of Moscow agents is j consigning them. Sooner or later , they must revolt against the , lyrGjJU.Y of j'ie Lal).o.i,ir .tlfiions.