THE OPEN DOOR IN MANCHURIA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 59, 28 February 1908, Page 2

THE OPEN DOOR IN MANCHURIA

CHINESE COMPLAINTS. Loudon, February 20. The Peking correspondent of the " Times " telegraphs: Chinese newspapers urge that if tile Japanese contention denying China's right to extend the northward railway system west of Liau (? the Liau-Ho River) is upheld the result will be an end to the " open door" policy and the extinction of Chinese sovereignty in .Manchuria. The Pekin Government is discussing the question with the Japanese Legation.

BRITAIN'S RECOGNITION. Received Feb. 27, 10.38 p.m. London, February 27. Sir Edward Grey, Foreign Secretary, intimated in • the House of Commons that Britain recognises the validity of China's clear undertaking not to construct a railway competing with the South Mauchurian line.

GETTING ROUND THE "OPEN DOOR." COMPETITION AND FREIGHTS, According to a cabled statement by the Daily Chronicle, published a few days ago, Japan, under a secret treaty concluded with China in 1900, lias vetoed China's building of this Ka'-ku-racn line, and China has accepted the position thus forced upon her. But, according to other advices, Japan is acting under a protocol of her treaty with China of 1005, which "contains a clause explicitly pledging China not to build any line prejudicial to the interests of the South Manehurian railway, whether parallel to it or in its vicinity. The proposed line joining Hsiu-min-tun and Fa-ku-meu (which would link up Pekin with Manchuria) would ran directly parallel to the Japanese railway, and, if carried further north, as was projected, would tap a large region whence the Japanese railway now draws freight besides seriously compromising the strategical position. A similar agreement formerly existed between Russia and China.

The position is that Japan is accused of getting round the open door policy, and securing for herself unfair cominetv cial advantages of the railways. Writes a Shanghai correspondent:—'The maintenance of the open door—equal opportunity for all—has been promised; but to suppose that there will be no attempt' to recover, through trade, some few of the millions wasted through war (the thousands of lives who have gone beyond recall) is to ascribe to Japan a degree of benevolence and althruism far superior to that of any of the western Powers. i"u 11)0(1 the rates of freight on the Japanese railway to Kwanchengtze, an important Maiiehurian distributing centre from Niu-

chwang, 330 miles, were 5s a ton more than from Dairen, 465 miles; now, unI der the competition of the Chinese'line from Shanhaikwau to Mukden, these rates arc made equal. But the whole of Japanese industry and commerce is organised like the working of a nest of ants, or even like Japanese war procedure; and there is an uneasy feeling that, if not given on the railway, preferential treatment may he «ivcn on the steamers, with Government"support and under Goverment control, which carry the goods from Japanese ]>orts to Dairen,