Jan. 12.
WHILE, as we were told yesterday, the delegations at Washington are beginning to pack their bags, it may be of some faint interest to inquire what they have to put in them beside tooth brushes. It is unlikely that any "startling development', as_ the phrase goes, will now occur. The draft of the naval armaments reduction agreement has yet to be announced. But we fear that the public has grown a little sceptical as to the reality of these agreements, apart altogether from the fact that was let out in the telegrams a few days ago that any treaty will have to be approved by the Governments of the Powers concerned before it becomes binding. Which gives large scope for further disappointments, if such a word can be used where everybody except the ''solemn asses'' of the Press Bureau (to adopt from Stevenson a phrase that is surely most applicable to the transparent optimism of the Washington cables) has long ago ceased to expect anything. True, the Powers represented at Washington have agreed to withdraw their post offices from China as from Jan-vary 1, 1923; and that radio stations in this country shall at some unspecified date be subject to the Chinese Government. Also the United States and Japan-appear to have come to terms over the Yap controversy, which is something certainly to the good. But otherwise the delegations' luggage will be light of all but personal effects. The high hopes
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.