The official withdrawal by the Japanese delegates at Washington of the famous Group V. of the Twenty-one Demands was necessary asa matter of principle and for the clearing up of relations between the two countries, although in practice we doubt if that Group could ever have had any real meauing. Under it China was to undertake to employ Japanese political, military and financial advisers; she was to agree to the police departments of important places in China being jointly administered by Japanese and Chinese; she was to purchase from Japan a fixed amount of what munitions of war she needed; she was to grant, Japan the right to build the Wuchang-Nanchang-Hangchow railway (which is a British and Chinese Corporation concession); if she needed foreign capital for mines, railways, harbours and docks, she was to get it from Japan; she was to admit as many Japanese Buddhist missionaries as chose to come. Looking back on these demands at this distance of time, one is even more astounded by them than one was in 1915, when the War had made ultimatums and violence the order of the day. They bear strong evidence that the militarists who then controlled Japanese foreign policy must have been quite convinced that Germany was going to win the war, or they could never have been framed. China, even when accepting the other demands, stuck out resolutely against this group, which was finally left over for later discussion and now at last disappears. Of the other groups of demands the first refers to Shantung and is therefore superseded by the settlement concluded at Washington last week, Group LI refers to the position of Japanese in Manchuria and Mongolia. III is concerned with the Hanyehping Corporation in which there appears reason to think that Japanese capita? obtained a predominant hold by private means. IV provides against bays, harbours or islands on the China coast being leased to any Power. This also is rendered void by agreements reached at Washington. Taken all in all the Twenty-one Demands have virtually ceased to exist.
VerapivostoK, Feb. 5.—The In-sector of Government Militia: publishes a statement denying the allegations of Mr. MacCormick in the Chinese press regarding the search of Major Clarke's car, particularly the implication that: apanese took part in the affair. Mr, MacCormick's insinuations that the Vladivostok Government! is a tool of the Japanese, continues: the statement. are not in accord-lance with the facts,- which is obvious from the cavalier fashion' in which the Japanese treat this Government, particularly of late, rendering it no assistance financial or otherwise.—Rener.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.