Peking Chief Justice Interviewed in London His Excellency Tung Kang, President of the Peking- Supreme Court of Justice, who is paying a long! visit to the Western hemisphere has) explained to a representative of the "Morning" Post" the object of his extensive journey.
His Excellency admitted that the political situation in China is not very good, but declared that, although it has necessarily an uphill task, the new Government is doing reconstructive work. There is, he said, already' a marked improvement among the masses of the Chinese people, who are beginning to manifest interest in' the outside world and_in new things. They are aleo developing a public spirit, and the Shantung question, for example, he added, would not have been settled but for the fact that public opinion supportd the settlement. Moreover, trade and_commerce are developing, in spite the present lack of political stability. The country is giving its moral support to the inflation of the Chinese monetary system, and since the war the Chinese currency has; actually appreciated.
His Excellency is devoting special interest to judicial matters in the Western countries that he visits}, he is also investigating industrial and financial matters, his aim being to bring about a better understand- the ing between the Chinese and the Western nations. He realizes, too, that, while the Chinese are lacking in knowledge of the Western world, the Western nations know_ very little about the Chinese. intends, therefore, on returning to China from this tour, to urge. the Goveanment to establish a publicity department, which would be charged with the duty of making the actual condit of real China -known to the people of the Western nations in the latter's own language.
The new regime in China has adopted the Continental method of judicial procedure, but his Exceljency Tung Kang has arrived at the conclusion that a mistake has been made. In his opinion the English and American judicial procedure are close to the old Chinese system, and he, personally, is in favour of the adoption of English methods. His Excellency sincerely hopes that extraterritoriality will one day be abolished, and with this end in view he would like to see the Mixed Courts at Shanghai restored, and returned to the Chinese authorities. He also hopes that the International Commission to investigate judicial conditions in China, which was set up by the Washington Treaties, will come to China as early as possible. He is convinced that the result of! this investigation will accelerate the disappearance of extraterritoriality.
The Chinese legal authority declared that he expresses widespread Chinese feeling when he trusts that the Boxer Indemnity will be returned to China for educational purposes. He himself proposed in a Cabinet meeting that the Chinese Government should approach foreign Governments directly on the subject; the idea was not taken up, however. His Excellency hopes fervently that Great Britain will retwmn at least part of this indemnity, in order that it may be applied to the education of Chinese students either at home or in Great Britain. He is sure that a better understanding and a closer relafionship between the two countries would result from such an action.
His Excellency wished to add that he has been examining with the keenest interest the splendid collection of Chinese books and mamnuscripts in the British Museum Library.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.