Apr. 25.
Tne interest pt the British Chamber of Commerce meeting} has slightly had the cream taken off it by the recent conference] lof Associated Chambers and by] the amount of publicity given} to the trademarks and one or two other questions. But, focussing as it does in a small space the Chamber's achievements during the past-year, the Chairman's speech presents. a [really remarkable record, much deserving of compliment. Success is reported in the important matter of the desired Custom) House at Pukow it appears also] to be in a fair way of being attained in" respect of the Huangpu River Police; some! important points have been) gained ip, connexion with freights and mails; most conicuous of all, the inroad-on extraterritoriality amd the danger threatening foreign property of vast value under the 'Trademar'
Law has been effectively countered. For this it is certainly not toovmiuch to say that the British Chamber of Commerce is primarily responsible.. Other organizations amd _newspapers have helped, but the, Chamber inaugurated and has always been Jin the van of the attack and it is accordingly to be congratulat ed. In this as in many affairs, We are sure we voice the feeling of all members of the Chamber in offering a special tribute of thanks to the secretary, Mr. M, Gull. Hig zealous ana untiring energy is well known by} all who have any dealings with tie Chamber, and while the ordinary routine of the aay ight well fill up all his work-'
1g houra, ho has still found time to build up a fine monthly Journal, on the success of which the Chairman justly commented yesterday with pride.
To return for a moment to the Trademark Law, while we must all rejoice at the stand taken by the Diplomatic Body, because under present conditions in China no such Bureag as that contemplated could safely. be entrusted with the great} terests involved in trademarks, it cannot but be regretted that} the fight was necessary, There} was, of course, no novelty in it, 'The history of foreign and Chin. ese relationships is one long series of resistance by the foreigner to encroachment on his treaty rights, and the falsely-named Opium War was due'to nothing else than the Chinese officials' violation of-their clear undertakings. But must it always be 80? The opinion appears to prevail in foreign quarters in Peking that the Trademark Law was sincerely meant as a solution of-a very old problem. If that opinion is correct, the obvious inference that the relationships between the Waichinopu and the Legations are not what they might be, or the question would have been referred to the Diplomatic Body before the law was drafted, in order to ascertain that it was mutually satisfactory. But there appears to be no advance on the old wearisome way of! protests and then more protests} and every success must be purchased at the expense of bitter feeling and angry words. After! all, both sides "urely have identical interests. The foreigner is just as anxious as any Chinese can be that China should be prosperous and his desire to do business with lier, under the terms of the treaties, ig not unreasonable and involves _no menace to her sovereign rights, What is needed to-day is " new spirit in the handling of Sino-foreign affairs, a fair recognition of rights and' susceptibilities on either side, readiness to give and take, plain speaking to promote mutual understanding and eliminate mistrust. The average Chinese and thio average! foreigner can usndlly agree!
ithout difficulty in their private bargains, with each other Why might it not be 0 a8 between Government and Government? the Canton authorities, says the "Canton Gazette," prohibit. combling. stands along the Bund The venalt¥ for violrding order is capital punishment, Dr. Sun "Yat-sen recently protested. that the had no intention at pro-sent of introducing Bolshevism within his domains When the Red Terror doos arrive his people will certainly not be unprepared!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.