Poking, Dec. 23.
Marshal Tuan Chi-jui's staff continue to express satisfaction at the progress of events, but the public i is pessimistic, knowing that political maneeuvrings are going on between the various leaders. Such secrecy is observed, however, that people are seizing upon trivial happenings as indications of what are occurring behind the scenes.
Such circumstances offer a fruitful field for rumours, with which the Capital is seething. The rumours say juter alia that Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan, General Peng Yu-Dr, Sun Yat-sen are ing to fir common cause, while Marshal Chang Tso-lin is fretting at Marshal Tuan's slow methods, and the latter is finding difficulty in holding the war-ike Fengtien leaders in check.
'These reports may be mere speculation due to the secret discussions and the delay in calling' the conference, but the, credence given to the rumours. shows the general apprehension and readiness of the public to believe that little real progress has yet been made towards a general peace.—Reuter's Pacific Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.