A very serious flaw, recognized of course long ago, in' the Chinese Provisional Constitution, is ay present giving no end of trouble in the Canton Assembly. The chief item on the Assembly's agenda has for long been the completion of the constitution, and a good deal of work has already been done upon it; in fact, it was expected to be finished by now. Sqme political body, however, in this instance generally believed to be the Chen Hsueh Hui, has reasons for not desiring to see the constitution ready just yet. so obstructionist tactics have been adopted, and this being about the simplest thing Chinese parliamentary pre dure, they have succeeding remar ably well. In the House of Commons obstruction—takes various forms. for instance in the direction of a flood of oratory. but in China nothing so harassing quired. If a reasonably large number of members stay away. that is all that is necessary, because according to the Provisional Constitution three-quarters of the members must be present to form a quorum. So now Canton knows all that it is possible to know about the weakness of this provision. and the constitution-builders there are not likely to encourage any similar scheme in their future efforts at legislation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.