A telegram from St, Petersbarg, dated Janoary 21, and published by "The Japan Chronicle," reads: The text of the reply of the Russian Gorernment to the Memorandam of the United States Government proposing the nentralizetion of the railways Mancharia has been published. The! reply rans as follows "The Imperial Government, affirm devotion to the principles of the lability of China's sovereignty, the policy of the open door and equal commercial opportnoities la Mancbaria, presses the conviction that these pri plea are not at present threatened ip any way, and therefore the questions raised by the Federal Goveroment of the United States with regard to the most effective means of defending thes principles are not justified by the condi tion of affairs in Mancharis.""
Emphasizing forthe national aod priv in Mancharia, obtained at the price of enormous sacrifices and moral efforts, on which interests the establishment o! an international control over the Man chorion railways would bare an uofavourable effect, the Memorandam goes on to enumerate the considerations which involve a negative attitude on th: part of Rassia towards the American proposal, as far as it affects the internstionalization of the railways already existing in Manchuria. It is especially linted out that the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, in working for the realization of its important undertaking, was guaranteed definite rights sod advantages for the whole perind of th concession—i.e., eighty years, the Chin ese Government baring the right it it desired, to purchase the noder taking after the lapse of thirty-six yeara. Only by relying on these extended periods could the company Iaanch large capital in the undertaking. force the company to relingaish it-rights at the present time would thus br ation of its interests. Moreover, the " hinese Eastern Railway has given life and organization to a whole serie of separate institutions having coanertions with the line, he Chinese Eastern Railway," continues the Memorandum, has oe operated in the establishment of many private undertakings, the fate of whic'
closely bound up with the existence of the company. The railway has aren more importance from a national poi of view. It serves as the princi medium for Rossia's connexions wi her Far Eastern possessions, and link that cannot be severed. It was thie that induced the Rostian Government to embark on great, fontlays tu gnarantes the capital for the constraction of the line and 318 the balancing of the deficits involved in exploitation. For the Government. therefore, it in most important to retain the closest control over the line and the pomer to regulate its rates, which of course could not be maintained if the railway were transferred to an interned tional syndicate. Finally, from s parely financial point of view, the project does not famish a solid guarantee that by the new arrangement entirely satisfactory results woald be obtained, as the proposed scheme is in the nature of vast experiment, not yet tried anywhere in practice.
Turning to the other alternative in the American proporal—that concerning the inviting of Rassian capital to participate in the financing of the projected Chinchon-Aignn line and other i takingeof the Ameri-a the great immentioned to ite terests from a political and strategical int of view, as it would open a way from the south not only to the!binese Eastern Railway, but also to Rassian territory st Aigan, The Government in principle to consider thie project, 80 long as informed of the immediate grounds undertaking case, pou_which the
the Government reserves to itself the right to defice ite attitude towards future undertakings of this nature, which will dopeed on the importance of rach of them separately from the jolt of view of Rassian interests.""
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.