Peking, Jan. 29.
Next to the financial expectations of the Government, the all Absorbing topic of discussion is whether China should or should not open negotiations with Japan, as desired by the latter, regarding the retrocession of Kiaochou.
Popular opinion is wholly opposed to negotiation. Sheaves of telegrams arrive daily from all parts of the country urging the Government to adhere to its original policy and decline to negotiate, and though these may not come from important bodies, yet their cumulative effect is irresistible, demonstrating that the people, or those of them who take an interest in the matter, are agreed that Japan's attitude to China must be resented.
The Cabinet could not come to an agreement as to the action to take, and the matter was referred to the Waichaiopu, which promptly decided to postpones consideration until the return of Mr. Lu Tseng: hsiang, China's envoy to the Peace Conference in Paris. Mr. Lu has returned. Always a sick man, ho is more sick nos! to find that, so many outstanding questions, and thorny ones too, are to be presented to him for decision and action. One can hardly be surprised that he has developed neuralgia and has been given four weeks' leave of nse. Presumably he has been suaded from resigning, and the interval required for his recovery may enable him to find a solution for the several problems confronting him.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.