In discussing the matter recently, a member of the House of Representatives said that the objection was taken mainly on the matter of procedure. If the Cabinet had sent its minute to the House in the first place, it would probably have been passed without discussion, but it. objected to the Cabinet giving instructions to the Waichiaopu to act before Parliament had approved.
Another Member of Parliament said that he failed to see why the question had ever been referred to the House at all, as it involve ed no departure from an old agreement. It was the Chinese Government that wished to depart from the former procedure, but the question was not put before the House in that way and the fact that the Foreign Office had been instructed by the Cabinet to agree to the French view simply muddled the whole affair.
As the eight Signatory Powers had not received any reply to their Note of February last, they have now sent in a reminder, recapitulating their former. contentions and asking for an immediate reply.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.