To the Editor of the "Nonra-Cuina Darux News."
Si,—In their memorandum on the future of Tsingtao, the British Chambers of Commerce in that port prefatorily state that the time is soon coming when the Chinese have to choose between direct negotiations with Japan or submission of the whole issue to the League of Nations. Careful consideration on the present pre-dicement of China does not suggest other or better alternatives.
Now, if the whole Shantung case is to go before the League of Nations, it would be a pity, nay, a disaster leading to all kinds of awful consequences, if the same luxurious ignorance of Far Eastern affairs displayed at the Versailles Conference in the handling of this question, were allowed to dominate once again and another blundering decision were arrived it, therefore, behoves all the other nations to call upon their respective Chambers of Commerce to draw up a memorial on the same lines as that of the British, so that the League of Nations shall be able to deal with the whole affair in an intelligent way and arrive at a solution to this problem with the interests of all the nations concerned duly respected. Matters for the League of Nations could be facilitated if the various Chambers of Commerce of each nation were to meet and exchange views with the object of presenting to the League of Nations their respective memorials in accord as much as possible. On the other hand, Japan's desire "to demonstrate by concrete actions a policy of fairness and justice towards China" should be allowed full freedom of action at the hearing of the case before the League of Nations, and there is no doubt that by' her liberal exercise of it Japan will recover more of the prestige and trade which she has recently lost in China than what she is vainly endeavouring to retain by her military strategy.
Tam, ete., 0. D.
Vladivostok, July 4.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.