Quite apart from the invoking of this pact, both Britain and France have protested against their' exelusion from the scheme suggested by China. Britain owes her wireless position in China to granted to the El Wireless Administration, which was, formed as a joint concern by the Chinese Government and the Marconi Company. Under that chart er, the administration obtained certain rights in the supply of mater-fois, Tt is on this clause that Britain bases her claim to a hearing in any dispute on wireless rights in China, She would have had a stronger claim if an agreement could have been fashioned out of an exchange of letters between the Government and the Marconi interests in 1914. These letters gave the Marconi Company a—definite right to consultation in any development in China's wireless requirements. I understand, however, that the letters themselves were not} considered sufficient grounds for protest against lack of consideration joint schemes.
France comes in with her station at Yunnanfu, put up in 1917, and against the construction of which the British at the time protested ineffectively. The extent of her interest in any further disposition of wireless rights is not revealed, for her note is not available for publication.
America and Japan have the best cases, as cases, for monopolistic rights in China; bat as a monopoly does not connote two competing: parties, an impasse has been created which has still to be surmounted. America is standing firm on the Federal contract, that expensive document which Will provide. China with a hi fe China at a cost of dollars. Nothing has been done so far to realize its terms, but the opportunity presented by the Chinese Note is being used to pre: s the Government very strongly against further delay. So there is no question of ce-operation yet from America's viewpoint. It is. contended that the first essential is the fulfillment of this contract, as Japan's is fulfilled, and then the ground will be prepared for cooperative action. Until such America makes no bones any consideration of any proposal of joint action with Japs The Chinese are catching the drift of American reaction to their, scheme, and now, it is said, are discussing the possibility of makin: the dispute the first case to submit to the Board of Reference, to sct up, according to the terms of the Wash: ington "Conference, immediately after the Tariff Conference.
lew of China's procrastination and the progress of wireless since the days when the Federal contract was first signed, the proposed st: tions are rapidly becoming out-of date, in that the advance in the short-wave length system is cutting down the costs of wireless instal: Iations tremendously. But there every possibility that China will exe long authorize the erection of the Shanghai station, and that eireumstances will then' force the need for ce-operation to the front.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.