This matter of railways in North Manchuria can only be decided in Petrograd, where the Chinese Eastern Railway has many opponents any extension schemes which will involve the raising of further capital, for though the Railway is making a profit which is increasing yearly it has no available liquid capital for the construction of new lines.
Thus Russia with her hands full at the present moment is unlikely vitiier to sanction or participate the construction of new railways in her sphere of influence if of political importance to her, until peace has been declared, though she may offer no objections to the Chinese building minor lines with purely Chinese capital for these, acting as feeders to the Chinese Eastern Railway's main line will indirectly benefit her, without interfering with the sarus quo.
As is already publicly known, Director Wu of the Changchun: Kirin Railway, who is himself an American trained engineer,—recently reported favourably to the Tsitsihar authorities regarding the construction of " line from Hulan through a flat and very rich agricultural district, which offers a0 serious engineering difficulties and can be cheaply built. The matter is now having the consideration of the Peking Government, and if the Russian authorities put no diffi culties in the way, the building of the same will be definitely decided upon as soon as funds are forthcoming for construction.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.