At a well attended meeting of the American Association of University Apartments on Tuesday afternoon China's "Unequal Treaties" formed the main subject of discussion. After tea, served by the ladies the Y.M.C.A., the president, Mrs. Dunbar, called the meeting to order and reports from the secretary, Miss Crofoot, and the treasurer, Miss Lenhart, were given. It was voted that the association should endorse Dr, Margaret Polk's plea that women should have equal voting privileges with men in the. affairs of the International Settlement and should be investigated.
In speaking on "China's Treaties, Mfr. N. F, Allman gave an historical outline of the foreign relations of China with other countries which have indicated throughout the Chinese ideas of superiority and condescension. The Chinese nation had limited commercial intercourse with Europe since ancient times but always regarded themselves as one supreme empire under Heaven. All ther states were considered as tributaries and were thought to be inhabited by barbarians, The states in Asia for the most part accepted the over-lordship and sent tribute to the Chinese Emperor. This attitude was assumed by China when Europeans seriously sought eommercial and diplomatic relations with the Chinese 200 years ago. Up. to that time China had never made a treaty with a foreign country with the exception of Russia, When George III sent Lord Me-Cartney to the Emperor Chien Lung proposing the appointment of a British Trade Peking and cert at several ports, the Emperor replied that "as your ambassador can see for himself we possess all things. and set no value on strange objects or manufactures." He made excusses for the ignorance of King George, remembering the "lonely remoteness of your island, cut off from the world, ete."
The Treaty of Nanking After the war of 1842, a treaty was made between Great Britain and China which ushered in China modern treaty era. This was the famous Treaty of Nanking which provided for the peace and protection of the respective subjects of each nation within the territory of the other. In subsequent treaties. the Chinese Government agreed not to refer to British subjects as bar-parians. Rights of residence in designated places were given and access to the interior.
In 1844, the Chinese Government made treaties with the United States and France along the same lines.
Speaking of extra-territorial rights, the speaker said that Russia had enjoyed these since 1689, Great Britain obtained them in 1843 and France and the United States 1844, The latest country to acquire these rights was Switzerland while Germany, Austria and Russia lost them in '1918 as a result of the war, In the treaties of 1902-3, it Road. was agreed between China and the could assist the police by reporting] them and apprehending criminals, A Model Province Mr. 0. Bf. Green, editor of the North-China Daily' News," replying on behalf of the foreign press, expressed the hope that, with the th reform of Shanghai, other places in Kiangsu would follow Shanghai's example and later he hoped that other provinces of China would follow Kiangsu's example. Gen. Yen had taken his audience into his confidence and the press should do its best to assist wherever could to restore order in Shangand Kiangsu so that, when the! day came, China could have real] peace and order and then Kiangsu could take her place in the councils of the nation. Mfr. Green then proposed a toast to Gen, Yen Chun-yang.
'Mr. Y. Tkeda, English' editor of the Eastern News Agency, and Mr. ¥en To-hu, editor of the "Sinwana0," then replied on behalf of the Japanese and Chinese" journalists Present, respectively. as China reformed her laws and ened be Me, sore A emit ating sri, res are eile aes see ce sate roewint the Washington Conference, and so The Inequality The other speaker of the afternoon was Dr. C. L. Hsia, who gave an address on" "Why China considers the Treaties Unequal," address was given in the place of Dr. Lee of Shanghai College who was iM and unable to speak, Dr. Hsia, who holds his degree of M.A. from Glasgow University and that, of PH. D, from Edinburgh University is a professor in Shanghai College of Commerce, which is @ pat of South Eastern University and the Dean of Southern University. He began his address by defining. unequal treaties as those which were antiquated, absurd, or unin He said that to' Chinese the word treaty connoted a large body of documents, such as contracts, correspondence, reports, exchange of notes, protocols, land regulations. and treaties in' the western captation of the word, and that the Shanghai Judicial Inquiry was concerned with questions which could not be found in treaties, 'There were, said the speaker, certain things' which Chinese could not do in foreign settlements and other things which foreigners could not do in certain parts of China
country partook of the nature and the unwritten customs of the treaty obvious that these unequal and he quoted Sir John MacDonald to the effect that they were a derogation of Chine sovereignty which should not permitted, He also quoted another authority who wrote that while the time might not be ripe for the surrender of extra-territoriality there was no such excuse for delaying other details of the treaties.
The demands of the Chine delegates at the Peace Conference in Paris for the abolition of extraterritoriality, the present tariff re-ons, of settlements and conces-spheres of interest and influence, the rendition of leases such as Weihaiwei, of foreign Post Offices and Wireless Stations were only reasonable, the speaker felt. He claimed that by allowing China to fix her own tariffs not only would a better feeling be produced which would react favourably on trade but that unless something of sort were speedily done Chin would have no money to purchas foreign goods and an excellent market would be lost. The'speakers, iswered questions from the floor the close of their addresses,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.