Harbin, March 90.
Some time back, on the occasion of Grand Duke George Michailovitch's visit to Japan, I had cause to write about the political—significance of this special journey unde taken by this august representa ti of the Imperial House of Russi Persistent rumours have been afloat among the commercial community of this town that there is a possibility of the tran: Changchun se To many people thi appear preposterous and undoubtedly if such a thing should become an accomplished fact, Russian commercial interests in North Manchuria will suffer a very serious blow. I am personally of the opinion that such a transfer may actually take place at no distant date, for there seems little or no doubt that the negotiations between the representatives of Russia and Japan have greatly advanced. The present anomalous position which exists in Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia makes a permanent definition of the modus vivendi essential for Japan and her present of colonial expansion. The it news that Mr. Wentzel, Vice-President of the Chinese East-Railway who resides in Petrograd and who is the real executive head of this railway system is to attend the Russo-Japanese railway Conference which will open at Tokio on April 14 is also not without importance.
The Conference has been called in order to make permanent, mutually beneficial railway tariffs and to secure for the Japanest through freight rates from Japan direct to points in Russia, but there is no reason why the details of a inal from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.