Mar. 7.
Yue situation of affairs as regards Weihaiwei is truly remarkable. Impenetrable mystery has veiled the course of negotiations since the early. part of last October. The transferring of the discussions from Weihaiwei to Peking, which took place at the close of last year, so far from ex-poditing matters, as some people were sanguine enough to expect, has but deepened the incumbent gloom, and if anyone really knows to-day where the negotiations stand he is certainly not giving anything away. The only gleam of light that has been -vouchsafed is of anything but a cheering colour, to wit, the message from the Secretary of State for the Colonies which appeared in our columns last week, authorizing the Officer Administering Weihaiwei to state ''that His Majesty's Government -is unable to admit any liability for claims made by private interests to compensation upon rendition."' "That leaves very little room for optimistic interpretation.
Let us recapitulate a little. The first impressions formed on the telegraphic version of Lord Balfour's statement at Washington, that Weihaiwei was to be returned unconditionally China, were shown to be wrong by the published minutes of the Conference. In his speech in the conference chamber Lord Balfour said quite clearly that Weihaiwei was to be given back "ander like suitable conditions"' to those under which sovereignty over the rest of Shantung was restored. In writing to Mr. Alfred Sze, the Chinese delegate, two days later Lord Balfour speaks of matters to be.discusssed concerning the use of the island by His Majesty's Navy during the summer months as _heretofore, ''as well as matters affecting the due safeguarding of foreign interests in municipal affairs." There can be no reasonable doubt as to the meaning of the letter. As regards the Navy the situation is complicated by the fact that China wants the harbour for her own fleet and can find no other so good, at least in the north; against which we_believe the: island is almost if not entirely Admiralty property, not leased but paid for in bard cash. Tu respect of. business interests and property-owners in the Territory, the situation is somewhat
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.