If the administration at Nanking can brace itself to the point of acting as a Government ought in such a case, it will speedily endeavour, first of all, to prevent any sort of retaliation or offensive military action. Otherwise incidents will merely be increased. There have been too many of them already. Indulgence of the anti-Japanese Associations should be stopped and, in its place, definite efforts to dissolve those bodies put forth. The military authority should be enjoined to exerci the strictest control over their commands. Nothing could be disastrous from the point of view than any demonstration which would inevitably evoke further: Japanese action. In regard to the Specific affair of the assault on the monks, one of whom unhappily died yesterday morning from the injuries received in the fracas, there should be no further hesitation in submitting a complete apology and in issuing stringent orders for the Jarrest of the offenders, whose identities are believel to be well-known to the Chinese police, In this respect it, would be well for the Chinese Government to note how promptly and completely the Japanese authorities ave satisfaction for the murderous assault on the Municipal Police. Japanese rioters, suspected of complicity in that outrage, have been arrested and will be duly tried under the law. It will be noted that, the com: plete disorganization of the Chinese administration makes ithe situation exceedingly explosive. Tension has been gravely accentuated by.the events of the last few days. The distressing tragedy yesterday afternoon when a respected Austrian resident of Shanghai was shot Chinese soldiers on the Lunghua Toad gave a ghastly indication of the baneful effects lof panic and imperfect military control. The Chinese authorities have a heavy responsibility which they must endeavour to discharge at all costs and that is to prevent the occurrence of any incidents calculated to intensify an already grave situation. At this juncture apportionment of the unpleasant realities Chinese impotence and Japanese competence: to insist on compliance with requirements, is to be strongly deprecated.
The sooner machinery of medi can be brought into play the better. That will only be when, Jas an earnest of good faith, the conditions set forth in the Japanese ultimatum have been met.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.