Qesuat reading Routes Barred to USSR. Ships Frou Our Own Comesroxnaxr Mukden, Jan. 8.
The termination of relations between the Nationalists. and the Soviet is causing great jnconvenfence to the Soviet State Commer cial Fleet people at Viadivostol, who are now endeavouring to find new routes for their steamers, Hitherto, regular lines, such as Ganton and Viadivostok-China-
Korea, gave employment to all the vessels of the fleet, but now, with the termination of' Nationalist-Soviet relations, the Soviet State Commercial Fleet stof? at Vladivostok have been instructed by Moscow to find new routes for the steamers.
'This, of course, is easier to order than to bring about, beewuse in these days of strenuous chipping competition in the Far Enst, it takes a lot of uphill work and' efficient management to gain the confidence and support of shippers. Hitherto, the vessela of the Soviet Commercial Fleet have hech operated successfully, not on account of the support of shippers, but on account of tthe fact that the'eargoes which they carried from Chinese ports Vindivostok and vice vera were shipped by Soviet "trading agencies" In other words, the Soviet jovernment employed its own steamers to transport its own cargoes, Now, with the establishment of new routes, the steamers will have to rely toa great extent upon non-official support, wt least for some tin Hopes for Japan Trade According to reports, emanating from Vindivostok, the. Soviet Commercial Fleet people there propose inaugurate Vladivostok-Japan erviee for the carrying of soya beans and other products. from Manchuria to Tsuruga, Kobe and Yokohama, and, on the return voy-ges, the steamers are to carry cages purchased by Soviet trading fageneies in Japan, but this Is eas-for anid than done, because the Jawere already "relying upon weir own steamers for the. trans portation of goods from. Vindivowe tok to Japan and vice versa. Moreover, attempts made in the past by the 'Soviet trading agencies and the Chinese Eastern Railway, in conjunction with the Ussuri Tail-Way and the Soviet Commercial Fees, to divert shipments of churian produce to' Vladivostok or Egersheld, in competition with Dairen, have never proved success ul boewuse Dairen has vastly better landing and unloading facilities offer shippers. And the port authorities at Dairen have neve endeavoured to rab into the minds of shippers, that in looking after the! lonia' of unloading of tele Sour'io shippers, which i the sort ts, they are doing a great fa-
of attitude' the' Vindivostuk port authorities often adopt.
The Red-Tape of Vladivostok Then, too, there is a whole lot of red-tape visible at Vladivostok which is never experienced Dairen, Naturally, when a foreign shipper pays so much a ton for Toading or unloading operations involving his goods, he does not care to be bothered with a whole lot of unnecessary red-tape, or to be told, directly or indirectly, how fortunate hho is in being permitted to carry on trading operations on Soviet soil, and that the Soviet authorities fare doing a great deal more for him than what he is entitled to. Tt possible that, in order to make this proposed " Vladivostok-Japaa service pay, the Soviet an borities at Vladivostok may adopt ereing: tactics to secure the support of shippers, but the Jajlanese Government would undoubtedly protest and take steps against any such tactics Then there is that matter of propaganda, Soviet captains have the habit of smuggling propaganda Viterature into the country at whose ports their steamers touch, and the "Dirty Imperialists" are a bit wary of this pernicious practice. Cert orities have often remarked th Chinese generals have nothing but money on the brain, but it is a truism that Soviet people have thing but propaganda on the brain all the time. Take the Japanese
example. A few days after the great disaster, the Soviet Com mercial. Fleet steamer Pamiat Lenina put into Yokohama with "relief supplies" The Japanese police found a huge quantity of incen diary literature on board, and they naturally forbade any "communication between the Red propaganda ship and land, and gave her a time limit to return to Viadivostok. The only relict the Jaanese ever got out of the Pamiat Lenina was when she hoved out of sight,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.