Likely to Be Put off to Autumn From Rodney Gilbert, Peking, Nov. 1.
Bankers and diplomats in Peking are much disappointed to find that because of French and Italian objections to the final adjustment of the tariff revision question in Shanghai, the international tariff conference in Peking, provided for by the Pacific conference at Washington, is likely to be postponed until next Autumn.
Many hopes of China's financial rehabilitation have been centred in this prospective conference. It was thought that with the promise of greatly increased Customs revenues held out to the Government condition ally, China could be persuaded to undertake a radical readjustment of her debts and to agree to establish radical reforms in the administration of her provincial revenues. To this end it was whispered that the foreign fin-anders in the Consortium were prepared to see the Government through the New Year, the assumption being that the tariff confer-ied ence would be held in April.
The present objections of the Italian and French Governments, both of which have retused to ratify the tariff revision agreement reached in Shanghai, are likely to entail lengthy diplomatic correspondence so that there is no hope now of ratification before spring. At Washington it was agreed that the international conference in Peking should be held seeing the Government through the three months after the ratification "New Year.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.