Throughout the Empire to-day loyal messages of congratulation will be despatched to the Prince of Wales on the occasion of his 88th birthday, and from Britons in. other countries the same June 25.
"Unprecedented in the history the Maritime Customs Service" is the comment which Sir Frederick Maze makes on the! refusal of Mr. J. Fukumoto to carry out orders. properly given to him as Commissioner of Customs in Dairen in regard to tribute of affection will be|the remittan local revenue forthcoming. "Not only will this|to Shanghai. Sir Frederick na-be because he is heir to the|turally looks upon the refusal Throne and as such commands the fealty of those over whom he may eventually reign—an event which in all fidelity it is to be hoped may be long deferred—but Decause throughout his life the primarily in its disciplinary aspects, but it is obviously a matter also of grave political significance. Mr. Fukumoto's dismissal for "gross insubordina-[tion" has been approved by the Japan as well as against China. Yet a Japanese official, Mr. 'Kawai, to judge from Mr. Fukujmoto's' statement, has had the Jaudacity to insist that remittance lof the Dairen Customs, in compliance with the Chinese Govern-Iment's orders, would be provoca {tive and invite counter-measures by the Manchukuo authorities imieal to Japanese interests. Here again is the preposterous pretence that the Manchukuo Robot is an entity independent lof Japanese guidance. If the Japanese Government can for-feebly compel a Japanese subject in the service of a Foreign power to refuse to obey the orders of is employers, its impotence to induce its own nominees lavish-disposed in the Manchukuo Jadministration in key appointments to refrain from countermeasures harmful to Japanese interests is highly pathetic but leven more highly incredible. Mr, Fukumoto could be under fear of lonly one thing and that was grave personal danger for, by the orders received from the Inspector-General he was com-
Prince has shown qualities calculated to endear him to the inhabitants of the vast Empir 'Though Princes are born to their high estate, adequately to fulfil its duties requires a lifetime of preparation, involves work often times more' real than apparent and a realisation of the duty of service which is rarely brought home to those occupying more lowly positions. The duties which fall upon the Prince of Wales must necessarily be heavy, calling at times for a degree of self-abnegation which is often ost sight of by those more impressed by the dignity and honour of the office than by realisation of all that that ens tails, Of the Prince of Wales it may be said with truth that from his earliest youth he has Appeared impressed with the importance of his career to the destinies of the Empire, and has worked ina manner that has eanned for him "the deepest respect from those in immediate touch with him and the greatest admiration from the Empire at large, No heir to the British Throne has been made so completely aware of the people over whom he may be destined to reign, no Prince of Wales has travelled so extensively in the Empire and outside it, no future ruler has had the same opportunity studying imperial problems on the spot or of making acquaintance with those upon whom in varying degrees the burden of Empire is laid. The men of the House of Windsor have faithfully carried out the traditions of the Great Queen who preceded them, who might have wished to. have'done very much the same foa they have done, but who certainly commenced' the policy of sending members of her family abroad to acquire information' likely to be of service to them in' the work they ultimately had tol do. But none of them so widely travelled as has her' silent-grandson whose missions tol various parts of the world have been the means of making naw and binding old friendships arid have assisted the further-
extent which. even now is not fully appreciated. His tour of of British trade to ar the South American states will be long remembered for the frit it is already bearing and may be expected to bear.
because of the readiness with which the Prince's services are placed at the disposal of his King and country, the wholehearted manner in which he carries them out and the. personal charm he displays in doing it, that he has earned for himself an enviable position in the British Empire. His tact, theJare worked under a interest in the lot of the humblest of His Majesty's subjects, the very human way in which he handles men, all have tended to establish him in a degree of per-coal relationship with the. Biitish public which is probably unequalled.
It is, therefore, the
be greeted to-day by congratula-case that His Royal Highness will tions not dictated by an imper-
Finance Minister who already, in the most forceful manner pointed out the serious implications of the attempt of the Manchukuo administration to appropriate the revenues of the 'Chinese Maritime Customs at Dairen, It will be observed that the remittance to Shanghai iwas necessary—the sum involve fed is, it is understood, something' in the neighbourhood Tls. 14 lakhs—because of the falling off in revenue due to the general trade depression. Service of the Foreign Loans, indemnities and Domestic Bonds will be adversely affected if the assault by Manchukuo on Customs Revenue is allowed to persist, It is idle at this stage to pretend that Manchukuo means anything more than the Japanese military authorities in Manchuria. Ever since the affair of September last, it has been obvious that Japanese officials in Chinese Government service there have been sub-Jiected to most improper pres-'Sure from the Japanese Gov-jemment, They have been told that they are Japanese subacts first and Chinese employees afterwards and told, on occasions with very real threats of personal danger to boot. To that extent—and to that extent alone—sympathy goes out to Mr. Fukumoto, Yet it cannot denied that the action of the Chinese Government in dismiss: ing him is completely justified and that the chief blame rests on the Japanese authorities for putting him in an impossible position. 'This is all the more reprehensible because during the Shanghai trouble the Inspector. General of Customs went out of his way to protect his Japanese staff and, on that account, received a' special message of gratitude from the Tokyo Government, Moreover, it is clear, Sir Frederick has shown considerable patience and appreciation of the difficulty of Mr. Fukumoto's position.
'A Commissioner of Customs' main function is that of collecting and remitting revenue. A passive attitude such as that a sumed by Mr. Fukumoto must at Jonce become insubordination Imediately it becomes incumbent fon him to perform his duty. The intolerability of the position is that Mr. Fukumoto should be swayed by orders from others than whom he serves. But reallly Mr, Fukumoto does not come into the picture very prominently. The main issue is the extraordinary action of the Japanese Government in pretending that the puppet administration lof Manchukuo has any right or: colour of right to concern itself affection of the people of the|with the Dairen Customs which special minner in which he displayslagreement between China and Japan. If it could be maintain fed that Manchukuo was in teality an independent administration Jat war with China, its seizure of Customs revenue at Antung or} Newchwang might be justified as legitimate act of war. Once it] Jeneroaches on the Dairen Cus-items it is going beyond its own declared jurisdiction and is com-has|pletely clear of any personal liability for the remittance of ithe revenue required. He is known to be a Customs official of great experience and, hitherto, marked devotion to duty. But of course he has been the victim of that form of pressure which, in the sorry tragedy of Japan's Manchurian adventure, has been Jo commonplace and a standing indictment of the methods of the Japanese authorities, as_ they Ihave proceeded from one act of gross ill-faith to another, from imposition of elaborately ludicrous espionage on visitors whether foreign or Chinese to the definite use of violent threats land actual violence itself lorder to bolster up. their prefearious and ill-conceived policy.
Whether this latest example of the impudence of the Mukden clique will duly bring the Gov-lornment at Tokyo to a realls tion of its responsibilities remains to be seen, there was issued the other day a message to the effect that Japan was prepared to exercise her good offices towards the amicable solution of the Dairen Customs issue, An offer of that kind would be accepted with gratification if the facts justified a belief in its sincerity. For days past, Tokyo had refused to admit that the assault on the Dairen Customs was contemplated. That technique has been the regular stock-in-trade of Japanese diplomacy. lever since September last. It has fast for Japan incalculable sympathy the world over. When everyone knows that the Manlehukuo Marionettes. have dance to the strings which their [Japanese showman pull the offer fof good offices from Tokyo to intervene between Changehun and Kuantung ceases to be even bad joke: it ix a definite insult to the intelligence of those to. whom it is made. As a clumsy, attempt to obtain an oblique recognition of the status of the Manchukuo Government it is simply childish, Once more would seem that a desperate fear lof the eventual outcome of the leave economic and political position in Japan is driving the Japanese military authorities into another reckless challenge' of the goodwill of friendly, powers, The effects of Japanese action in Manchuria of late have been to encourage smuggling on jo large scale to the grave detriment of ports like Tientsin. That is by the way; the real point to consider is that the whole trend of Japanese actions la Manchuria and elsewhere in China during the last nine months, in spite of specious de-niels and unexampled effrontery, has been to attempt to establish in China a Japanese hegemony' which would deny to China the Tight to extricate herself from her own pressing difficulties and to other nations the. right to trade in China, except by permission of Tokyo or whatever might be Tokyo's local militarist representative here or in Manchuria. There has been a withdrawal from Shanghai but would be heavily discounted if, jin extension of the present perist formances in' Manchuria, Japan [could put a stranglehold on the North by reason of her. domin-Jance in Mukden. That is the key ito the problem which has grown in magnitude owing largely to!
Japanese Government bound ignominiously hand and foot to the unscrupulous and anti-social Jamok. methods of a militarism ron
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.