Mir, John Stevens on Danger off the GE. R, Gna SPEAR, seve John consulting engineer of the Erie Railroad and formerly discly associated with the} Chinese Eastern Railway, to-day declared that reports from the Manchurian frost have been too sanguine as regards the possibility' of an amicable settlement The Chinese Eastern Railway} "always has been, and will continue] ta be, a powder magazine which is] Wkely to explode at any moment} and set Europe and aflame, according to Mr, Stevens.
Mr. Stevens sid that the United States had with Japan, an interest of $9,000,000 gold in the form of, railway equipment and supplies poured into the Chinese Eastern Ranivay during the peried of Allied contre) afters the World War, Collection of this "indebtedness" was the admitted, a highly dubious anatter, would like to make it cles that the Chinese claims are absurd confined Mr. Stevens. "The!
Chinese Eastern Railway belongs to} Russia and was built by Russia with money bon owed from France."
In the opinion of Mr. Stevens, the GE.R, would be a goid mine if properly operated, but the franking privileges of the Chinese Government are considered "ruinous."
"T once transported 150,000 oldiers free," continued the expert, who from 1919 to 1923 vas president, of the Inter-Allied Technical Board ipervising Siterian railways When I. was directing the railway 1 was told there was $15,000,000 in the treasury, I never saw a penny) of it, and.I never learned where it Br, Stevens expressed the opi that the United States should remain aloof from the present "mees," and he -alvocsted an economic reorganization of the railway "with Chins's hands of—United Prees.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.