The CER. Crisis The news from Moscow that Soviet Far Eastern army has been formed and general appointed to, the command of it, who is now on his way to the Far East, has very ugly sound. It may, of course, be bluff, intended to frighten China into submission. But frankly the general opinion of disinterested onlookers is that Russia, to put it means business. <The ion of various branches of the Dalbank has an antinous ook. Russia_has never moved an inch from the terms required in her ultimatum of July 18 and she is dently further irritated by the vergent policies of Mukden and Nanking, The disclosures we published last Friday, of the glaring: change that took place between the letters of Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang of July 22 and August 1, corroborated by a further letter from Harbin of August 7. The writer says that it seems clear that at the outset the Harbin authori exceeded their orders, and that Mukden was prepared to throw them over and compromise with Russia. On the eve of his departui Melnikoff, the Russian Consul: General at Harbin, had a long in-few with Governor Chang Tso-hsiang. of Kirin, the Harbin Governor not being present, when apparently a basis was arranged, which was further developed by' Mukden's delegates at Manchuli. When Mr. Chu Shao-yang,-Ni kking's representative, arrived, ac-
[for fame; they love to appear in the limelight, and a political career seems the easiest and most convenient way to gain a species of renown. Few people realize that the will to power is more potent than the will to wealth and that it is this desire for power and the cording to the Harbin writer we have been quoting, it. is believed that he had-orders to override what had been done by Mukden. At any rate, as everybody knows, all negotiations came to a complete deadlock. Our correspondent that a great deal of propaganda is being carried on by both sides, the Chinese showing films of. Russians drowning Chinese by hundreds in the Amur; while the Soviet are re ported to be telling their people in Siberia that there is. plenty of Manchuria if they" will only go and take it. No one wishes to be alarmist, but the situation is far too servians to be trifled with.
The Chinese conviction that "the Soviet dare not take strong action for fear of a revolution at home is, we believe, delusive. The Soviet have always. devoted. special care to their army and while there is much discontent in Russia, Moscow would not be by any means the first Government which had started a foreign adventure in order to. re-grieve its position at home. If a Russian army succeeded in' marching in and establishing itself in the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone, the results on the internal admi tration of China might be calamitous, precisely at the moment when the new order is beginning to find its feet and extend its influence with a prospect of=solid work to follow. We write plainly because the facts China had a very strong ease against" Russia, but the occupation of the railway put her technical ly in the wrong. This ws felt abroad and is the reason why she has not got more support in her quarrel with Russia than she has.
A wey out might yet be found through foreign mediation, but not unless the railway is temporarily pat under neutral management, sultan publicity that makes so many men pass over opportunity fes to increase their bank account, Such is the position today that many of the highest] and most commanding positions in the world carry with them a remuneration that most -business men would despise even if offered them for mere commercial work. A Minister of the Crown receives less than ing an appeal to arms, the outcome and extension of which are alike unforeseeable, Training Greyhounds A lady writes tous: "I have] heard recently from one oF lo sources that all. the greyhounds here are trained daily live hares or rabbits, many a manager of a big firm. A judge gets much less than a successful barrister. The offi cial salary of the President of the United States is far below the earnings of a moderately successful business man. Yet there is never any lack of candidates for ministerial positions, judgeships, or the tenancy of the White House. The fame that accompanies such positions easily accounts for the number of people who are quite ready to take on the work even though it means financial loss and very often' a strenuous and uncomfortable existence. Critfcisms by both friends and foes have to be faced, and at the close of a brief period of authority the holder thereof passes off the stage, either through death or retirement, and is soon forgotten by the Busy world.
Yet, perhaps, after all it is a good "thing that there is this desire for a place in the public gaze. Were these posts municipal and national administration to be remunerated acdoubt animal lovers who regularly tend the greyhound races will be surprised and disgusted to hear this I believe that hare and rabbit coursing in England is*banned, and if so, T trust the S.P.C.A. in Shanghai will take strenuous steps to have a stop put to this disgusting practice." Before publishing this letter we made inquiries, and are happy to be able to say—as indeed we thought—that there is not a word of truth in it, The same method of training, we are informed, is used on Shanghai courses as at home, long walks with t to build up muscle, dieting, occasional run round after the mechanical hare. The live hare tory, we. are assured, is a pure fabrication. Possibly it is another invention by certain Chinese who are doing everything possible to discredit greyhound—racing Shanghai and as such it deserves to be publicly mailed down. By the way, though we have no intooest in greyhound racing we wonder why these ardent reformers do not concentrate on the "Hwei" lottery, which as recently shown by a Chiese correspondent, causes great loss and unhappiness among the poorer Chinese far and wide. cording to the importance of the work done, the public expenditure of many nations would be past all meeting, and it is very doubtful whether, after all, we should get the right kind of men for the positions. It might almost be stated as an axiom that the best work in the world has never been paid for in money, and so long as there are men willing to risk financial loss and. the turning of their home life topsy-tury order to undertake the burden of public office, then it is certainly as well' to let them do The Victoria Nursing Home The purchase of 25 mow of land adjoining the Country Hospital, on which a large institute for nurses is to be built, marks a step towards fulfilment of the promise made by the Council last year, when it took upon itself. the responsibility of closing the Victoria Nursing Home, that the name at least should be preserved. The new building will certainly be a very great addition to the Country Hospital, 'The nurses' quarters in that building are neither adequate not. satisfactory, and could be much better utilized for patients, the provision for. whom "sis actually small compared; with the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.