dan, 2
THERE is something slightly staggering about the speed with which the Russo-Japanese Treaty has been, as it were, rushed the last moment, after so much of what Humpty Dumpty would call impenetrability. Not 30 staggering, of course, as the agreement that the British Labour Government sprang upon an amazed country within forty~ eight hours of having said that no agreement was possible. But altogether rather a subject for speculation. For the Russo-Japanese negotiations began at Dairen nearly four years ago and after several months ended in deadlock. They were resumed, however, after the Japanese fra sent a message of: sympathy.
rthquake,' when the Soviet.
and proffered help. But again last November there appeared ominous signs of a deadlock and as recently as December 24 our Peking correspondent wrote that Japanese in Peking were sceptical of the discussions being resumed. He added that the Soviet appeared quite resolved not to grant the Doney coal concession, which in point of fact it has now granted. It is to be added that there was no apparent necessity for Japan to conciliate the Soviet. She was, as regards Saghalien, in that strong position which is proverbially nine points of the law; and the, for her, urgent question of fishery rights in Russian, waters was settled by: the concession Comrade Joffe un; expectedly gave her when in Tokyo. Our Peking correspon-why she may have yielded on outstanding points.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.