Oct. 18, The principal problems to be considered at the Conference of Pacific Relations at Kyoto will be Manchuria and the abolition of extraterritoriality. The Manchurian question will offer numerous difficulties to the delegates of us because of the Chinese Eastern Railway will not easily permit the Conference to be utilized for propagandist purposes by either China or the friends of Russia and it is difficult to see how the subject can be discussed at all with that dispassionate calmness which scholars believe is their particular forte.
The question of extraterritoriality, however, affords an excellent opportunity for the Conference to bring all the facts.to the surface. The Chinese delegates will have an cellent opportunity to state their ease accurately as to facts and motives, The foreigners will also have an opportunity to state their case, to explain the Notes of the various Governments declining to end the system immediately and suggesting, a modus operandi, probably based upon the Strawn Plan, for the eve tual, gradual and evolutionary discontinuance of a judicial and administrative system which the Chinese find umbrageous.
Both the British and American Governments have signified their willingness to discuss with China, at an unnamed date, the system for the gradual aboli of extraterritoriality. nese representations on the subject, but they have stated in unmistakable terms that whatever method is used, there shall be a gradual relinquishment of extraterritoriality and not some sudden revolutionary act which will impair the property holdings, the investments, the in-forests which have been built up during 80 years of infinite labour and patience. That whatever is done shall be gradual is as much to the interests of the Chinese people as to foreigners, is obvious from the facts of the present situation. At the very moment when Chinese are demanding the abolition of extraterritoriality, the country is again torn by civil war, soldiers are again levying illegal taxation, trade is interrupted and property rights everywhere are in jeopardy. Such a picture does not afford encouragement to even the most sentimental supporters of China's contentions; yet no one desires to take advantage of China's misfortunes, if China will adopt a reasonable attitude towards the foreign point of view and interests. At Kyoto a way may be found to develop such an attitude, for the men who will attend that Conference -are important figures in their own countries, where they carry convietion particularly as regards international. problems. Lord Hailsham, Professor Arnold Toynbee and Professor Webster Lead the. British delegate while the. son of Great Britain's Prime Minister will be there to watch the proceedings. The American delegation, the Japanese delegation and the Canadian and Australian groups include
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.