Moscow, Sept. 16.
The Soviet Government has replied to the. note of the diplomatic commissar of Kirin Province, hand-Jed to M. Slavutski, Soviet consul-general at Harbin, on May 38 last Protesting against the withdrawal from the Chinese Eastern Railway to the Ussuri Railway of certain locomotives from among those pur-[chased for the Soviet railways and left stranded on the Chinese Eastern Railway during the inter-allied in-{tervention in Siberia in 191
The Soviet reply, handed in by M. Slavutsky on September 12,. states that the locomotives referred to in the Kirin protest are not the proerty of the Chinese Eastern Teail-
wen tory of C.E.R. properties.
are therefore not listed in "They belong," deciares the Soviet Government, "to the railways of the SSR. for which they were pur-ied in their time, subsequently ig left stranded on the Chi stern Railway owing to the in-
The reply proceeds: "This unquestionable fact, evidenced by docs ments, is known to the board of the Chinese Eastern Railway and there Jean be no doubt as to the right of the government of the Soviet Union to. use and dispose of these locomo-just as there is no doubt that ese Eastern Railway property of the U.SSR,, being joint-managed by both parties on the: basis of the Peking "and Mukden agreements, "The Soviet note proceeds to mention the fact that this question form: Jed. the subject. of special negotiations between Mr. "Li Shao-ken president of the board of the CER. land the vice-president of the boar M. Kuznetsov, who explained the matter in detail ut the board meetting held on April 17 last Continuing, the note states that ithe Soviet -Tepresentatives on the! Chinese Eastern Railway are strictly [guided by instructions of the Soviet [Government closely to. observe and steadfastly carry out the terms of land to seek the achievement of full the Peking and Mukden agreements
agreement in the work by both pare tee.
"Therefore," the note concludes, there exists ho reason for any pYotes During the anti-Soviet intervention by the allied powers in 1918- 19, in which China participated, the locomotives forming the subject of exchanges were stranded at indivostok.
The Soviet claims that from there they were moved to Manchutia, to the Chinese Eastern Railway.—Tass.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.