The discussions which have been proceeding at Hankow between Chinese Ministers and lead Ing members of the Kuomintang under the chairmanship of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, may have been held in the strictest privacy, but suMlclent appears to Have been made public to emphasize the fact that the Government intends to continue its resistance to the Japanese invasion, That is to be regretted, for it means the prolongation of the miseries to which millions of Chinese are already being subjected, and the many more millions who must suffer similarly as hostilities spread. This journal has Fepeatediy pointed out that the interests of the whole nation might best be served by coming to some arrangement whereby. the present hostilities would be terminated, With that view the Chinese leaders do not agree, and it, evident from the unofficial reports of their discussions that they have been making arrangements for the continuance of the fight and for financing the same. That the struggle is destined tobe along one is shown by the schemes the conference is reported to have adopted, for some of the designed improvements will take years to perfect. The creation of a military auxiliary service is Something which should have been done long before China permitted herself to engaged in the present hostilities, for it is apparent that much of China's. present failure in the field, was not due to the insufficiency of her men of any lack of bravery on their part, but rather to the practically complete absence of those services with which it Is imperative that any modern army shauld be equipped. With the lose of much territory at present in the hands of the Japanese, revenue from taxation will have diminished,' and the suggested troduction of new taxes will place an undue burden upon the people from whom they can he collected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.