That Britain and the United States have bbeon greatly shocked by the recent occur-the Yangtze is amply demonstrated by the cables which have been received from those two countries, Indignation runs high accompanied by grave concern as to future possibilities, The rapidity with which Japan "ese regrets have been expressed to the British and American authorities serves somewhat to mitigate the feelings which have been aroused, and appropriate settlements will further contribute to that process, but anxiety will stil prevail in view of the fact that without a complete change of Japanese policy towards neutral shipping on the river the possibility of other incidents occurring will hot have been entirely removed. There is very little.in the contention that the throw ing of booms across the Yangtze amounts to.
suspension of clear Treaty rights. China by military action she has restricted the neutral use of the waters of the Yangtze she has not wholly denied it, and neutrals are well within their rights to' pursue their trade in whatever portions of the river are Jopen to them, and to expect that both the Chinese and Japanese shall recognize that fact. Had there been no booms constructed it is by no means clear that British or American gunboats would have been withdrawn, for there are still interests up-river to be! protected, and, so long as this is the case, the presence of these vessels in such waters!
not only desirable but essential. It is unthinkable that any neutral country, situated as Great Brilain and the United States are, should bbe expected to relinquish those interests by reason of a quarrel in which they are not immediately concerned, and while the situation is undoubtedly a' peculiar one, the application of general principles is still necessary. ItJs in the light of those that the whole affair must be judged.
'The bombing of forces retreating across the Yangtze is a_ perfectly justifiable military' proceeding. That the Chinese craft might) seek to obtain some shelter in proximity to neutral war vessels and shipping is understandable, if not entirely praiseworthy, but in dealing with them it is the bounden duty of the Japanese to make such arrangements as Will ensure the safety of those against whom their operations are not directed. This Journal is still of the opinion that these in-eidents were purely accidental, but that attention should be directed towards the elimination of possibility of their recurrence. Neutral vessels above the booms cannot escape from the river. Civilian craft would probably have been evacuated long before: this had it been possible, but, since they are where they are, precautions' must be taken' by all concerned to make sure that the realities of the situation are fully appreciated. That the two British gunboats were at Wuhu and not Nanking, that USS, Panay with American and other refugees on board was twenty-five miles from Nanking indicate that such precautions were being taken, and it is interesting to note that at no times has it been suggested that there has been any display of negligence in the matter. 'The question then arises as to what more can be done. Is it to be expected that, when the Japanese forces advance on Hankow, neutral shipping must retreat up to Chungking, and that when' Chungking is threatened, if ever it is, it must proceed even further westward? The fact is that this simply cannot be done. The Tibetan watershed is not the final refuge for such shipping because it can never get there: it has to remain in the navigable waters of the Yangtze and remaining there has every reason to expect that full consideration shall be accorded the difficulties of its position.
That, and that alone, is the only modus operandi which is both "well-recognized and readily understandable" and amounts to the punctilious abstention from dropping bombs on oF firing at objectives whose identity has not been ascertained beyond the peradventure of a doubt. It is realized that this places a very onerous responsibility upon both con tending forces, but there it is, and the Interests of all concerned are best served realizing that such is the case. That this puts aviators, who have at times but split seconds in which to make their decisions, at 'a grave disadvantage has to be admitted, but even then it is mot such as cannot be over-ome, And it is desirable that this course should be adopted. The consequences of any procedure likely to antagonize opinion in Britain and the United States could be most serious, Japanese action up to the present has indicated their every real concern over these incidents, That satisfactory solutions will be reached is most devoutly to be hoped for, and with patience and restraint on all sides, and the earnest endeavour on the part of Japan to ensure that such accidents will not occur again, or that at least ever y reason~ fable precaution is taken towards that end, there should be a mitigation of the bitterness which has been engendered and a definite Improvement in the relations between the: three countries involved, And one last word. The Japanese have demonstrated their bor fides in this manner by the celerity with which they followed the only honourable course open to them, It would be unjust toaseribe to them motives. which few thinking people will Believe. The world at large will be ready to give them the benefit of the doubt. That readiness will be quickened by the absence of any further such occurrences, and again it is urged that with the taking' of adequate precautions the risk of such should be very [considerably reduced if not entirely eliminated.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.