It is just as well that Mr, Chamberlain made it plain in the House of Commons that it useless to offer to mediate until both sides ha shown willingness, to accept, and' that there i ication at Present that such is likely it she immediate future. Only yesterday this journal pointed out that the temper of China is such that it would refuse to deal with the Japanese in connection with a restoration of e, not! onl 4 because of the menner in which her national spirit has been outraged by Japanese actions, but also because the hostilities up o the present have followed lines anticipated by the Chinese command snd its advisers. On the other hand the Japanese persistently aver that they will not deal with Chiang Kai-shek in any event, so that it is dificult to see how any intermediary could be of service to either of the opponents. Admiral Suetsugu is reported to be looking forward to èn early collapse of the Chiang regime. That is unlikely, so long as the conviction remains in the minds of the Chinese that, though they may suffer reverses in the field, they may win the war merely by the fact of dragging it out. That theory has not yet been tested to the full, and until Chiang Koi-shek's supporters are convinced that it is wrong—and this journal does not for one moment suggest that it is—they will continue to follow his leadership. Reuter's diplomatic correspond-ut is probably correct in thinking that both sides are capable of carrying on for a long time without seriously cracking up on either the military or economic side, and so long ¢s this o the hostilities are likely to continue. The whole business may look like 4 game of beggar-my-neighbour as it undoubtedly is, but which an stand the process longer is the one which will win. Nevertheless the more it is prolonged the greater will be the damage to both, and it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that much of the harm which has already been done irremediable, and that both are weakening each other in a manner which may have tra effects on the future of this portion of Asia.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.