"A press photographer and an officer of the Japanese Naval Landing Party raised a storm in a hongkew teacup on Friday, mediate complications were hapily avoided and, on that account, the courtesy of the Japanese atticers has been appropriately commended. Yet, doubt must be Jexpressed whether the upshot of the jattair can be dismissed with com= plete satisfaction, The photograph-was admittedly exercising his Jegitimate rights in taking a photoraph from a position nieh could of be regarded as on Japanese soil, That the photograph which he took was believed to have "caught" the interior of the Japanese cur sheds is immaterial. if those sheds could be seen from outside there was, in the operative law governing Mr, Buchman's occasions in Shanghai, nothing to prevent his taking the photograph provided he did not, in 50 doing, trespass on other rights. The Japanese officer seems 10 have been aware of this when he virtual ly forced Mr. Buchman to enter the barracks for discussion of the posi tion. In the event, the Japanese authorities were on unassailable ground for the offending roll. of films was handed over to them by the United States Marshal for dis ossal at their pleasure, The issue of the loss of the film, therefore, Fests between Mr. Buchman and his own national authorities. It may be left there. The Marshal's action was clearly dictated by @ laudable desire to reduce to a minimum the chances of international friction Jover what, after all, was an entirely trivial matter. And it is only fair to add that his attitude was encouraged by the impeccable courtesy fof the Japanese officers and the tactful assistance of the Dixwell Rod police.
No-one who has any experience lof the danger of stirring up international misunderstandings in this cosmopolitan city can fail to sympathize with this point of view. Shanghai has acquired much merit for its adaptability in dealing with the whims, peculiarities and pre Jjudices of the different: nations Sheltered under its umbrella. May it continue to deserve that reputation! Nor would this journal, for jone moment, countenance any attempt to make mountains out of molehills. There are, however, certain considerations to' which it' may be well to invite attention in this vfegard, Obviously the personal equation has much to do with an \incident of this kind. On the one hand there is the press photographer intent on his business; on the other; there is the naval officer zealous fu the maintenance of proper discipline and routine. The two parties do not speak the same mother-tongue. Their temperaments, as well" as their nationalities, are different, Tt (Continwed on page 445.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.