No Apparent Progress Made For Some Time [Front Oon Own Consamoween Harbin, July 31. such has been written about an offer uring the Fast "few. days very]
made by Mr. Hirota, Foreign. Minis-Tervet Japan, to the Soviet govern tent, regarding the settlement of the Tnilway dispute between. Manchoukuo trid Soviet Russia. According to the Tocal press Manchoukuo has. agreed {othe proposal of Mr. Hirota, not withstanding that it wil bea heavy ence for this country. The quesifn ow is "whether the, sotiement forthe whole of the CER. or when ropossi, consists of a cash payment
ther a new proposal has been made which the Soviet may yet have certain control on the railway line Semaining. in. Manchuria to the end their agreement made with China, Looking. atthe. question rom. an economic point of "view, the line Shieh is most Important. "for the Manchurian government. to, have in their hands is that from Changchun to'Harbin and there seems to be. fearon why '&_compromise "on the oilway question could not be effected by the purchase of this: part of the Failway, leaving the line om hull 16 Pogranichnaya' to. be. run Jointly' by: Mnshouieao and' Soviet una os tis at present, "The Manchoukuo government sarendy Dull oilways, which Tun most parallel fo the CER. and, therefore, itis very. questionable whether the CER. "ieeif from east Yo. west of great value at the present moment.
Ifthe line from Changchun to Harbin. was turned over entirely it would no doubt be instantly altered into a standard gauge railway and] trains would run then by this railway from' Dairen or any other point Manchuria, as well as a through service from Peking to Harbin, without the slightest trouble, value at the "present moment a3, This line is, however, of immense owing to the eastern line of the oilway being closed to trame, and through trains to Viadivostock' not being permitted, practically the where of the bean trame of the CER. is tarried by the south line, which iving the most profit, and, therefore, Its very doubtful whether the Soviet will agree toa proposition such as the above. They would probably ask return for such a sale the right to re-open the frontier at Pogranichaya, thus permitting freight trains to run through to Viadivostock former days, but the dificully regard ing the rolling stock of the CER. which might then disappear from Manchurian territory, is insurmount-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.