To the Editor of the "NorTH-Cina Datuy News"
Sm—BMr. Perenson-Wem is to be congratulated upon writing an incresting and courteously worded letter in which he completely sueceeds in evading the point at issue, With your permission, I questioned the accuracy of certain statements that he made. I asked him whether it was admirable leadership and wise statesmanship which led to Japan being branded at Geneva as a breaker of pledges and undertakings, whether that condemnation, in which practically the whole world joined, was 9 sign that Japan was a respected member of the family of nations, a Whether the military occupation of Manchuria could be accurately deseribed as a purely local affair. In regard to the last point, your correspondent seems to have forgotten that was at Japan's request that the Lytton Commission was A request for an international bod! lo enquire into 9 "purely local affair"
unusual. Tt fay be assumed that, in your correspondent's opinion, the occupation of an area, belonging China, as big as France and Germany combined is one of the "incidental results or superficial phenomena" to) which he so airily eludes.
T question whether an honest belief that might does not confer right is "hopelessly and pathetically out date" Sir John Simon's successor, despite the tradition of the con-Unulty of Great Britain's foreign policy, has taken an attitude on the Ttalo-Ethiopian question diametrically opposed to that assumed by Sir John Simon one precisely similar issue. The latter gave the League of Nations very lukewarm aid, while Sir Samuel Hoare, with the warm support of the British people, has declared that Great Britain adamantly stands for respect of the League Covenant and for the sanctity of international undertakings.
"Your correspondent is a skilful dialectician, but he cannot divert me into a pursuance of red herrings. I again ask him to reply to the questions embodied in the previous letter, and would like in addition to ask him whether he approves of the occupation of Chinese railway stations id interference with the normal Tunning of Chinese Government railways by a nation that has pledged Itself to respect China's administra: tive integrity? PLF.
Shanghai, Nov. 29.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.