May 6.
Mr. William Whiteley's proud boast in Westbourne " Grove.was that his store could produce anything from a split pin to an elephant. The smuggling experts in the North, judging from the graphic despatch by this journal's Peiping correspondent, boggle at the, elephant but otherwise are prepared to be as comprehensive Mr. Whiteley. No doubt, ardent champions of the theory that Japanese stability is what) China needs. will explain that! this smuggling evil arises directly from, the wickedness of the Washington Conference, the purblind attitude of the League, the substitution of conciliation' for gunboats in the dealings of the Western Powers with China and, echoing a Japanese spokesman's naivety, the high tariff of the Chinese Government.. Moreover, {the Lavender Ladies, who deliciously sip their tea to the accompaniment of eloquent dissertations on the theme of "Sins Chinese," will talk of Nemesis and retribution and give their billowy skirts another rustle of disapproval. 'They will perhaps point out that Mr. Anthony Eden—the very name sends a flutter through their maidenly _bosoms—has not yet received full information from his office on the subject, so, on the whole, it would be better' to suspend judgment, especially as, dear Mr. Eden must be fearfully, busy just now, what with the) trouble over the Negus—how your grandmother liked that drink!—and the success of those horrid Bolsheviks in Paris. To the blessed virtue of the line of least resistance another dish of tea will be drunk and the Lavender Ladies will murmur that if the Anglo-Japanese Alliance had remained in. force] this would not have occurred. museum pieces Lavender Ladies have their uses. Their charms compare favourably with those of the pink shepherdesses or: "Lady Precious Stream." They have otherwise little relation {o modern facts as they are. In particular it would be interesting to know how it is that information from the British Embassy to Whitehall has taken such an unconscionable time in transmission. Chiairmen of Chambers. of Commerce have managed to speak out on the subject, both in Tientsin and Shang-hal. Their remarks have _been Published in London. Local reports from the North indicate that the consular authorities have not been dilatory in _reporting through the proper channels. Yet, 80 the House of Commons is told, the Foreign Office is still waiting word from Peiping. The game of answering questions from the faithful Commons is pretty enough to watch, but it can be too skilfully played. When Sir Alexander Cadogan gets within. reach of his "P, Q." department, after his short spell of leave, he may feel moved to take a leaf out of the M.C.C's book and insert a new Ibw rule for the assistance of the batsman. Otherwise the only assumption js}
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.