Tokyo, June 18.
in the Tientsin blockade as seen by British Government RERING on a statement setting forth the issues involved. circles, Japanese Government circles today declared that the British statement was intended to "whitewash the serious blunder committed by the British authorities in stubbornly refusing to deliver the assassins of the Tientsin Customs Commissioner."
The alleged slayers ought to have been extradited long ago, Government circles said. The British authorities were said to have resorted to a makeshift under the necessity of misrepresenting the Japanese "legitimate contention as an attempt to jeopardize even the rights ahd interests of third Powers which have no connection with the current question."
Four suspects in custody re-enacted the crime at the place where it was committed on April 30 in the presence of a British Consul, British Superintendent of Police and others, Japanese official quarters pointed out. Later the British authorities refused to hand over the criminals on the grounds that the Japanese record of the investigation and depositions of the accused did not tally with the facts, it was recalled, The Japanese Consul-General, Mr. Shigenori Tashiro, on May 8 formelly requested the British Consul. General to deliver the criminals, put the British Consul-General made no definite reply, stating that no instructions had been received from Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, British Ambassador to China, and from the British Government, As a result a months time Was wasted until June 7, the final date fixed by the Japanese authorities for delivery of the criminals.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.