Mr, L, F. Plugge, Conservative member for ihe Chatham division of Rochester, urged that a suggestion should be made. {o all' the 'Powers concerned regarding the abrogation of Article 1X of the Protocol of 1901, especially In view of the fact that Peiping was no longer the capital and foreign Powers, apart from Japan, had little trade' with Peiping.
Viscount,' Cranborne, "in reply, pointed out that the object of Article IX, under which certain Powers are entitled to station troops at points in North China in order to keep open' communications between Peiping and the sea, was to ensure the safely of the Legations and Embassies, some of which were still situated in Peiping.
Trade considerations, he added, did not enter into the question.
Mr. Valentine La Touche McEntee, Labour member for West Walthamstow, suggested the postponement of} Anglo-Japanese conversations until the present trouble In North China had terminated in view of the pro-ability that such conversations would be regarded as endorsing Japan's action.
No definite date had been Axed for. opening the Anglo-Japanese conversa~
Paris, July 18.
The origins and international aspects of the Sino-Japanese conflict re explained in a long article pub-shed Last night in "Paris-Sole" by 'M, Alexandre Varentie, former Governor of Indo-China who recent-completed a trip through the Orient, 'M. Varenne recalls the recent me eidents along the Soviet-Manchurian frontier and. asserts, "That attempt having. missed fire, Japan Is now trying to encroach on China. If the USSR. throws herself into struggle she will be weakened in Europe. If she does not intervene, Japan may conquer all of North China and assure herself of a solid base for operations against the USSR in case of a general conal
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.