Attempts which have been made through the usual channels to secure the reopening of the Seekingjao golf course to members of the Shanghai Golf Club have not, up to the present proved successful, the Japanese authorities refusing to permit access to the links on, the ground that they are in d military area, In making that ruling the Japanese have, quite likely, reasons which appear perfectly sound to their eyes. But it is urged that it would be perfectly easy to make satisfactory arrangements whereby the golf club, with its international membership, including Japanese, would be able to avail themselves of the facilities afforded by the Seekingjao course, which was acquired at considerable expense, and is now lying idle. It is reported that the course is in good shape and that coolies are permitted to work upon it and keep it in order. All that is required is for the Japanese to consent to some arrangement whereby members could go down to the course, either in a special bus, or under escort and be permitted to use the links on consideration of their not straying from them. This journal urges that something of the kind could be done with good results all round. The fighting has long since departed from the environs of Shang+ hai. It is difficult to believe that any military disservice would be rendered the: Japanese it they, out of their courtesy, saw fit to meet the very natural desire of local golfers to return to their property for the purposes of sport and exercise. A great deal of the irritation and resentment which is felt in foreign circles in connection with some of the' rulings of the Japanese authorities would be mitigated if in such small matters as these there was indicated a desire to inconvenience the foreign neutral as little as possible. It is a point which has already been made by this journal, but is, nevertheless, worth emphasizing that much. of the misunderstanding of which the Japanese complain would be removed if rather more respect were Paid to those foreign interests which through no fault of their own have become involved in, the Sino-Japanese hostilities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.