This last week has been of exceptional interest from a political point of view throughout the world, and, if a few weeks ago some of the London Press were emphasizing the general betterment of the situation which they found in Europe, their relief now should be even more marked. The visit of King George VI, and his Queen to France, and the enthusiastically warm welcome given them by the populace, the cordiality of the various speeches which were exchanged, and the manner in which they emphasized the complete singleness of purpose animating the policies of the two great democracies constituted a demonstration of the greatest possible significance. In it may be found the seeds of a prolonged period of peace, for it is apparent that other European Powers are completely possessed of all that last week's proceedings meant. There have been comings and goings betweens most of the capitals of Europe. There has been much speculation concerning some of these, and very little actual fact upon which so much of recent comment has been based, and, while it is mpossible, therefore, to lay a finger upon any apparent cause for betterment than this Anglo-French demonstration, the general impression is that there has been an all round improvement in the general situation. The Sudeten problem which continues to hold Czechoslovakia in a state of continued crisis is making slow if any progress. While the Sudeten demands are well known, and understood sufficiently to foster the conviction ihat the Czechoslovakian Government cannot accept them in their entirety, the meagre reports of what Dr. Benes and his Government are prepared to contribute towards the general settlement of the issues involved are not such as ta encourage the hope that a settlement in the near future is within the bounds of probability. The conclusion is very difficult to escape that the process of arriving at a compromise between the extremes of what the Sudeten Germans have demanded and the extent to which the Czechoslovakian Government is prepared to go, will have to be just as prolonged and tortuous as the original complexity of the problem foreshadowed. There have been suggestions that the whole matter might be adjusted by the intervention of the four great European Powers, and, while on the face of it this seems admirable, it would serve merely to transfer the debating ground from Prague to some other spot in Europe, where the German Government would undertake the pleading of Herr Henlein and his party. At the most an arbitration might issue, the result of which—as those of arbitrations so often are—might be satisfactory to no one involved.
The question of the Anglo-Italian accord is still giving trouble, and the time of its being put into force may still cause considerable anxiety. The delays in bringing about the withdrawal of the Italian volunteers from Spain on the one hand, and the insistence of Mr."Neville Chamberlain on this being done before the accord shall come into force, is creating a certain amount of irritation in both countries. There is much criticism in Great Britain that Mr. Chamberlain's policy is not bearing the immediate fruit it was hoped, while in Italy there are reports to the effect that certain leaders are already advocating denunciation of the accord rather than permit it come to an end through British postponement arising out of Italian delays. It is, however, believed that the desire of both Mr. Chamberlain and Signor Mussolini for the perpetuation of the understanding already arrived at is so great that fruition of the scheme may still be expected. It is to be hoped so, for if that does not come about the fortunes of the British National Government may have to be thrown into the melting pot of a general election, in which event it is by no means sure that the present Government would again be in power. The only protection which Europe would then have against war would be the fact that Opposition policies change so greatly when office has been secured, for, if the speeches of critics of the!
Government on both sides of the gangway are to be taken as any indication of their real desires, the chances of war in such an eventuality would be intensified. Mr. C. R. Aitlee gives an indication of the Opposition's estimate of the British political situation, when in his speech at Durham on Saturday he forecast the possibility of a general election being held in a few months, with the Government claiming that "they are the great peace of the nation." There is no reason at the moment for anticipating an early general election, but, if the Anglo-Italian accord fails, Mr. Chamberlain will have to go to the country to obtain—or fail to obtain—further expression of the country's confidence.
In the Far East the Japanese invasion of China seems for the moment to be hanging fire. The cutting of the Yellow River dykes undoubtedly completely upset Japanese plans for a swift advance on, and capture of Hankow, and has necessitated a complete change in the scheme which is almost entirely responsible for the present lull. The Japanese have been forced to seek to blast their way up the Yangtze, and the rate of progress has been comparatively slow. Even the capture of Kiukiang need not necessarily prove anything more important than the fall of Hsuchowfu, which merely meant another city in Japanese occupation, and the further advance on Hankow may conceivably have to wait until the flood season shows considerable signs of abatement, a period during which the Japanese may be expected to accumulate men and material for the expected push. The situation in Manchoukuo concern-. ing the alleged infringement of that countries boundaries by Russian troops at Changkaofeng seems to be following the classic lines established by a multitude of similar incidents during the past few years, A Transocean report from Dairen suggests that the Soviet troops have occupied the hills involved in previous summers, which divests the whole incident of much of its original importance, and necessarily leads to speculation as to why Japan chose to make such a fuss about the matter this year. Should the Dairen report prove correct the theory that Moscow sought to make a demonstration in order to prevent the transfer of more troops from Manchoukuo into China needs modification, for there was no reason to believe that the Japanese would have been any more incensed this year than they might have been on previous occasions. There appears to be only one answer to the question implied by the above, and that is that the Japanese themselves pitched on this incident as an excuse for not sending further reinforcements from the north into Central China. It is interesting to note that this journal's opinion that Russo-Japanese tension at Changkaofeng serves to weaken Japan's position in the Far East, and reduces her importance as partner in the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis appears to be supported by opinion in Paris, In another way it is something of a small guarantee towards the continuance of peace, for the weaker the anti-Komintern partnership is the less likelihood is there of any breach of the peace, which Herr Hitler himself is now quoted as being most anxious to maintain, The Playful Professor The decision of the Ca-operative Wholesale Society in Britain not to boycott Japanese goods reveals the fact that out of 1,200 affiliated societies only forty had demanded such an action. Indeed, when the general proportions of the scheme as revealed by the President is considered, it is apparent that such a boycott would have little effect upon the political situation, unless on the doctrine that "every mickle makes a muckle," and complete unanimity on the subject is at present unlikely. At one of the recent demonstrations of the China Campaign Committee held in Trafalgar Square, Professor J. B. S. Haldane urged a new way of annoying the Japanese in London. He suggested that supporters of China should visit telephone kiosks, put 2d, in the phone box, ring up a Japanese firm, or a frm selling Japanese goods, and, when put through, press button "B" and get their money back. He suggested that supporters should do this four or five times a day. The scheme is by no means a new one, and the best that can be said for it is that it was devised by a young woman frustrated in love, who thus molested the hard-hearted recalcitrant object of her affections. The fact that it ied to he appearance in a police court, apparently escaped the notice of Professor Haldane. The most that can be said for such a proposal is that it is a highly technical development of the game which street urchins liked to play years ago, and might do even now, of "run-away-knock." It seems to be a device of the immature or unbalanced mind, though it seems a little unfair to insist upon this in view of the fact that Mr. Haldane is a professor of biometry it is not without reason to suggest that it is surprising that such a proposal involving a breach of the law, even, should have been made by a man of such learning as the Professor. Surely a better method of demonstrating sympathy with the Chinese in their predicament would be to contribute those twopences to the Lord Mayor's Relief Fund. The money would dq a great deal more good, by being parted with once and for all in such a cause, than by being risked in any such fatuous proceeding as Professor Haldane suggested.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.