Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-30
SMOOTH SAILING
FOR NEGOTIATIONS
RUSSIANS AND JAPANESE DIS
CUSS TREATY
Fishsries Question and Navigation Of
the sunearl River Principal Points
of Observation-Disclosures
Sails to Paris
BY Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 29.-The
Russo-Japanese negotiations for a
treaty of commerce were interrupted
today by the departure of DR.. Montoni
the Japanese minister, for fortnights
| stay in Paris. The conferences were
continued up to the last moment, but
no final agreement was reached.
The two principal points of conten-
ton are the fisheries question and the
navigation of the Sungari river. The
official communication issued tonight
confirms statements previously made
in these dispatches that the negotia-
tlons are proceeding smoothly.
The details of the treaty have been
practically drafted. Russians objec-
ton to the opening of the Sungari
river is due largely to the phraseology
of the Chinese draft of the treaty of
Aigun, which applies the names Sun
gari to the main river as far as the
sea and refers to the Amur as merely
a branch. The Russians fear that
under this phraseology the Japanese
will claim navigation through Russian
territory to the sea.
Russia Makes No Demands
The governments communication
after alluding to the recent sensational
reports of an impending rupture and
the arbitration of the Japanese de-
mands, declares the facts as follows:
AS provided in the treaty of Ports
mouth the new commercial convention
must be based on the convention of
1895. Russia has advanced no de-
mands, while Japan on the contrary
has not only demanded the inclusion
of all privileges granted to foreigners
in recent Russian treaties, but she has
made various new demands based on
the changed situation in the far east.
The sittings of the conference for the
last three months have been de-
voted to the first mentioned demands
and an understanding has been reached
covering the matter of the most favored
nation treatments regarding commerce.,
navigation, real estate and the carry
ing on of trades and manufactures.
Japan Demands River Rights
There still remains Japan's demand
for free navigation of the Sungari
river, not the Amur, which is not men
toned in Japan's demands; the estab-
lishment of consulates in the Russian
far east, greater passport facilities for
japanese in Asiatic Russia, and special
tariff privileges for Russian-Japanese
commerce on the Manchurian frontier.
These have not been taken up, but
there has been a preliminary exchange
of views on them.
With reference to the fisheries ques-
ton, Russia, in view of her future eco
nomic development and the colonial
tion of the Pacific coast. has not found
it possible to accept the proposals of
Japan made at the outset, as they gave
the Japanese far greater rights than
the Portsmouth treaty.
The chief difficulty has been found in
the Interpretation of the words "Anses
ct Fleuves," Gnlets and rivers), for,
according to the agreement reached at
Portsmouth, "inlets and rivers" were
to be excluded from the fisheries con-
vention the inclusion OF bait in the
fisheries privileges and the placing of
Japanese and Russians upon an equal
footing.
A committee has been appointed to
determine the meaning of the words.