The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-13
JAPAN IS SEEKING
TRADE, NOT LAND
Continued from Preceding Pooe.)

@oio anu inmoVaDle, IN tNiao-Cnau ID
acquired by japan free of all charges
IL Is said that the Chinese delegation
to the Peace Conference were instructed
by their Government on May 81 to sign
the treaty of peace with Germany. This
instruction was disregarded by two men
OF the delegation. Wellington Koo and
Wang Cheng-ting, who, Notwithstanding
the willingness of other members nota-
bly, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lu
Cheng-tsiang, to afflx their signatures
to the treaty, prevented them from do
ing 80 and restoring China to a condi-
tion of peace. This report is corrobo-
rated by statement recently issued by
III. X Kung and T. H. Hsu, who were
in close touch. with the Chinese delega-
tion at Paris.
Viscount Uchida, Japanese Minister
for Foreign Affairs. stated on January
II OF this year that upon acquisition
OF the right of free disposal from Ger
many of the leased territory at Kiao-
chow we would restore It to China, In
accordance with the terms of notes COM
Elementary to the treaty of May %.
1e15. regarding Shantung province" 1t
Is certain that these words of the For
eign Minister will be fulfilled before
long. provided China lives up tn her
treaty obligations and gives assent to
the treaty of peace. This statement still
holds good with the Japanese Govern
ment.
Germany having signed the treaty. it
remains for the other belllgerent, Japan,
to ratify 1t, and her ratification will close
the Shantung question SO far as the prin-
cipals are concerned.
Ratification by three great Powers,
| including Japan, will make the arrange
ments contained in the treaty Of Yer
niles effective.
Wisdom of shantung Settlement.
Alarm has been sounded by men oc-
| cupying responsible positions on this side
of the water that the economic growth
| Of Japan Is certain to prejudice Ameri-
| can interests, and therefore. II must be
carefully prevented by statesmen Of this
| country IL the United States Is not 60
| ing to repeat the mistake of Great Brit
ain, which permitted Germany to be-
come strong and to challenge her for
| world supremacy in 1914. Such appeal
| Is likely to be taken seriously by those
who lack proper understanding of ia
pan. especially in view of the fact that
there are interests attempting to gain
| their points by pitting one nation against
| the other. But some data follow, which
not only prove the fallacy Of the fore
going premise but clearly point out the
| real danger in the future of American
Japanese relations.
The immediate cause of this alarm is
the retention by Japan of the economic
! privileges in Shantung. as has been pro-
vided by the Treaty OF Versailles. The
legality of Japan's succession to these
privileges admits OF no ambiguity. for
China herself consented to this arrange
ment in May, 1915.
1t is feared that Japan, by intrench-
ing herself in the rich province of Shan
tung, will soon be in a position to COM
mand the entire Chinese market. With
out referring to the newly formed Con-
sortlum of the four Powers. to which
Japan has already agreed in principle,
the assumption is simply impossible Of
| realization, for the reason that no ma
tion can ignore the law OF supply and
demand. On the contrary. japan is con-
fined to the need Of immediate future.
and the character of the question has
been changed by her displacement OF
Germany.
Original German Rights I'm sham
tung.
BY Section H., Article l. of the Treaty
of 1898, by which Germany secured the
lease of Klaochow, the Chinese Govern
ment gave Germany the rights to con-
| struct two lines of railway-on the one
hand from Kiashow and Tsinanfu to the
boundary of Shantung province via
Weihsien. Tsinchow, Pashan, Tsechuen
and Suiping, and on the other hand from
Kiachow to Chinchow. to be later ex-
tended to Tsinan through Laiwuhsien-
and by Article 4 German subjects were
to be permitted to hold and develop
mining property for a distance Of thirty
| Ii from each side OF these railways along
the whole extent of the lines.
The construction Of the second line
mentioned in the above treaty was not
undertaken by the Germans. although
on Dec. 81. 1913, a preliminary contract
was signed between them and the Chi
nese Government for the construction
OF two other lines, one from a point on
/ the north side Of the Yellow River near
Tsinanfu to a point on the existing Pc
kin-Hankow Railway between Shuntch-
| fu and Hsinhsianghsien, and the other
| from Kaomi, near Tsingtao, to Hanchu-
ang, on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway
near the southern border of Shantung
/ In consideration Of the grant of these
railway concessions the Germans agreed
TO cancel all rights of railway construc-
ton provided in the treaty of 1898.
The concession for the Tsingtao-Tsi
anfu Railway was granted by the Ger
man Government to a syndicate headed
by the Deutch- Asiatische Bank. and the
Shantung- Eisenbahn -Gesellschaft was
formed on June I, 1899. On March 81
1900, construction agreement was
signed between the Chinese Government
and the company, the original capital
Of the company being $4,000. 900 marks
As to mines, syndicate was formed
/ In Berlin under the direction of the
Discorto- Gesells6haft, and on October
10, 1899. the Shantung Mining Company
was registered in Berlin with a capital
Of 10000, 900 marks Since 1901 mining
was undertaken at Weihsien. where the
Fangtsi mines were opened and oper-
ated and near Tsuchnanghsien, where
the Hungshan was undertaken at Welh-
sien. where the mines were brought into
operation.
Japan's Interests in shantunE.
These,in short. are the sum OF priv-
leges to which Japan has succeeded
! With the approval at Paris of the United
States. Great Britain and France.
The Tsingtao- Tsinanfu Railway, which
I the Japanese have been operating since
( their occupation in 1914, is some 400
kilometers In length, with one branch
10 Poshan Of some forty kilometers In
length, another to Hungshan of about
seven kilometers in length. a third to
Fangtse OF about four kilometers In
length, with an extension Of eight kilo-
meters from Tsinanfu toward the Yellow
/ River.
| Upon the accession of China to the
treaty Of peace Japan will not only re-
store to China the leased territory OF
Kiaochow, but she will further place