Arizona republican., 1921-12-31
CHINESE WILL BRING
 SHANTUNG QUESTION BEFORE CONFERENCE
IRepubIiean A. p. Leased wIreJ


 WASHINGTON, Dec. 3O-In the face of the repeated Japanese asser- tion that the Shantung question was not upon the agenda of the Washing ton conference and did not come within the scope-of the meaning of President Harding's formal invita- tion to participate in the conference Chinese spokesmen declared tonight that this question would be injected into the conference by the Chinese | delegation to break the deadlock in | the conversations between the Chi nese and Japanese delegations on the l subject unless some other means to solution was found before the next l meeting of the Far Eastern com mittee.
 China can not make any more ! concessions; in fact, she has made | too many already" a Chinese dele | gate said tonight. If the question is not settled satisfactorily through mediation or otherwise the only thing for the Chinese delegation to do is to bring it before the conference and let the conference settle it.'
 The Chinese position was set forth l at about the same time that Vice | Foreign Minister Hanihara, of Japan, said at a meeting with newspaper correspondents that if China did not | reconsider her position on the Shan tung problem, its solution would be | very difficult Secretary Hughes and Mir. Balfour might possible ten der their good offices with the aim of settling the question, he added. but he preferred a direct settlement between the representatives of Japan and China.
 'T am still hopeful for such a direct l cot Ta,,, ready made more concessions in this matter than was proper. In fact, we exceeded the instructions of our home government"
 Mir. Hanihara did not indicate who, in his opinion, should take the next step in a possible resumption of di- rect conversations, but said:
 we stand ready to meet our Chi nese friends at any time, and if they have any suggestion to offer that shows that they are ready to re- consider the situation, we will be glad to sit at the table with them again. But if they don't reconsider I must say that settlement of this question will be very difficult
 The vice minister said that to the government and people of Japan who were deeply desirous of an early set tlement of the Shantung problem there seemed nothing unreasonable in the Japanese standpoint. He per } sonaliy believed that if all feeling and misunderstanding which had ! tended to becloud the issue" could be removed. there was no reason tC suppose that an agreement could not i. be reached. If the good offices ol ! MT. Hughes and Mir. Balfour should | fail, and China then should ask that the question be brought up directly |. at the conference, what would bt ! Japan's attitude?" he was asked.
 Tt is most likely that we would not agree to such a course" he replied This conference is not a court of ar bitratioN or a tribunal to s.t 1T judgment. Moreover. the ShantunG question is not upon the agenda oi the conference"
 Il The minister reiterated that he did not regard the Shantuug question a: coming within the scope of the meaning of President Harding's for: ] nal invitation to the Washington conference, when the president re ferred to the desirability of remov- . ing possible cause of controversy il . the Far East.