Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-15
DESIRE SCHEME
TO AID CHINESE
RAIL PROBLEM
Expect Plan of Some Sort to
Be Proposed at World
Farley.
WISH REAL OPEN DOOR
By WILLIAM FaEDEB1CK VILE.

Special to The Times.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 15-TO release
China from the octopus Of foreign-owned
railroads is likely TO be one Of America s
principal policies at the Washington con
ference. II such q proposal Is not ac-
tuaIly fathered by the United States it
win claim our cordial support To that
End, Secretary Hughes may revive the
project launched during the Taft ad-
ministration By Secretary Knox, pro-
viding for the Observation-Disclosures OF
China's rah communicati0nS They are
called By Far Eastern specialists the
MASTER key to the situation which three
months hence viii concentrate the atten-
lion OF the worlds statesmen. AS long
as Chinese railroads remain In foreign
e0n4rod. peace and the open door in the
lar East are declared TO be tmI ossible.
British, French, japanese and Russian
interests would be affected by any plan
for fnaer- atonalizing railroads in China
There ar. Eve Of such properties, as fol-
lows:
1. The Chinese-Eastern Railway,
extending from Transbaikalia across
Manchuria to VladivozCok Originally
Russian tilt and stiu nominaiy
Russian owned, the property now is
conducted BY French capital
The Sou h Manchurian Railway,
extending from Hardin via Mukden,
across southern Manchurla 10 Port
Arthur. Property coded to Japan ;
Russia in the treaty q Portsmouth.
8 The Shan TuuE Railway, ex-
tending from KaU-Chow to Tsinan-
Flu. the capital Of Shan-Tung prov
inee Passed into the possession OF
Jaran with other German rights in
Shan-Tuug. under the treaty Of Yer
SALES.
4. The Yunnan Railway, extending
from the border Of the French Chi
nese province OF Tongking TO Yum
naR-Fu.
3 The Hong Kong Canton Railway
in the province Of Kwang-Tung-
.aoPEN DOOR" Is
MERELY THEORY.
Virtually in the caso OF every one Of
Cbfna's five crowned railways
domination by the interested power has
superseded the authority OF China in the
regions traversed Chinese sovereignty
has been converted Into q mere phase.
The real sovereign IS the foreign soldiers
IN the sentry boxes along the line and
at the stations China has found her
self unable TO resist the demands OF the
Foreign governments in question for the
right to maintain s0-calied railway
guards" IN the guise OF police re
CURED for protect e purposes, railway
guards" constitUt in fact troops Of
occupation In addition to the resultant
military and political influence t-ade
mOnopolies have grown up The Dr1n-
ciple Of the open door" = mainr ined
only in theory. In practice, the door is
slammed shut. There is a typical case
in connection with the French Railway
in Yunnan. few years ago a British
rroup conceived the idea OF building a
railway IN Yunnan. IN order 70 freeze
out British competition the French set
up a tariff on railway materials that
made it impossible TO transport them
The only way the British cOuld have
built the proposed railway was TO estab-
Iish steel mills OF their own IN the re-
rIon OF the line. Other foreigu-Owned
railroads in China are operated on
equally philanthropic lines.
It Is considered Of special importance
that some form Of international trustee
ship be found for the Chinese Eastern
Railway. Under such control II would
become impossible for any power TO pro-
mote aggressive ambitions in northern
China or eastern Siberia because its
strategic facilities would be crippled BY
inability TO use the railway. Nominally
the property is a private concern acting
under statutes established by treaty be
tween Russia and China Ia 1896 In fact,
the railway is owned by the Russian
government. The shares are owned by
the Russo Asiatic Bank with the excep-
tion OF a limited number assigned to the
Chinese 10 provide for Chinese directors.
At one time r5minal American supervi-
sion OF the line existed because the
American railway commission. headed by
John F. Stevens, was in charge Of its
: affairs. With its withdrawal of American
troops ard railway engineers from ST.
IBERIA last year the property reverted to
its former Status. Russian authorities
foresee tie d0nger OF the Chinese Eastern
Railway falling into Japanese hands un-
less INSTRUMENTATION is accomplished
The south Manchurian railway links up
with the Chinese Eastern at Hardin, the
terminus Of the japanese line. The Chi
nese- Eastern Is the Pacific Ocean section
OF the Trans Siberian Railroad. Il con-
stitutes Russia only outlet - the sea
The worlds hope OF a great market in
Siberia depends upon an unrestricted
raIlrOad artery from the Chinese East,
ems terminal port, Vladiyostox. west
ward into the vast Russian province.
SCHEME CERTAIN
TO BE PROPOSED.
It is certain that some scheme to aboI-
fsh economic ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of China
By foreign railways viii be SUI mitted at
the Washington conference. II America
does not sponsor IL China is certain to
propose ways and means for stamping
cut q system which, friends say, is slow
" strangling her. To give effect any
such plan, an elaborate scheme Of com
psnsation and foreign supervision VIII
require TO be worked out. The Chinese
feel that the 1920 finance c6nsortium, eff
fectuated largely through American
leadership, affords an example right
with suggestion for solution Of the, rail
road problem
The Knox scheme for internationaliing
,-Chinese railroads fell through mainly be-
cause OF concerted Russo -Japaness oppo-
sttion IN Picking and Washington. It
coincided with { r-seeing plan Of the
late E. II. Hartman 10 make American
capital a factor In Chinese railroad de-
velorment. The Hartman interests had
mapped out a railroad which was to
parallel and compete with the South Man
ehurian line Inherited by Japan from
Russia. It was TO run some so OF 1CO
miles TO the west through Manchuria
from Aigun, on the Amur River, TO Ching
Chow, at the head Of the gulf Of Liaotun.
Russo-Japanese influence killed the Har-
rfman project, too.-Copyright, 1921, by
Public Ledger Company.