New-York tribune., 1921-11-01
Chinese Must
Own Railroads.
Adviser Saws
Demand at Paris for Return
of Shantung Line Would
Have Exposed Campaign
of Japan, Simpson Says
Tariff Control Essential
Economic Expert Declares
Nippon Can Easily Find
Growing Room at Home

B. Lenox Simpson, adviser of the
Chinese government, at luncheon
yesterday of the China Society given at
the Bankers Club, detailed conditions
in the Far East, and said that what is
known as the Chinese problem can be
solved by applying to China the "same
ideas that you apply to every other
country"
Stating as a premise that China
'must own and control all her COM
munications, telegraphs, posts and
railways" Mr.. Simpson said an illustra-
tion Of what he meant was the "matter
of the Shantuag Railway"
"For three yenrs," he said, 81 have
been insisting that the railway is the
whole Shantung question, and that once
that has been dealt with there will be
nothing left to cause conflict between
the two powers. Had the Chinese dele
gates at the Paris conference dropped
the rest of the Shantung business and
merely insisted upon the retrocession
of the railway as beng vital to the life
of the state, it would have exposed as
nothing else could have done the whole
Japanese plan of campaign. Without
railways to penetrate the back country
the Chinese seaboard offers no attrac
tion to the Japanese, and would be i'm
mediately evacuated.
Control of Tariff Vital
"There is only one other matter be-
sides ownership and control of all COM
munications that is vital to China to-
day-that is. control of her tariff. She
must have tariff autonomy favor i'm
mediately doubling the present per
cent import tax and Immediately aban-
doning the archaic system of coast
trade taxation. That will do two things.
1t will bring in sufficient revenue to do
away with constant borrowing, and will
inaugurate what is absolutely essential,
free trade within the limits of the re-
public"
Mr.. Simpson told his auditors that
the British government is prepared to
abandon her xtra-territorial rights in
the matter of trademarks and that he
had been given to understand that
tive at the Forthcoming Washington
conference Gin offering to retrocede
the Wei-haiwei leased territory to
China, provided that all powers within
similar leased territories follow an
identic policy and execute it at once"
The speaker declared that he did not
believe any great progress could be
achieved in China by political inter
ference, but that it could come
through political abstention.
mo board of CONTROL" Mr.. Simpson
added, would ever work a day in
China. The Chinese have powers of
passive Indifference superior to any in
the world. Ii they are encouraged and
stimulated such is their perseverance
and ingenuity that they can create
almost overnight myriad of most
fruitful activities. If, on the other
hand, they are opposed and oppressed
they can become vast fortress of
mud, impervious to every missile"
out that there had been rivalry be-
tween Japan and China for 700 years
prior to the war of 1894 and said that
Japan triumphed over China in 1894
because she had learned the lesson of
western. efficiency more quickly than
her neighbor.
Japan Has Room at Home
Discussing the immigration question.
he denied that there was any actual
necessity. for Japan to hold that she
must relieve the pressure of her pop
ulation by emigration, as "the facts
to-day prove conclusively that there
is no such pressure" "Korea," he
continued, after being sixteen years
In Japanese hands, has less than
100000 Japanese immigrants, or an
average influx of $4,000 a year. For
mosa, after twenty-six years owner,
ship by Japan, has little more than
100000 Japanese residents. The
leased territory in Manchuria and the
South Manchuria Railway zone has
under 10000 Japanese.
THAT is, during two decades Janan
has only sent to these regions sliehtlv
more than 100000 people. If we ex,
anime the immigration from the Brit
ssh Isles during a like period we find
= figure SC vastly superior to this total
that it is made quite plain that there
is no such pressure in Japan as there
Is in the United Kingdom. Moreover.
last years statistics show that the
Japanese increase in population has
fallen from 100000 annually to $50 900
II this diminished birth rate is main.
tanned it will be yet another proof that
The cry OF over-population is entirely
fictitious"