New-York tribune., 1921-12-17
Chinese Announce Terms
for Return of Province
Have Been AgreedUpon;
Toxic Must Give Sanction
To Surrender Rail
Line i'm 9 Months
Peking to Reimburse the
Japanese Government
for Investments 1t Made
By Thomas Steep

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.-A tentative
agreement, under which Shantung will
be turned over to China virtually as
She controlled it in 1898, when the Ger
mans seized it, was reached today by
the Chinese and Japanese delegations
in their negotiations on the restoration
Of the province. Under the agreement
Japan will retain only her temples,
shrines and cemeteries.
Emerging from the conference room.
where the Shantung controversy has
been the subject of direct negotiations
between the japanese and Chinese dele
gates for the last two weeks, DR.. Wang
Chun-hui, Chief Justice of the Chinese
Supreme Court, to. day made known the
terms upon which settlement is to be
reached. DR.. Wang pointed out that
the terms are still tentative and that
between nations settlements are not
considered final until documents are
signed, but he declared that doubt no
longer exists that Japan is ready to
yield. Mr.. Hanihara, of the Japanese
delegation, said the terms had been re-
ferred to the Toxic government for
confirmation.
Word has come from Toxic, how
ever, that the Mikado's government is
ready to relinquish the railway on
adequate reimbursement for Japanese
investments. The railway, the Chinese
say, is really the only issue ia be put
up to Toxic, Japan having previously
consented to surrender it's leasehold
on Kiaochau to return Tsitetao to
the Chinese maritime customs, to with
draw all Japanese troops and to re-
store public utilities.
Terms of Tentative Agreement
The tentative terms agreed upon to-
China is to pay So, ,4oe, ,141 gold marks
for the 280 miles Of the Tsingtao-
Tsinan Railway, plus the cost of i'm
provements made by the Japanese since
1914 and minus depreciation of prop
erty: In addition, China is to pay
5,35O,0OO marks for mining property
and 243 859 marks for iron ore. These
are the amounts agreed upon by the
peace conference rs the value of the
properties at the time the Japanese
took them from Germany at the be-
ginning of the World War.
The railway is to be turned over
within nine months.
Terms OF the payment are to bes ar
ranged, but the full payment is to- be
completed within two or three years!
Japan is to have no administrative
control after nine months.
Japan is to retain no preferential
trade rights anywhere in the province
The docks at the railway terminals
are to be turned over to Chinese author
tiles as soon as the transfer of the
railway property is effected.
The open door and territorial intee-
rity are to be especially recognized by
Japan.
Japanese temples. shrines and ceme-
teries are to remain unmolested.
Immediate Surrender Opposed
DR.. Wang explained that China is
ready to make a cash payment for the
railway, but that this plan was op-
posed by the Japanese delegates They
contended that an immediate surren-
der of the railway would disturb Jap
anese trade. A consortium of Chinese
bankers, it was explained, is prepared
to advance the money for the railway.
"The Japanese delegates were very
reluctant in agreeing TO- any terms
which contemplated the immediate sur
render of the railway" said DR.. Wang.
"They wanted the payments to extend
over long period. We opposed this
proposition because the Chinese peo-
pie are impatient about Shantung.
Oar people oppose these direct negotia-
tions. They have never approved of
our agreeing to negotiate outside of
the conference. They will continue to
be skeptical until they are assured
Shantung has been returned to them
Internationally.
Undoubtedly we have obtained more
at Washington than we did at Paris
but it must be remembered that We
! got nothing at Paris because we stood
for the unconditional surrender of
Shantung or nothing. The three great
problems which are embarrassing the
Chinese Republic are Shantung, ou1
lack of tariff autonomy and the twentv
one demands which Japan forced upon
us The settlement of Shantung leaves
the two other problems still unsolyed
CONTINUED on page thrss)