Evening star., 1921-12-28
RESUMED
IN EASTERN SIBERIA
Changed Situation in Mari
time Province Likely to
Have Effect Here.
CHITA LOSES KHABAROFSK
Expedition Sent Out From Via
divostok Reported to Have Met
With Successes.
CHITA LOSES KHABAROFSK
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

Fighting has been resumed at this
bitter cold season of the year in the
Maritime province, along the east coast
of Siberia, according to reports which
have Just reached here. The changed
situation will have an important effect
when the Siberian phase of far eastern
problems comes before the conference,
possibly in a few days. AS it is gener-
ally understood that the policy to which
the American State Department is COM
mitted for a solution of the troubles
in Siberia Is diametrically opposed to
the one which Japan is carrying out,
it is expected that a thorough discus
sion will follow rot only as to the re-
sumption of fighting, but the causes
which led up to il. So far France and
Great Britain have not openly declared
their position, though they are directly
interested.
Gables Bring News.
The first cables Indicating that or
ganized hostilities had been resumed
while the conference actually was III
session came to the State Department
from David b. Mcgowan. American
consul at Vladivostok. quoting reports
that khabarofsk. which had been held
by the Chita government since the
Japanese evacuated in October. had
been captured by an expedition which
was armed and sent out from Vladl-
vostok Another cable to the same effect
Merkuloff, president of the Vladivostok
local government. by Josef X. Okulttch,
1l3 Lincoln street. Boston. who has been
appointed to represent the Merkuloff
government at the conference.
Though cables also were received
y nv ha dol "a a.
ton here from the Far Eastern re-
public no mention was made of the
fall of Khabarofsk or of any fighting
which must have preceded. 1t is pos
sible that the report is variation
of the fictitious stories of uprisinSs
in Siberia, which have been systemat-
ically circulated since the beginning
of the wear, chiefly to 1etract a;ten-
tion from the real disturbances fos-
tered in the area of japanese occu-
patton and to justify continuation
of the japanese expedition at Niadi-
vostok. Coming at this time it may
seriously influence the conference.
Expedition Quietly Organized.
For several weeks reports have
been received that an expedition was
quietly being ,rganized at Vladivostok
to invade the portion of the prov
ince under control of the Chita gov
ernment The area of the japanese
expedition extends to EvanleEka sta
ton. about 120 miles north of Vladi-
vostok. According to the agreement
between the japanese and the Chita
government neutral zone. twenty
miles wide. is beyond that into which
armed forces must not enter. The
Nladivostok expedition thus would be
free from attack until it emerged
from the neutral zone, and if it met
with reverse could again retire to
safety behind the Japanese lines.
The other Japanese expedition is
occupying the north half of Sakhalin
island and the adjoining mainland
around the mouth of the Amur river
1t is north of khabarofsk. which also
| is on the Amur. BY capturing kha
barofsk the Vladivostok government
which was created by the japanese
expidetion, will extend its jurisdiction
to the northern boundary of the far
eastern republic and Japan will con-
troll the entire Siberian littoral in