Arizona republican., 1922-01-16
SETTLEMENT Of
QUESTION
AWAITS REPLIES.
FROM CAPITA s.
Jap Concession On Railway
Phase Will Settle Shan
tung Question According
to Chinese Delegation
TRepubIioan A. p. leased wlre1

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-If the
Shantung conversations make the
progress hoped for by conference
leaders during the next two or three
days, this week may see all issues
raised in the Washington negotia-
tions well toward solution.
Confidence that the Shantung
problem Is nearing settlement was
apparent in most quarters tonight,
delegates feeling that with the other
Far Eastern questions in allegiance,
the separate exchanges between the
Chinese and Japanese over the
former German leasehold would be
pressed forward rapidly. Neither of
the two groups directly interested
was prepared to say an agreement
was in sight, but they evidenced a
hope that fresh instructions from
Toxic and Peking, expected hourly
might help materially.
When Shantung is out of the way,
and perhaps sooner, the conference
Far Eastern committee will resume
it's consideration of other problems
of the orient, with all delegates in
position to present their views quick
ly. On most of the remaining issues
the delegations have informed them
selves thoroughly regarding the views
Of other groups and the prospect for
an agreement.
The naval negotiations also appear
to be as good as completed the treaty
text agreed to by the "big five" be-
ing regarded as virtually certain to
meet the approval, successfully, OF
the full naval committee AID of the
plenary session. Both of these meet
ings probably will be held this week.
Leaders planned to set the confer
ence machinery in motion for final
approval of the treaty when Toxic
sends approval of the article dealing
with. Pacific Notifications.
Settlement of the Shantung ques-
tion still rests largely in the hands
of Arthur ]. Balfour and Secretary
Hughes, in the opinion of Chinese
spokesmen. Both the Chinese and
Japanese delegations tonight We're
waiting instructions from home as to
the attitude they must take on the
Hughes Balfour compromise sugges-
ions designed to afford basis for
agreement on both of the phases OF
the problem which up to now have
seemed insolvable These phases
touch on the method OF payment for
the Tsingtao- Tsinanfu railroad and
the nationality of the men who VIII
hold the positions of traffic manager
and chief accountant for the railroad
after its transfer.
Whether the Japanese and Chinese
delegates can get together this week
was said to depend on the nature of
the instructions from the Pezing and
Toxic governments.
The Hughes -Balfour compromise
suggestions are said to be based on
various combinations of these two
questions in a form that might per-
nit either the Japanese or Chinese to
give in on one and retain the other,
or might allow China, by sacrificing
the chief accountancy position, 10
obtain a concession for payment in
cash or installments for the road, at
the same time assuring Chinese con-
troll over the road through a Chinese
traffic manager.
At the Chinese delegation head
quarters there was said to be hope
without optimism" that the Shantung
question will be settled through the
Japanese giving in on the railway
phase. In no other way, the Chinese
say, can a settlement satisfactory to
the Chinese people be reached.
In the meantime the Chinese ana
Japanese delegations expect TO con-
tinue tomorrow their efforts to clean
the slate of the collateral questions
involved in complete settlement.