Evening star., 1922-01-03
conference FACES
FAR EAST CORNERS
Sharp Turns Must Be En-
gineeTed as ParIey Enters
Eighth Week.
cHINA's FATE UNSETTLED
Delegates Must Decide Whether
Generalities Will Rule or
Details Be Taken Up.
cHINA's FATE UNSETTLED
BY LEROY r. VERNON.

The conference on the Limitation OF
armament enters upon Its eighth,
week of existence facing the neces-
sity of turning many sharp corners
before it completes its work. The far
eastern problems loom large on the
program of the conference during the
next two weeks. and already the i'm
patience OF the Chinese and -Siberians
to be heard on them Is becoming
manifest The Chinese. particularly.
realize that the fate of China, SO far
Is international agreements can do II.
will be settled in some form OF other
soon. and the unoficial Russian dele
cations in Washington. representing
very known brand of Russian poll
les except the soviet government, are
qually alert.
Prospect StiIl I'm Doubt.
Whether the far eastern questions
which might be touched upon under
the agenda of the conference are to
be dealt with in broad generalities,
as the Chinese and Siberians seem to
fear. or whether they are 10 be taken
up in some detail. as has been done
in the matter of Chinese customs.
post Offices and other subjects closely
related with China's territorial and
administrative integrity. has not been
officially announced, although the Of
ficiartrend OF the conference for some
time ~ been in the general direction
Of short cuts. Chinese insistence that
the twenty-one demands and the
-reaty of 1915 growing out of them
be abrogated by Japan has been met
by Japanese insistence that. whilc
willing to discuss and explain both:
neither document shall be considered
as before the conference officially.
The only recourse left to China under
the circumstances has been the con-
sideration Of specific matters involved
"whittling" down the terms which
appeared specially obnoxious.
Not wholly Satisfactory.
This process has not been wholly sat-
sfactory to the Chinese delegation.
Likewise, in the Shantung negotiations
betwenn China and Japan a deadlock
aas been reached. which. in all proba-
biHty, before 1t is concluded, will have
to be dealt with by Secretary Hughes
and Mr.. Balfour, who have sponsored
the negotiations as the friends of both
nations. Throughout the whole confer
ence there has been great optimism that
the Shantung affair would be settled
and there is no reason yet apparent
to change that opinion. However,
neither the Shantung matter nor the
.wenty-one demands as a whole have
been considered by the conference it.
elf. Whether the conference will go
IN dealing with concrete questions reia-
tive to the twenty-one demands. or
whether tire demands and the Shantung
negotiations will have to come before
the conference on the initiative Of China.
as a last resort, are questions which will
have to be answered soon. Unless there
| 10 an q
China may want to be heard in an open
session on them.
Far Eastern Republic ClamorinE.
Already the Far Eastern Republic
representatives are clamoring to be
heard on Japan's occupation of the
Siberian littoral. Having no official
standing, their government being un-
recognized, the Siberian representa-
tives have no relations with the con-
ference except in the most informal
and unofficial manner. They have had
hearings Of this character by staffs
and have now turned to the press to
say publicly what they would like to
say to the conference. While their
charge that France and japan COM
bined in advance Of the conference to
establish a protectorate under Japan
In Siberia. which policy was to be
supported by their delegations here,
has been officially denied. neverthe-
to present their case in full. In the
meantime they purpose to shoot off
more fireworks, and the real problem
for the Siberians and the friends of
Russia is how to bring the Siberian
question before the conference so
that it may have a somewhat detailed
examination. That is another Gordian
knot which must be cut soon.
Japan in Strategic Place.
The argument has frequently been
made that the United States. in press
ing for a quick settlement of the
naval disarmament problem, substan-
TALLY disarmed itself for pressing
for a similar satisfactory settlement
cally. japan is held by many to be in
strategic position to avoid a close
examination of many far eastern
matters which both China and the
Far Eastern Republic would like to see
taken up in extenso. Up to this time,
however, the conference has not
shown its disposition on Manchuria
Siberia, the Chinese Eastern railway
or the Shantung questions. Neverthe-
less, there have been constant in
formal exchanges between the dele
result has been wifi shortly be
known. From every point of view
the decisions Of the conference dur
ing the next two weeks contain mat
ters of interest Of the utmost impor-
tance to the work of the conference
and the acceptability Of it to the ma
tions involved.
Copyright. 1927
WAR DEPARTMENTS