Evening star., 1922-01-11
FAR EAST ISSUES
READY FOR ACTION
Shantung Likely to Be Set
tIed-Conversations on
Asia Continue.
BY LEROY T. VERNON.

Although far eastern and Siberian
questions have been held in temporary
abeyance recently, pending a settle
! ment OF the naval disarmament treaty,
these subjects have been on the minds
of the delegates. and when the cog-
ference resumes consideration of them
/ the groundwork will have been laid
for rapid progress. AS result of the
informal exchanges which have been
In progress during the past two
weeks, 1t is now possible to outline
briefly the general consensus Of the
conference as to the practical method
Of dealing with the questions which
remain on the agenda. Applied to
Shantung, China and Siberia, these
results appear probable:
Shantung-The conversations be-
tween the delegates of Japan and
China con ,lnue. with every prospect of
d final settlement of that issue. Thus
I far there has been no mediation of
.he differences between the two dele
cations necessary, but it is apparent
chat there is a universal demand in
.he conference that the Shantung case
be settled once for all and no step to
accomplish that purpose will be left
untaken.
Give China q Chance.
China-In dealing with Chinese
problems the conference has had to
reckon with the disintegregation
within China. which has SO far weak
encd its central government as to
invite aggression. on the one hand.
" ithout enabling China to assume re-
sponsibiities which should be hers
q n
has been found facing almost gov
eI nmental bankruptcy with an in
ternational receivership looming up
on the horizon. Instead of throwing
China into receiyerSnip the powers
in this conference have determined
TO give China chance to redeem her
self by internal Improvement with
their benevolent assistance. They
have decided that further aggression
in China shall cease forthwith: that
rights and privileges secured in China
which have no legal foundation in
reatieS Or agreements shall be re-
turned to China Immediately or. in
specified cases, when China shall
maintain a government capable Of
taking over and administering these
rights as they should be administer
ed. and that every assistance shall be
rendered China TO form such a gov
"rnment as soon as possible Com
missions created by this conference
shah sit in China and observe the
progress made with d view to the
withdra wal Of the powers from their
assumed rights and privileges as rap
idly as China itself Justiiics their
wjthdraW avail
Twcnt!-Dne Demands.
With respect to the So-callcd
'twenty-one" demands of Japan sub
mitted to China in 1915. several Of
which were incorporated in a treaty
of the same year. which Chian alleges
was secured by duresS. il is the pur-
pose of the conference to continue to
apply the Root principles relative 10
china to all speci-c instances of
Illegal rights based upon them. hut
there is no likelihood that tnc de-
inands for the treaty themselves will
ever be brought into serious question
before the conference itself
So far as the Manchurian question
Is concerned. il apparently falls. in
the minds of delegates. into that cate
CORY Of rights and privileges secured
by treaty much as the rights aud
privileges of the allies were secured
from Germany in the treaty of Yer
sailles and as the United States itself
| acquired territory in California and
the Philippines. On the other hand
where economic rights alone We're
hafded over to Japan by China. the
conference now proposes to segregate
all political and military rights now
enjoyed in excess of treaty stipula-
tions and to provide for their return