Evening star., 1925-07-12

Shanghai district, forbidding strike in
timidation and naming severe pen
altleS for noncompliance. Chang 1t
might seem, has thus at last declared
| himself Enthusiastically against the ex-
tremiStS
Little change in the situation at
Hongkong. The strike continues and
coastal shipping Is fairly tied up The
| British governor at HongkonS an
! nounces that strike intimidators now
in Jail at that city will be used for
| scavenger work; that future offend
ers in that kind will be f1ogged. and
that all unemployed Chinese will be
deported.
The Canton government forbids ac-
ceptance of foreign money by Chinese
and serves demands on the British
| and French consuls in Shameen re-
] quiri,G atology and compensation
and the surrender of Shameen. Sha-
meen expects to be attacked. On the
other hand, a comforting rumor has
| it that Canton Reds and Pinks are at
| il again. hammer and tongS, with
| their faction broilS.
| Considering China as a whole, the
anti foreign demonstrations have now
subsided to small proportions. If this
subsistence be due, as some dispatches
| intimate to organized efforts repre-
u
| bulk of the Chinese population, the
fact is most reassuring. But if such
! be the case prompt action by the
powers pursuant to the Washington
conference treaties Is all the more
indicated"
| On July the French Chamber
unanimously ratified the treaty on
Chinese integrity" and the treaty on
| the Chinese tariff" and the Senate
| followed suit on the 10th. The treat
| les become effective with the eX-
change of ratifcations. which should
! be accomplished in about fortnight.
The treaty on the Chinese tarir
provides for the meeting in China,
within three months of complete rati-
fication thereof, of a special confer
ence of esentatives of the sigma
tory powers land other powers ad-
hering) to consider Chinese tariff re-
vision and related matters.
l understand that our representa-
tives for such a commission have al
! ready been designated. namely, Silas
Strawn of Chicago and John Van A.
| MacMurray, our Minister to China.
The rumor is being put about that
the powers will not consent that the
commission shall meet until the
Chinese political situation shall have
been reasonably stabilized. To which
the reply has been made: Is not that
putting the cart before the horse?
The situation cannot be fairly stabil-
lied until the Peking government is
strong enough effectively to assert It's
fauthority To the acquisition of such
strength a very considerable addition
to its present revenue is essential. and
under the conditions it is not apparent
whence that addition may come eH-
cept through increases of the tariff
rates, requiring joint approval of the
powers. Against which it may be
urged that these new revenues might
be squandered by the central govern
| ment or grabbed by the Tuchuns.
making matters worse than ever.
Quite so, the powers have to take
order to forestall any such sad re-
suits. A beautiful problem.
The most intriguing and mysterious
element in the complicated Chinese
situation is the question of the status,
intentions. commitments and activities
| of Feng Yu Hsiang, the Christian
general" the betrayer of WI Pei Flu.
What are his relations to the pro-
visional government at Peking? or,
considered separately, to Chang Tso
Lin? To Moscow? To the leaders of
the kuo Min Tang party? OF what
forces does he dispose?
A pleasant rumor reaches us that
| decided general rift has developed in
the kuo Min Tang party between the