Evening star., 1932-01-28
Advises China to Set
Her House in Order.

North China Daily News, Shanghai
deter to editor) There as henen-
dous lot of sentimental nonsense balng
written about the dispute between China
and Japan and it Is as well to face the
facts.
1t is quite true that Japan obtained
the 1915 treaty from China under
duresS" and it may be placed to her
credit that this treaty did not provloe
for the absolute annexation OF Man
churia. But it may be pointed out that
every treaty ceding territory that has
ever been made has been obtained "un-
der duress" and for the powers to lift
up their hands in holy horror now Is
absolute poppycock. What about AlSace
and Lorraine, taken by Germany and
retaken by France, South Africa and
many other colonial possessions taken
by force OF arms by Britain, the Philip
pines and Cuba by America, etc?
In the past the great powers have
complacently allowed the annexation OF
territory except in cases where thelr
own interests have been vitally a1ect-
ed, as, for instance, in the Near East,
and 1t Is rather late in the day Tor the
League of Nations to adopt a Sanctl-
moniouS and canting pose over the pres
ent dispute.
The fact Of the matter is that Japan
needed Manchuria, to protect herself
against Russia and as an outlet Tor her
surplus population and, being power1u I'LL
enough, she took it. The powers nave
thwarted her twice, after the Chlno-
Japanese war and at the washington
Conference, not out of compassion for
China, but solely in their own interests,
and it is about time she was left alone
She has made herself into firSt-class
power in the shortest possible time, mas
successfully waged two. wars and par
ticipated in the Great -, ton the WIN
ming side) at vast cost in money ana
lives and Is entitled to some reward Ior
her sacrifices.
Manch,ria was undeveloped, un-
populated, lying idle and contributing
nothing to the benefit of the world at
large. and as soon as China wakes up
to the fact that it is a valuable posses
sion, due entirely to some one else
efforts, she wants it back, exactly IN
the same way as she is demanding tfe
retroccssion of the Shanghai Settle
ments. although she has done nothing
towards their development.
The nations that count cannot go on
nursing China indefinitely Whlle shs
is herself busy with civil war and IN
ternal political struggles. Let her set
llGT OWL 1lOuSE 1A1 Va elCAs SSA1SSii~ASN~ NAN~
government just as Japan did and then,
when she Is first-class power, take
back the outlying bits of territory that
have been fllched from her as other
nations have had to do. China proper
is quite big enough to keep her busy for
few years without her bothering her.
self about outlying dependencies and
foreign settlements which are being de-
veloped ard administered very efficient
ly at present.
Excessive Figures
Not All Due to Monetary Ratio.
Impartial, Montevidoo. - Imported
articles and foodStuffs are continuing
to increase in price, and though there
is some excuse for this tendency due
to an unfavorable ratio of monetary
exchange between this country and i'm
porting countries this situation hardly
can account for all the excessive figures
placed upon foreign commodities. 1t
is quite clear that the importers are not
getting this unreasonable profit; it Is
the dealers and shop-keepers in our
own land, who in many instances are
making as much as 100 per cent profit
over their invoiced prices. Trade can
not flourish under such inJustices and
- S],t{p k1a \ eriu kn r.