1936-12-18 — Page 7

Men and Things Abroad

by BERNARD MoonĖ

T

London, Nov, 21. HREATENED extension of the South Manchurian Railway south of the Great Wall of China la 'causing grave concern in China.

The Bouth Manchurian Rail- way, of course, provided the Sarajevo ' rifle shot" that began the Sino-Japanese war and plunged the League of Nations Into its first major International dispute with disastrous results.

The "Mukden incident," when, according to the Japanese version, a length of railway line-it was only three feet in any caBO-WAN blown up, was the signal for the Japanese aggression in Manchuria. In the conflict that followed, Japan defled the League and, by doing so successfully, without any doubt encouraged Mussolini to launch on his Abyssinian venture. £11,000,000 Schemo

Bouth

RECENTLY Mr. Matsuoka, General Manager of the Manchurian Raliway, nounced that an attempt would shortly be made to raise two hundred raillion yen, over eleven million pounds, for immediate use in enterprisca south of the Great Wall.

The same Mr. Matsuoka pleaded the Japanese case at the League Assembly and was privileged to lead his dele- gation and Japan out of the League of Nations.

I remember him in Geneva when, clad in a brown klinono, he' told me almost with tears in his eyes that he represented the great proletariat.

I remember him, too, perpetming in the League Council the most magni- ficent. mixed metaphor I have ever heard. He was complaining of some new Chinese 'aggression,"

• "This is the last straw that breaks the over- stretched rubber band," he salt

The Spear-Ilead

BUT, Mr. Matsuoka ropre- Bents an organisation which, in the Chinese view, has always, been used as a spearhead of Japanese expantaloniat activity,

No explanation is required to con- vince thoughtful Chinese, including -every schoolboy and girl in the land. that of all the semi-bicial enterprises -of Imperial Japan on the Confinest of Asla, none has exercised such satanical influence in the relations of oriental nations na the South Manchurian Railway.".writes the "Chita Weekly Review,"

•

The paper goes on to say that, re- cently, Chinese warlords In the North smnted the milway the right to con-

South of the Great Wall "satanical influence is at work."

struct a number of new railways ex- tending into the coal and iron districts of Chabar and Shansi and the cotton- growing areas of Ilonan and Shansi, several hundred miles south of the Great Wall.

Small wonder that the Chinese fear another Mukden incident which might well result in Japan adding another chunk of territory consisting of the provides of Hopel, Chahar, Sulyan, Bhansi and Bhantung to the puppet State of Manchukuo.

Qucer Olive Branch

SIGNOR MUSSOLINI seems to pluck his olive from 羅 blackthorn tree. A fortnight ago he talked of an olive branch reinforced by milkons

branches

of

bayonets. This week, his peace offer in the Afediterrancan was backed by a threat thin Italy would rise, to a man, if his demands were not met.

Mr. Eden's reply in the House of

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, DECEMBER

18,

1936.

TROUBLE OVER the WALL

Commone was timely. He welcomed the Duce'a na surances that he hnd nat the intention of threaten- ing what was the British Empire's arterial road.

It is dificult, indeed, to seo what Mussolini menns when he talks of recognis ing Italy's interests in the Mediterranean. Does he mean naval control of the Bea? The only other In- terests Italy can have are

of an economic character and no one has ever threatened them, so it is intriguing to know why he is making such a storm in a teacup.

Although the Non-Inter- vention Committee at first decided, for, some un- fathomable reason, that

its proceedings and all its documents should bo wropt in deepest mystery, there has een inevitably, fairly full-publicly given to its tortuous discussions in the Presa of all coun-. tries.

But it is amusing to see that Italy, in the front rank in protesting against Russian breaches of the secrecy undertaking, in hardly in a position to cast stones.

||

On October 28. Simor Grand, the Italian Am- bassador, presented ta Lord Plymouth a list of allegations against Russla of Infractions of the Non- Intervention Agreement. Next day, the full text of the Note was published by the. Italian Press, which had received it from the offelal Italian news agency.

Unfortunately for the Italian Gov. ernment, the old excuse of journalistic Indiscretions cannot be used, for the only Indiscretions permitted in tho Itailan Press are those authorised by the Government,

Soviet Congress ·

WHEN All Union

the

Congress of Soviets meets in Moscow at the ent of this month, one of those who played an important part in drawing up the new Constitution which it meets to approve will not be present.

Karl Radek, world-famous journalist and writer on foreign affairs in "Izvestia," is languishing in a Soviet Jall on charge of conspiring against the Blate. He was responsible for the final drafting of the text of the Constitution. An interesting develop-

ment envisaged in the now charter is that the UBAR, will, in future, be composed of 11 "Union Republics," in- stead of this 'existing seyeři,

The Turkmenian, Uzbeck. Tajik, Kazakh, and Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republics, clumped together between the Caspian Sea and Afghanistan, and hitherto known under the high-flown titio .of Transcaucasinh Socialist Federal Soviet Republics, will be separately represented and separately · · mentioned in the Constitution.

Secret Ballot

•

MOST Important of the changes, of course, will be the new form of Parliamentary representation. In a way, the new political organisation of Russia is re- miniscent of the Swiss Federal system. The Executive organ. corresponding to the British Cabinet, in to be the Council of People's Commissars, con- sisting of the Chairmen of the vital Committeen," which correspond, nearly enough, to our Governmentai departments.

This Executive is responsible to the Supreme Council, consisting of two Chambers the Council of the Union and the Comell of Nationalities. Both Chambers are to have equal rights and will be elected for a period of four years.

The Council of the Union is to ba elected on the basis of one deputy for ** ench 300,000 of the population, and will thus have a membership of some 600 deputies. They will be elected by secret ballot—a tremendous step for ward.

Another Important change marking the development towards a regular Parliamentary Constitution is that the Supreme Council, will meet twice a year regularly. In the intervals both Chambers will be represented by a Praesidium of 37 members.

Hitherto, the All-Russian Congress of Soviets has met at irregular inter. vals on an average once every two years.

Que interesting development fore- Been for the future is the adherence of Outer Mongolia on the Chinese fron- tier to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This Slate is independent, but receives considerable assistance and protection from the Soylet Union.

A Busy Week

THE diplomats are going round and around, and the music-usually of the military variety-seems to come out almost Anywhere,

For the statesman, especially In

MARSHAL RYDZ-SMIGLY

Would-be Dictator of Poland

Central Europe, are playing general post this week with a vengeance. Some of them are in Vienna for the Danu- bian Conference; Admiral Horthy, the Hungarian Regent, is bound for Rome; King Emmanuel of Italy is to go to Budapest and Prince Paul of Jugo." slavia comes to London.

Meanwhile, guest of the week here La Colonel Joseph Beck, Poland's dour Foreign Minister, who since Pilsud- aki's death has been carrying an a behind-the-scenes struggle with Mar- shaf Rydz-8migly for the dictatorship of Poland.

Rydz-Smigly appears to be winning at the moment. Ho returned from his recent trip to Paris a popular hero and received his Marshal's baton yesterday, as n zaward.

And Ryde-Smilgly on top means, any- how for the present, i pro-Prench foreign policy in Poland

Landslide

TT is refreshing to see that Geneva, despite all its present troubles, succeeds. in keeping a Denise of humour. No sooner had the amazing result of the United Stnica Presidential election been received than Carlo, the League's barman, invented a new cocktall in the President's honour.

Of course it is called in “Roosevelt," and as a tribute to the International chameter of the President's descent, consists of English gin, Dutch curacao and French absinthe.

The new drink was launched with the slogan, "Drink a Roosevelt and watch the landslide."

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