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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
the line would cross in fhet 'the main axis of the mountain ranges of southern Persia, which have at all times proved a serious obstacle in the way of transport. Though various districts are fertile they are separated by alternate mountain range and waterless desert, and towns are few and at long intervals. Mr. BLACK does not here profess to name a suitable route, further than to suggest that it would have more or less to follow the Karun. The differences of level and the ascents and descents, are here far more formidable than in the case of the crossing of Arabia, while there isas great, or possibly still greater difficulty with regard to water. In any case, and this applies with redoubled force to the Persian section, there would be scarcely any local traffic to depend on, so that the question for the financier of the line to consider would be whether the terminal traffic would compensate for the initial difficuties and uncertainties. That sooner or later a direct railway to India will become a political necessity, no one who has studied the grent Eastern question of the day can ignore. Meanwhile it is both useful and interesting that the many A.new proposal to which we have alluded possible routes should be freely discussed, at the bead of this article, appears in the so that each may add a little to our pre- Nineteenth Century for January, and is from liminary knowledge of the subject. Here the pen of Mr. Č. E. D. BLACK, who from in China, we are, even though more distant- his former position in the Indian Service, ly, still actually interested. Already China where he was in charge of the Geographical is beginning to make approaches towards Department, is eminently qualified to judge extending her railway system into Shensi of the practicabilities of the route.. Practi- and Kansu; and the same impelling motive cally the western portion of the line is the which is urging her so far must of necessity same as that previously suggested in the compel her to attack the problem of Eastern Daily Press, bnt Mr. BLACK goes further in Turkestan. How Eastern Turkestan and suggesting its extension through Persia, India may be put into effectual com- right up to the frontiers of India, where it munication with one another is, it is would join the already existing Peninsular true, not likely to become in the near system of railways. Starting from Port future a matter of practical import, but there Said or Ismalia, the line would cross the is no escaping the future necessity of pro- Suez Canal, and traverse the Sinaitic Pea-viding some more satisfactory method than insula to the head of the Gulf of Akabah.
the Wahabee governments to strangers, whom hitherto they have always classed with Turks. A few years ago, while the Hejas Railway was still in contemplation, any proposal for crossing Arabia would have met with determined opposition from Turkey, as interfering with her supposed rights. The actual construction of that line bas now, however, altered the position; so far, in fact, from the objection that the proposed line would be in any way interfere with the traffic on the Hedjaz Railway, the suggested railway, which would cross it at right angles at the head of the Gulf of Akabah, would be a direct benefit to the Turkish line, inasmuch as it would become one of its most important contributories, tapping in its interest important pilgrim | traffic from southern Persia, as well as from Afghanistan, Beluchistan and Mohammedan India. Thanks to recent events in Turkey, the political jealousies which for some years alienated from England the Government of Sultan ABDUL HAMID have in a great mea- sure ceased, or been exchanged for friend ship, so that any great opposition here is not to be apprehended.
So far the two suggestions are identical. From that Mr. BLACK proposes that the line should ascend the Wady-el Ithm to the rocky plateau of Northern Arabia, which he would traverse, as nearly as possible, in a direct ine, to the oasis of el Juf, and thence on to Baara. There are, he acknowledges, many objections to be urged against this roule, which would not be encountered in that suggested by ourselves. The plateau is on the whole higher. and is far more rocky. It is for the most part, if not all the way over volcanic formations, and is exceedingly rug- ged, and more difficult to cross with a line of railway, while, except in the oasis of el Juf, the country is uninhabited except by the wildest of the Bedouin tribes. Except for the springs in the oasis itself, there is absolutely no water to be had, so that all needed for the service of the train or for the neede of the passengers would have to be carried. The gradients would besides be far more difficult. On the other hand the route would be shorter, possibly by some 150 or even two hundred miles, but this point could only be accurately ascertained The more southern route through Shomer and Nedjed would have the enormous advantage on the other hand of passing through a fairly well-peopled district, where are to be found numerous towns and villages and an industrious settled population; the route is likewise, and this would be one of its main recom- mendations, outside the usual track of Bedouin incursions.
after survey.
So far the Arabian portion of the lines would offer no insurmountable difficulties, and would probably be of itself fairly remunerative, but it is in the Persian secion suggested by Mr. BLACK, that real difficulties would have, to be surmounted;
as yet presents itself for accomplishing the desired result. The great reason why in the past Asia, whose civilisation is of far older birth than that of Europe has permit- ted the latter to beat her in the race of civilisation, is, of course, the difficulty of communication. Anything which will tend to place Asia on an equal footing in this res- pect, will pari passu act towards removing the discrepancy; and the end 'ecomes a worthy ambition for all those who desire to advance the material prosperity of the greatest of the continents.
THE FAKUMEN RAILWAY QUESTION.
(Daily Press, 26th February.) The controversy over the Fakumen railway project in Manchuria.bas now been actively carried on for something like eighteen months, and it does not appear that there is any carly prospect of a settlement being reached. Japan's right to object to the Chinese Government's projected line from Fakumen which runs for about fifty miles parallel to the South Manchurian railway is based on an agreement with China. The subject seems to have excited an extraordinary amount of interest in the British Press, and there has been singular unanimity in cou- demning Japan's opposition to the project as a breach of faith with the Powers in the matter of her engagement to maintain
the "
open door" principle in Manchuria. Quite recently the Times has declared Japan's opposition to the new project as 'absolutely irreconcilable with the policy of the open door." Japan denies that her action in this matter is inconsistent with the open-door policy, and it is very evident that the British Government is inclined to adopt Japan's view of the matter. In the agreement
[March 1, 1909.
concluded between Japan and Great Britain in 1905, for “the preservation of the common interests of all Powers in China by insuring the independence and integrity of the Chinese Empire and the principle of equal opportunities for the commerce and industry of all nations in China" the two Powers agreed that neither of them would, without consulting the other, enter into separate arrangements with another Power to the prejudice of the objects described. Four months after this agreement was concluded Japan made a Treaty with China relating to Manchuria, by Art. VII of which the two contracting parties agreed "to make arrange. ments as soon as possible for connecting the service of railways in South Manchuria and those in China proper, in order to promote and facilitate the transport of goods." But in addition to this agreement, which was published for the information of the world, there W&S a pro'ocol which was not published. In accordance with the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, however, a copy of it was communicated to the British Government, and Sir EDWARD GREY last year communicated to the House of Com- mous the text of the clause of the protocol by which Japan claims the right of vetoing the construction of the Hsinmintun-Faku- men railway. It runs as follows: Chinese Government engage, for the purpose of protecting the interest of the South Manchurian railway, not to construct, prior to the recovery by them of the said railway, any main line in the neighbourhood of and parallel to that railway, or any branch line which might be prejudicial to the interest of the above-mentioned railway. If the British Government had regarded that clause as being inconsistent with the open-door policy, surely it would have said so when the copy of the Protocol was comt municated to the Foreign Office. We mas- assume that the Government did not regarp the clause as at variance with Japan's de- clared adhesion to the open-door policy; and there is no indication that the Government has been converted to the view of the New- LORD chwang Chamber of Commerce. RONALDSHAY in some observations on this subject in his recently published book, points out that the South Manchurian_rail- way is "the sole material returu which Japan has to balance the loss of £20),000,000 and
CC
"The
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85,000 lives," and while he advocates the submission of the Pakumen railway ques- tion to arbitration he, nevertheless, fails, as we do, to see anything reprehensible in her endeavouring to safeguard, by diplomacy, the single material return which she has to show for the misery and caruage of eighteen months' war. "No other country in the world," Lord RONALDSHAY pertinently remarks, would fail to make every endeavour t obtain in return every advantage which political or diplomatic exigencies allowed." Some months ago Sir EDWARD GREY said it was open to the contractors to prove, if they could do so, to the satisfaction of Japan, that the propo-ed railway would not pre- judice the Sauth Manchurian Line, and so would not violate the agreement. They have not succeeded in doing so, and Japan, our okyo co respondent informed us, has no intention of departing from the attitude she has taken up. If this means that Japan- is open to conviction that the projected railway will not be prejudicial to the interests of the South Manchuria railway, "We are pre- she could well afford to say: pared to accept on this point the judg ment of an independent and impartial committee." As it concerns but fifty miles of railway the whole question could be settled within a week. There seems indeed
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