Events

Events in China which have been cloaked in obscurity for some months took on an intelligible significance last week. Two happenings of major interest: 1) the Nine-Power Customs Conference* assembled at Peking, seat of the present weak Chinese National Government; 2) the great warlord, or "Super-Tuchun," Wu Pei-fu, emerged from an enforced retirement and appeared at Hankow as "Commander-in-Chief of the Central Provinces"--an alliance which he has apparently patched up by intrigue and which he claims leagues about him "14 of China's 18 provinces."

The Military Situation. Super-Tuchun Wu, on resurrecting his power, has already driven his old enemy, Super-Tuchun Chang, "Manchurian Warlord," out of the positions which the latter has held for months at and near Shanghai. The actual capture of Shanghai was accomplished last week by General Sun Chuan-Fang, acting for Super-Tuchun Wu.

At Peking, General Feng Yu-hsiang became so agitated at the comeback of Super-Tuchun Wu, whom he "betrayed" last year, that he was reported upon the point of offering to unite his strength once more with Wu against Chang. This naturally makes things highly interesting for the weak Peking "Government of China," which is entertaining the Customs Conference and which is supposed to be "protected" by Feng.

Swelled with pride at his success thus far, Super-Tuchun Wu despatched a note to the Customs Conferees at Peking, suggesting that their assembly might well be postponed "until such time as a more representative Government functions in China." He meant, of course, "I'm going to gobble up China, Peking and all. Better wait until I do and negotiate with me." The Conferees, secure in their nine-powered might, ignored Wu for the present and opened their deliberations.

The radical "South China Government" at Canton was reported strongly disposed to unite with Wu.

The Customs Conference Situation is dominated by the fact that

China has not been allowed to regulate her own customs dues for the last 71 years, and wants to be given that right at once. This question is all but inextricably involved, because the former Imperial Government of China found it convenient to turn its whole tariff-collection system over to John Bull, who as "honest broker," collected the tariff, paid it over to the Imperial Government, and later made loans to China with the tariff as security, the interest upon which now absorbs practically all the money that is collected from this source.

With the fall of the Imperial Government and the rise of "Young China," there has been an insistent demand that Britain abandon her role of customs administrator. This she is reluctant to do, feeling that she now has a heavy "vested interest" in the tariff; and alleging that the Chinese Government is not yet strong enough to administer a tax which the various Tuchuns would be only too quick to seize for themselves if Britain were not there to stop them. The U. S. has generally taken the attitude that China must be given tariff autonomy before she can "grow up" out of her present weakness. Japan claims, apparently with supporting documents, that Imperial China granted the right to administer her customs "to the foreign power whose trade with China is greatest." And Japan now asserts that Japanese trade with China is heavier than British, and wants Britain to turn over tariff collecting to her.

Such are the larger aspects of the Chinese customs muddle. It is expected that, for the present, the conference will steer clear of as many of them as possible. Observers agree that the immediate situation in China is too unstable to warrant proximate withdrawal of British tariff-supervision. Presumably as many minor points of friction as possible will be cleared up at the conference; and it is thought probable that the tariff rate will be raised from 5% to 7 1/2% in order to increase the revenue to a point where China can abolish some of her internal taxes.

The U. S. delegation is headed by Silas H. Strawn, famed Chicago lawyer, and John Van A. MacMurray, U. S. Minister to China.

*The delegates represent the U. S., Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, China. Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the They are meeting pursuant to the Nine-Power Treaty negotiated to settle Chinese tariff problems at Washington (1921-22), which was only fully ratified last August. This treaty was, of course, negotiated simultaneously with the famed Five-Power Washington Naval Disarmament Treaties, and another Nine-Power treaty promising an inquiry into the Chinese "extraterritoriality" system, which will be made at Peking in December.