Page:League of Nations-Appeal by the Chinese Government.pdf/133

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be made by the Chief Executive from a panel submitted by the Council of the League. These two officials would have extensive powers during the period of organization and trial of the new regime. The powers of the advisers would be defined in the Declaration.

The appointment of one foreigner as a general adviser to the Central Bank of the Three Eastern Provinces would be made by the Chief Executive from a panel submitted by the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements.

The employment of foreign advisers and officials is in conformity with the policy of the founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party and with that of the present National Government. It will not, we hope, be difficult for Chinese opinion to recognize that the actual situation and the complexity of the foreign interests, rights and influences in those provinces require special measures in the interests of peace and good government. But it cannot be too strongly emphasised that the presence of the foreign advisers and officials here suggested, including those who, during the period of the organisation of the new regime, must exercise exceptionally wide powers, merely represents a form of international co-operation. They must be selected in a manner acceptable to the Chinese Government and one which is consistent with the sovereignty of China. When appointed, they must regard themselves as the servants of the Government employing them, as has always been the case in the past with the foreigners employed in the Customs and Postal administration or with the technical organisations of the League that have collaborated with China. In this connection, the following passage in the speech of Count Uchida in the Japanese Diet on August 25th, 1932, is of interest:

"Our own Government, since the Meiji Restoration, has employed many foreigners as advisers or as regular officials; their number, for instance, in the year 1875 or thereabout exceeded 500."

The point must also be stressed that the appointment of a relatively large number of Japanese advisers, in an atmosphere of Sino-Japanese co-operation, would enable such officials to contribute the training and knowledge specially suited to local conditions. The goal to be kept in view throughout the period of transition is the creation of a civil service composed of Chinese, who will ultimately make the employment of foreigners unnecessary.


2. The Sino-Japanese Treaty dealing with Japanese Interests.

Full discretion would of course be left to those who will negotiate the three suggested treaties between China and Japan, but it may be useful to indicate the matters with which it is suggested they should deal.

The treaty dealing with Japanese interests in the Three Eastern Provinces and with some Japanese interests in the Province of Jehol would have to deal principally with certain economic rights of Japanese nationals and with railway questions. Aims of the Treaty.The aims of this treaty should be:

(1) The free participation of Japan in the economic development of Manchuria, which would not carry with it a right to control the country either economically or politically;
(2) The continuance in the Province of Jehol of such rights as Japan now enjoys there;
(3) An extension to the whole of Manchuria of the right to settle and lease land, coupled with some modification of the principle of extra-territoriality;
(4) An agreement regarding the operation of the railways.