17 OCTOBER 1931, Page 2

Manchuria The Council of the League of Nations was summoned

to meet on. Tuesday for the consideration of the very grave situation in Manchuria. Lord Reading made his first appearance at Geneva as our Foreign Secretary, and M. Briand attended. The United States Consul at Geneva is also at hand. Chinese reports, which may or may not be true, assert that Japanese airmen have bombed Chinehow, the present headquarters of Chang Hsueli- bang. They arc alleged to have bombed Chinese troop trains, possibly because they were fired at. The Japanese army commander is said to be disregarding the orders of his Government. Japanese public opinion, it is declared, resents .the conciliatory policy of the Ministry,-because in China Japanese trade is boycotted and Japanese subjects are maltreated. More Japanese warships have been sent to the Yangtse to protect Japanese residents. The Nanking Government is accused of being unable or unwilling to afford protection to Japanese nationals, and the Manchur- ian authorities are blamed for bad faith. The Japanese Government professes its earnest desire to negotiate a settlement with Nanking, and is clearly desirous of inter- vention by the League Council, though the Kellogg Pact and the Covenant would seem to make intervention essential. On the other hand, Chiang Kai-shek is reported to have threatened to declare war on Japan. *. *