Chaos

Japanese Intervention. From Tokyo a cold decisive message clicked out over the cables: "By order of General M. Kawai, Chief of the Japanese General Staff, and with the consent of the Prince Regent of Japan and Premier Kato, 3,500 Japanese troops have been despatched to Mukden, [capital of the Chinese provinces of Manchuria]. This action is taken at the request of the consuls of the Great Powers at Mukden, who have asked protection for their nationals from the armies of the Chinese military leaders, Chang Tso-lin and Kiio Sung-lien, now attempting to engage each other a few miles from the city. At present 300 Japanese troops, detailed to guard the South Manchuria railway, are keeping the two armies apart."

Postponement. The Extraterritoriality Conference of the nine Powers (signatories to the Chinese treaties negotiated at President Harding's famed "Washington Disarmament Conference") was indefinitely postponed because of the extremely chaotic political situation now existing in China (TIME, Dec. 21, et ante). The conferees were to have assembled at Peking last week, where the Nine-Power Chinese Customs Conference is at present marking time owing to the impotence of "the Peking Gov- ernment of China," with which both conferences expected to deal.

Feng v. Li. The attack launched by Super-Tuchun Feng, "The Christian Protector of Peking," upon General Li Ching-ling, the Civil Governor of Chihle (TiME, Dec. 21), continued and showed signs of developing into a notable engagement. Because of this fracas Peking was completely cut off from railroad communication with the seacoast, since the embattled forces blew up numerous bridges on the Peking-Tientsin railway.