Expert Opinion

South Chinese soldiers of the Nanking Nationalist Government battled valorously last week, in an effort to capture Peking from the North Chinese Dictator Chang-Tso-lin.

Meanwhile Japan continued to maintain several potent armed forces in China, to protect her nationals in the provinces of Shantung, and Manchuria and in Peking (Chihli Province) (TIME, April 30). Therefore, in all probability the men who knew most authoritatively last week, which way the tide of Chinese Civil War will turn were the officers comprising the Japanese Imperial General Staff.

With uncommon candor the opinion of the experts was made known, last week in Tokyo, through an authoritative but of course not official statement for the Staff:

"The Government of North China has been worsted, taking the present campaign as a whole, but . . . the military situation in front of Peking is not one in which a soldier would venture a confident prediction. . . .

"At some points of the line the North is successful, at others the South has the upper hand.

"The Nationalists have the advantage in numbers and morale but the Northerners are better equipped.

"In a Chinese campaign the military factor is not the only one. Battles a I'outrance are seldom fought in China and it would not be surprising to see some arrangement* which would avoid a final battle."

Observers who scanned, compared and digested the conflicting & partisan despatches which flowed from China, last week, were convinced that the Japanese Staff dicta were impartial, enlightened, basic, sound.

*Such as bribery of enemy generals.