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Show 11 WARFARE MAY , EXJKDTO PACIFIC Chinese Legation Official at Washington Makes Inquiries. WASHINGTON, March . 3. Possible .extension of naval warfare to the Pacific Pa-cific was forecast again today in an inquiry by a Chinese legation official at the state, department, as to what this country had done on the armed ship problem. It is stated that the issut, shortly 'ill confront China, and that the experience of this country in meeting meet-ing it would be of value. Some time ago the Japanese. embassy here asked the state department as to the passage through the Panama canal by armed ships under the understanding understand-ing that Japan intended to take precautionary pre-cautionary measures against the 6ubma-riue 6ubma-riue peril. Later reports from Japan stated" that Japanese vessels using the canal for entrance into the Atlantic would be defensively armed. Whether . Japan intends to arm her whole mer- chant marine, or whether China's in-quirv in-quirv was necessitated because Japanese boats armed to enter the Atlantic also touch at Chinese ports at the other end is unknown. There has been deep agitation in Japan, not only because of ttie sinking by submarines of Japanese vessels in the Mediterranean, butaJso of the fear of armed raiders entering the Pacific. A short time ago the N'ichi Nichi a leading Japanese paper, reported tnat such a, raider had sunk two British vessels ves-sels in the south Indian ocean. Insurance Insur-ance rates at once went up and means of protection were hastened. |