FAR EAST MENACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 253, 6 August 1937, Page 5

FAR EAST MENACE

NEGOTIATING WITH CHINA. SETTLEMENT HOPED FOR. ANTI-COMMUNIST ACTION. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) TOKIO), August 5. Revealing in the House of Representatives that Japan is negotiating with China sumultaneously with the military operations, the Minister of E oreign Affairs (Mr Hirota) added that it was hoped to settle the troubles in North China, also to regulate tho fundamental Sino-Japanese relations. China and Japan should co-operate against Communism, which was responsible ior fanning anti-Japanese sentiments. Japan must deal sympathetically with whatever China wanted from Japan in order to break thei deadlock. SEQUEL TO THE MASSACRE. CHINESE POLICE ANNIHILATED. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, August 5. A Peiping message states that the Japanese rounded up and annihilated 250 Chinese police who, it is alleged, took part in the massacre at Tungchow. HEAVY LOSSES BY CHINESE. IN LIVES AND MUNITIONS. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) TORIO, August 5. It is estimated that 2500 Chinese were killed at Nanyuan and 150 at Tungchow, while the J apanese disarmed 8200 Chinese in Peiyuan, Tungchow, and West Peiping. The Japanese also captured four field guns, four howitzers, 11 trench mortars, over 200 Czech machine-guns, 5000 rifles and quantities of revolvers and swords. AN EXODUS FROM NANKING. MAJOR CLASH. INEVITABLE. LONDON, August .4. A message from Nanking says the people have started pouring out of the capital, and trains and ’buses leaving the city are crowded. The Government has advised civil servants to remove their families because of 1 the possibility of a food shortage. A Tientsin message says the Japanese military authorities have ordered all the influential newspapers in North China to suspend publication. These include the English-language publications, the Tientsin “Evening Post” and the Peiping “Chronicle.” The Tokio correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says a major clash between China and Japan is accepted as inevitable by all Japanese editoi’s and special correspondents in China. They are inclined to believe, however, that a period of comparative quiet will intervene to permit both sides particularly the Chinese, to strengthen thenpositions. A Tokio message says the Cabinet has approved a supplementary budget of £24,600,000 for expenditure in North China. For this purpose £5,700,000 has already been voted.