TOKIO WORRIED

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 22, 27 January 1938, Page 9

TOKIO WORRIED

ADVANCE HELD UP

INSUFFICIENT TROOPS

APPEAL FOR'MORE

UNEXPECTED OPPOSITION

(United Press Association—By Electric Telesraph—Copyright.)

(Received January 27, ,11.10 a.m.) LONDON, January 26.

A report from Shanghai states that there are the best reasons to believe that Tokio is worried by the continued hold-up of the Japanese advance. The weather and an insufficiency -of troops' is hampering the Japanese, but they are encountering unexpected and very powerful opposition. . The Commander-in-Chief, General Matsui, is reported to have appealed for four more divisions. LONDON,' January 26. The Shanghai correspondent of "The Times" and the British, United Press correspondent at Shanghai suggest that there has been a hold-up in the Japanese advance on the strategic Lunghai railway.

"The Times" correspondent says that there have been no movements for a week. Military observers believe there is a hitch somewhere. The Japanese, after a long period without opposition, are now: encountering strong resistance, and are compelled to await reinforcements. .

Meanwhile the Chinese claim minor successes in counter-attacks between Tsining and Yenchow.

! The British United Press correspondent says that the most active Japanese column has not made progress for ten days. Chinese guerrilla troops have been ordered to begin a general offensive to prevent the transfer of Japanese towards Lunghai. INVESTMENT OF TSINING. The Chinese are enclosing Tsining on three sides, and claim to have driven the Japanese into the Wei River, where scores were drowned. '

Undei: withering machine-gun fire the Chinese captured Lungwangmaio. They also claim' to have> surrounded Chuanghueng in Anhwei Province.

The Tqkio correspondent of the "Asahi Sliimbun" says that in a threehour flight over the Lunghai railway he^did not sight one Chinese soldier; The fortifications were not substantial.

Five Chinese bombers raided Nanking' and one was brought down.

The Foreign Office reply to the French inquiry about Japanese encroachment on Hainan Island explained that a warship I investigated a report that Chinese junks were' using the port to avoid a blockade. Machineguns ashore ' fired on the warship's launches, upon which the Japanese destroyed a machine-gun nest and withdrew to. sea.

GENERAL MATSUI AT HANGCHOW.

A message from Shanghai stales that the: Japanese Commander-in-Chief, General Matsui, is visiting Hangchow, where 1500 Chinese were, killed, in trying to cross the river.

The Chinese claim that an air raid or. Nanking destroyed 20 Japanese planes.

An air raid caused heavy Japanese casualties at Wuhu, where Japanese warships are pounding the Chinese positions. A message from Peking states that the.Provincial Government is creating a Chinese-Japanese economic commission, .under the chairmanship of the former Chinese Minister of Customs, assisted/by three' Chinese, and three Japanese representatives. ■ ,