FRENCH WARNED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19985, 10 July 1939, Page 5

FRENCH WARNED

JAPANESE IN HANKOW PUPPET RULE IN CHINA ANOTHER APOLOGY .MADE DAMAGE TO BRITISH SHIR (Klee. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. July 10, 11.30 a.m.) " LONDON, July 9. A Hankow message states that Japan has protested to the French Municipality against the war anniversary incident on Friday when 100 French marines, armed with machineguns, defied the Japanese garrison and refused to allow a decorated lloat to traverse the French Concession.

It is .stated 1 that a blockade of the concession is likely if the French do not respond in the proper manner.

The Japanese spokesman at Tientsin said yesterday that a new regime in North China was being formed. The Chinese puppet Governments at Pekin and Nanking would meet at Tsingtao on .Monday to elect a supreme leader. It was expected that Ching-Wei would be chosen.

The Japanese have apologised for damage to the British gunboat Falcon, which was spattered with bomb fragments during an air raid at Chungking. The Falcon reported that she was slightly damaged. Ship’s Olficer Released A message from Shanghai states that Mr. Clifford Wintcrbottom, chief officer of the British steamer Changsha, who was arrested by the Japanese on a charge of insulting behaviour last Thursday, has been released. Mr. E. T. GrilTitliS'. the British engineer, who was handed over to the British Consul at Tientsin on Thursday, had been manhandled by Japanese soldiers in order to extract a “confession." Ilis fingers and thumbs had been twisted, but he was- not seriously hurt. The British Consul at Tientsin reports that Mr. Griffiths is in good health. Major-General A. E. Crasett, com-mander-in-chief of the British troops in China, has arrived in Tientsin to inspect the concession garrison. A message from Tokio states that the Japanese claim to have shot down 25 additional Russian and Mongolian aircraft: at Lake Bui Nor.