DANGER TO FOREIGN SETTLEMENT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 188, 26 August 1937, Page 5

DANGER TO FOREIGN SETTLEMENT

Press Association

(Bv TeleGrranh — Per

— CouvriErht).

(Received 26, 9.45 a.m.) SHANGHAI, Aug. 25. In brilliant sunshine and a cloudless sky the Japanese launched IC general offensive on all road leading to Shanghai from Woosung. It is claimed from. Tokio that the Japanese advanced on the whole length of the Shanghai front and also along the Peiping-Nankow ' railway (in North China). The Chinese concentrated large forces in the trenches in the Shanghai zone and held their lines despite intense air bombing and ■helling from warships which covered the landing with heavy irtillery. 1 Huge fires haye started in Pootung and Hongkew'. The Japanese army spokesman stated that, unless the Chinese fceased flring from Pootung, Japan would be eompelled to dislodge ihem. If they retired to Nantao, Japan must regard it as a military area and would shell it despite the large civil population. The danger of the retreating Chinese attempting to storm the b'arricades of the International Settlement is beeoming graver. 'Artillery is arriving from Hongkong and all measures have been prepared to resist the attack and evacuate the Settlement as a last tesort. V An inventory has been taken of property both business and personal in the event of the necessity of claiming damages. The British military experts estimate that the Chinese have lost between 7000 and 11,000 killed and wounded in the fighting at Shanghai, excluding thousands of civilian casualties from air-raids and naval bombardments. At Peiping (Nqrth China), the Japanese claim to be continuing their advance west of Nankow, while another force is rapidly moving.with the object of taking the Chinese in the rear at Nankow Pass. A Hongkong message states that millions of dollars have been *eht to Hongkong from all parts of China for safek'eeping. Japanese planes continue systeinatically to bomb the Chinese position at Shanghai and many villages are aflame. The famous Mandarin Gardens at Nantao are ablaze. The Chinese claim to have sunk two Japanese destroyers, but •onfirmation from neutral sources is unavailable. Japanese troops have landed at Chapog, -30 miles south of Shanghai, with the object of attacking Kashing, the most important military centre in the province. A Tokio message says the Japanese claim to have entered Kalgan {(North China).