American Flags Pulled Down

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 77, 23 December 1937, Page 5

American Flags Pulled Down

-Press Assn.-

INCIDENT AT WUHU 443 Refugees Dying Each Day at Shanghai INLAND CITY BOMBED

(By Telegraph-

-Copyright.)

(Eeceived 23, 12.30 p.m.) SHANGHAI, Dec. 22. Japanese soldiers are said to have been responsible for two insults to the United States flag in the Wuhu area. It is reported that they pulled down tho Stars and Stripes from a boat helonging to the Wuhu General Hospital and flung it into the river. They are also reported to have ordered the Chinese caretaker to hani dcwti the flag from the Wuhu academy, after which soldiers searched the building and hlew up a school safe. Protests have been lodged with the Japanese commander. "The arrival of winter has terribly increased the death rate among Chinese refugees at Shanghai. Deaths have averaged each day in the last three weeks 443, of which 371 have been children, Many have been found frozen in the streets. Over 40,000 refugees have died in the past four months. Chinese reports indicate that ov.er 700,000 labourers are building a 3000mile road linking the Szechwan province with Russia, thus enabling armaments to reach China in a fortnight instead of six months. Foreigners arriving from Wuhu report that Colonel Hasimoto no longei commands the Wuhu area, where he hae been Teplaced by a colonel showing a greater spirit of co-operation towardi foreigners. The Japanese report heavy fighting iu the neighbourhood of Hangchow, where General Chang Fah-Wei is launching a powerful offensive against Japanese attacking the city with 100,000 "ironsides." The Japanese claim that they bombed Lanehow, capital of Kansu, 1100 miles west of Shanghai, and destroyeO on the ground or brought down in ait ccmbats 18 Chinese planes, all of Eussian mak-e. Concerning the Chinese Customs steamer Chansing, manned by European officere, which was inside Chinese tcnxitorial waters on December 12 when it was fired on from outside by a Japanese destroyer, Sir Eobert Craigie, British Ambassador to Tokio, has been instructed to address a Note to the Japanese Government requesting an assurance that the Japanese Navy will bo ordered to prevent any future incursions of a similar nature.