SOVIET EMISSARIES TO GO

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 229, 16 December 1927, Page 9

SOVIET EMISSARIES TO GO

Chinese Nationalists Act RED PLOTTING TO BE STAMPED OUT SETTING a ten-days’ limit, the Chinese Nationalist Government, which controls practically all the territory south of the Yangtse, has told the agents of Moscow to get out. All Soviet consulates are to be closed. Meanwhile the Nationalists have crushed the Communist outbreak in Canton and have restored the Government's authority by the ruthless execution of rebels. By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright.

Reed. 10.50 a.m. SHANGHAI, Thurs. T/'OSLOVSKI, Soviet Consul, was v handed an official statement by the Nationalist Government, ordering the closing of all Soviet Consulates in Nationalist territory. The statement reads: “The Nationalist Government for some time has been informed from various sources that Soviet Consulates and Soviet State and commercial agencies in areas within the jurisdiction of the Nationalists are used as headquarters for Red propaganda and an asylum for Communists, exposure of which was withheld with a view of international relations between China and Russia. It cites the Canton revolt as evidence, the Russian connection with which is mainly attributed to the fact that the Communists availed themselves of the Soviet Consulate and commercial agencies as bases of their operations. It expresses a fear of similar occurrences elsewhere. Koslovsky is requested to leave on the first available steamer. A time-limit of ten days has been fixed for the closing of all Soviet institutions. Nationalist troops are already rounding up the Communists in Chinese territory surrounding Shanghai. They raided several notorious institutions and made wholesale arrests. Large caches of arms were unearthed. DRASTIC CRIME LAWS A provisional court at Shanghai announced drastic new crime laws promulgated by the Nationalist Government in order to meet the crime wave, which reached unparalleled proportions in the city’s history in November and December. The new code provides the death penalty for 16 separate offences, the majority of which up to now have been relegated as minor charges. The present code is more severe than in any western country. OUTRAGE BY BANDITS

Within 24 hours of Captain Lalor’s release, bandits swooped on a British tug in the vicinity of Lalor’s capture, and demanded the surrender of the British captain for ransom.

When he was not forthcoming, they shot several of the crew and carried off two as hostages. They looted the vessel. A British gunboat pursued them, the bandits escaping to the shore. A numbers were slain. A stolen launch was recovered.—A. and N.Z. STREETS FULL OF DEAD CANTON REPRISALS GOVERNMENT IN CONTROL British Wireless—Press Assn.—Copyright Reed. 11.49 a.m. RUGBY, Thursday. The control of Canton has now been completely regained by the Cantonese Government forces, who are taking extremely drastic measures for dealing with Communists and others responsible for the recent coup. Most of these have fled, hut those captured have been dealt with summarily according to the custom, and the streets are littered with corpses. The Red outbreak was one of the most violent episodes in the city’s recent history. Large portions were

burned. Hundreds of Government I sympathisers and police were killed, I and looting was general. | Although the Central Bank was deI stroyed by fire, the strongroom, containing gold and notes, remained intact.

The Customs and post offices were undamaged. A proclamation has been issued by the Government calling upon the inhabitants to denounce the Communists. In hiding through the outbreak, foreigners escaped molestation, and no injury to British property has been reported. Replying to a question-in the House of Commons, Mr. G. T. LockerLampson, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said that so far as was known there had been no British casualties in the recent disturbances at Canton. —A. and N.Z.

BRITISH TROOPS IN CHINA VOTE OF £3,090,000 LABOUR’S OPPOSITION British Wireless — Press Assn.—Copyright RUGBY, Thursday. In the House of Commons the Financial Secretary to the War Office, Captain H. D. King, moved a vote of £3,090,000 to meet, .during the present financial year, the excess costs involved in the employment of extra troops in China. He said that in dealing with riots and civil commotion, the troops, under difficult conditions, had acted with the greatest tact and restraint, and had lived up to the very highest traditions of the British Army. WITHDRAWAL URGED Mr. C. P. Trevelyan, Labour member for the central division of Newcastle, Mr. J. C. Wedgwood, Labour member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, and other members of the Labour Party, urged the withdrawal of the force and the treatment of China as an equal. Mr. Lloyd George said he was firmly convinced that no Government confronted by the same conditions could have failed to send an expedition to China. It would have been utterly futile to back up one of the rival generals or bandits. Mr. G. T. Locker-Lampson, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, in replying to the debate, said Britain was prepared to grant China tariff autonomy and to surrender Wei-hai-wei directly anybody was available to negotiate with. The vote was carried by 242 votes to 103.