CHINESE CIVIL WAR

Wairarapa Age, 16 March 1927, Page 5

CHINESE CIVIL WAR

MILITARY POSITION VAGUE.

NATIONALIST POLICY. RELIANCE ON PROPAGANDA AND BOYCOTT. (Received Tuesday, 7 p.m.) LONDON, March 14. Official telegrams show that the military situation in China is vague. The Shanghai front is reported quiet. There are indications that the iieKt fighting will be in defence of Nanking and for the protection of railway communications. There is no confirmation of the report that the Chinese naval force off Blockhouse Island, at Shanghai, has gone over to the Cantonese.

The Nationalists at Shanghai have issued a statement that they intend to recover the Settlement by propaganda and a boycott, but will not use force either by riots' or otherwise.

The situation at Wuhu is now quiet. Business has been resumed, but there are no British women or children there. The Government has decided to station a British Legation officer at Hankow in order to continue diplomatic relations with the Cantonese.

The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent says that negotiations relating to the eventual retrocession of Wei-hai-wei to China have continued for some tim'c between Sir M. Lampson (British Minister) and Dt. Wellington Koo.—(A. and N.Z.)

BATTLE IN PROGRESS. FATE OF SHANGHAI AT STAKE. CANTONESE ATTACKING. PEKIN, March 14. Reports indicate that the Cantonese drive to the coast on a hundred-mile front has commenced simultaneously with fierce fighting, but the Cantonese are not achieving the success anticipated, as they are meeting deadly machine gun and Stokes gun. fire. The Shangtung and Chihli allied forces are entrenched in the Shanghai-Nanking railway, which is the objective of the Cantonese. The latter launched and relaunched offensives simultaneously at several points, but were outnumbered and repulsed with heavy losses. AntiRed reinforcements are arriving to strengthen the defences. The present battle, it is considered, will decide the fate of Shanghai. The Reds have not yet attacked m full strength. The majority are still crossing the difficult lake district between Hang Chow and Nanking. The defend lines are already pierced, guerillas cutting communications and derailing military trains engaged in the maintenance of communications between the defending points. Numbers have been captured and executed immediately. In the meantime Cantonese agents in Shanghai are waging a deadly war on anti-strike leaders daily. A couple of mill foremen and a forewoman, who refused to obey the orders of the General Labour Union, were murdered, but in one instance the assassins were arrested. The killer confessed that he was paid fen dollars by the union to slay the forewoman. The matter is reaching a climax. The authorities believe they must take drastic action to protect the workers; otherwise they will be compelled to strike to save their lives.—(A. and N.Z.)

A MISUNDERSTANDING. SHANTUNG GENERAL EXPLAINS. (Received Tuesday, 7 p.m.) SHANGHAI, March 14. Pishon Chen, commander of the Shantung troops in the Shanghai area, called on General Duncan and explained in the course of a friendly conversation, that the attempt on the part of his troops to enter the Settlement a few days ago "was due to an unfortunate misunderstanding. He was willing and able to maintain order in the Shanghai area.—(A. spd N.Z.)

A STRANGE SAD STORY.

LOSS OF HANKOW CONCESSION.

“IRRATIONAL QUIXOTRY.”

(Received Tuesday, 11,10 p.m.)

SHANGHAI, March 15. The British Concession at Hankow, seized and held *by the Cantonese on January 4, to-day officially reverted to the Chinese in accordance with the Chen-O’Malley agreement. Commenting thereon, the “North China Daily News,’’ the official British organ, declares that it must he said that Tritons at Hankow and elsewhere look to the future with deep misgiving, and cannot rid themselves of the thought that the Concession ought never to have been lost. A grave blunder was committed, ■and British interests were sacrificed to false political expediency. The only explanation of this strange, sad story is that the British Government nfiver meant to impose any conditions or require guarantees for the welfare of its nationals but made up its mind to hand over the Concession as a free gift. By so doing, it sought to appeal to the best sense, of the Chinese by a supreme act of friendship. The paper describes this act as a piece of irrational quixotry, which, instead of modifying tho extremists, let alone earning their gratitude, has. been followed by fresh excesses against the British only. A hopeful sign is that tho Chinese are beginning to understand the madness of the course to which the Labour unions, under the dominance of Moscow agents, are consigning them. Sooner or later they must revolt against the tryanny of the Labour unions.—(A. and N.Z.)