TERMS REJECTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1938, Page 5

TERMS REJECTED

SOVIET ACCUSES JAPAN OF SEEKING WAR M. Litvinov Warns Ambassador THREAT OF SEVERE MEASURES By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright. MOSCOW, August 8. M. Litvinov, Soviet Foreign Minister, today rejected the new peace proposal put forward by M. Shigemitsu, Japanese Ambassador .in Moscow, that both sides should cease hostilities and retain the positions which they occupied at the given moment of reaching agreement. M. Litvinov said that this would cause more fighting because each side would try to gain the advantage before reaching an agreement. He put forward the counter-proposal that hostilities should cease when both sides agreed not to go across or shoot across the boundary line as marked in the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1868. He insisted that the Soviet would not tolerate Japanese troops on Soviet territory as defined by treaty. M. Litvinov accused the Japanese Government of deliberately seeking to involve Japan in war with Russia. He said that the conflict had already spread to the Grodskovo district, where he alleged that a Japanese machine-gun company suddenly attacked and seized A hill in Soviet territory, from which they were driven out by Soviet reinforcements, both sides losing men killed. .... M. Litvinov went on to warn M. Shigemitsu that the Soviet did not intend in future to allow such incidents to go unpunished. Japan, he said, must compel her Kwantung and Korean armies to respect the existing frontiers, otherwise the Soviet would take severe measures.

ATTACK REPULSED. HAND TO HAND FIGHTING ON CHANGKUFENG. TOKIO, August 8. It is reported from Kawai that the Japanese today repulsed Soviet troops who stormed up to within 200 metres of the summit of Changkufeng after most severe hand-to-hand fighting. The casualties on both sides were heavy. Soviet planes are continuously bombing Keiko and other points in Korea. MORE FIGHTING RUSSIANS BRINGING UP MANY TANKS. JAPANESE AIR FORCE NOT YET IN ACTION. (Recd This Day, 9.55 a.m.) TOKIO, Aug. 8. Soviet planes, incessantly reconnoitring and raiding the Korean frontier, again bombed Keiko. The damage was negligible. A spokesman says the Japanese Air Force has not yet been put into action, as it i? not desirable to aggravate the situation. A Russian battalion,, supported by artillery, later today repeatedly but unsuccessfully attacked Changkufeng

Hill. Over one hundred Soviet tanks are now in position, facing the Japanese. The total Japanese casualties at Changkufeng since the outbreak of hostilities total 120 killed and 330 wounded. The Russian casualties are alleged to be greater. ■ MODERATION URGED GERMANY & ITALY ADVISE JAPAN. FIGHTING MEANTIME EXTENDS. (Recd This Day, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 8. “The Times” Tokio correspondent says it is understood that the German and Italian ambassadors have urged on Japan moderation in handling the frontier dispute, the former pointing out that this is the worst possible time to involve the Anti-Comintern triangle with Russia, while Japan is occupied with China and Germany concerned with Czechoslovakian developments. Nevertheless, Army leaders do not expect an early cessation of hostilities. A Yuki (Korea) message states that today’s fighting in Manchukuo far exceeded in scope a frontier incident, inasmuch ias it developed into regular positional warfare on a four-mile front, with the strategic hills of Changkufeng and Shaotsaoping as objectives.