FAR EAST CRISIS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 June 1939, Page 8

FAR EAST CRISIS

BRITISH CABINET STANDING BY RETALIATION IF NECESSARY. PREPARATIONS WELL ADVANCED By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, June 16. “The Times’’ diplomatic correspondent says members of Cabinet are standing by ■ over the weekend lest grave developments in Tientsin should require urgent British action, or, alternatively, an explanatory message is received from Tokio clearing the air and allowing discussions to begin. The Governmental attitude is plain. The Government will stand by its offer of a tribunal, but if the Japanese at Tientsin pursue highhandedness, there will be retaliation, a detailed report on which has been almost completed by the. Departments concerned. LEFT TO THE ARMY DECISION OF JAPANESE CABINET. SITUATION TO BE SETTLED LOCALLY. (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, June 16. The Tokio correspondent of “The Times” says Cabinet has decided that the Tientsin situation must be settled locally. This means that the Army’s demands are approved and that a settlement is left in the hands of the North China Command. Seventeen Japanese delegates are attending the Boxer memorial service, instead of a mass procession.

NAVAL FORCES FOREIGN VESSELS IN FAR EAST. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, June 16. The present British, French and American naval strengths in the Far East are as follows: — Britain. The cruisers Kent, Cornwall, Dorsetshire and Birmingham, the aircraft carrier Eagle, fourteen destroyers, five escort vessels, fifteen submarines, six motor torpedo boats, and one minelayer. At Hong Hong: Nine mine-sweep-ers and one monitor. At Singapore: Twenty river gunboats, one submarine and a depot ship. France. Two cruisers, four escort vessels, patrol boats and nine river gunboats. United States. Two cruisers, three escort vessels, one patrol ship, thirteen destroyers, six submarines, four mine-sweepers, five river gunboats, two depot ships apd one oiler.

ARBITRATION OFFER LIKELY FROM UNITED STATES OR FRANCE. (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON. June 16. The British United Press Tokio correspondent states that an arbitration offer from either the Americans or the French is considered possible. WIDE DISCRETION GIVEN TO AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVES. STATEMENT BY MR HULL. (Received This Day, 1.20 p.m.) WASHINGTON. June 16. Mr Cordell Hull (Secretary of State) stated that the Government was giving its representatives in China and Japan the widest discretion in handling the situations at Tientsin and. Kulangsu as local matters. He revealed that the Consul-General in Tientsin and Amoy had. reported that the blockades thus far had not seriously endangered or inconvenienced Americans. Mr Hull added that the Government was awaiting further developments before deciding to lodge a formal protest. i