OUSTING THE BRITISH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1939, Page 5

OUSTING THE BRITISH

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER CAMPAIGN. CONCESSION POPULATION • FIGURES (Independent Cable Service.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) TIENTSIN, June 19. Local Japanese newspapers are running a campaign, declaring that the British must not remain in China under any circumstances. The latest estimates give 1,700 British subjects as resident in the British Tientsin Concession. Official figures, obtained in the summer of 1938, give the total population of the Concession as 76,815. NANKING GOVERNMENT WILLING TO BUY HONG KONG.. (Independent Cable Service.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) TOKIO, June 19. The newspaper “Kokumin Shimbun” says the Nanking Government (now controlled by Japan) is willing to purchase Hong Kong from Britain. SOVIET PROTEST SEIZURE OF CONSULATE. (Independent Cable Service.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) MOSCOW, June 19. The Soviet has protested to Japan against the White Russians' seizure of the Soviet Consulate in Tientsin last week. The newspaper “Izvestia” declares that Tientsin is only an excuse used bj r Japan to create a conflict. JAPANESE EXPORTS MAINLY TO DEMOCRACIES. LITTLE TRADE WITH GERMANY AND ITALY. LONDON, June 19. The “Daily Express” points out that Japan exports £130,000,000 worth of goods to the democracies and colonies yearly and less than £3,000,000 to Germany and Italy. It is obvious what would happen if the democracies stopped trading with Japan. The “Express” also states that Japanese agents in London are negotiating a deal which is reported to involve £1,700,000, by which they will sell, to British importers the whole of Japan’s surplus canned salmon, amounting to 680,000 cases, while great stocks remain unsold in the Canadian warehouses. FOOD TRANSPORT. USE OF FOREIGN SHIPS. KULANGSU. June 19. A committee comprising Britons, Frenchmen and Americans is being formed to arrange for the importation of food supplies by foreign ships.

A LABOUR CRITIC CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT POLICY. “KERNEL OF THE JAPANESE GRIEVANCE.” (Received This Day, 10.33 a.m.) LONDON, June 19. A Labour member of the House of Commons (Mr Herbert Morrison) in a speech at Salisbury, said Japan was doing things which must cause the predecessors of Mr" Chamberlain to turn in their graves. “The difficulties in China.” he said, “are the direct result of the Government’s foreign policy since 1931. The Tokio correspondent of “The Times” says the Foreign Office has informed the Press that: “If the British co-operate, we can deal with any question together,” but would not define co-operation nor restrict it to matters of peace and security. The kernel of the Japanese grievance is a belief that British neutrality is being strained in favour of China. An unfortunate aspect is the manner in which the issues are allowed to create a trial of strength of British and Japanese prestige. Japan will almost certainly reject any American offer of intervention, but it would stimulate the desire for a direct settlement with Britain in order to avoid rebuffing Washington.