HOPE FOR CHINA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 July 1941, Page 6

HOPE FOR CHINA

AFTER DESOLATING WAR PROCLAIMED BY NATIONALS IN AUSTRALIA. ESTIMATE OF 25 MILLION DEATHS. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) SYDNEY, July 7. The Chinese National party (Kuomintang) in Australia today commemorated the fifth anniversary of the war with Japan by an appropriate ceremony held in Sydney, at which two notable Chinese —the Consul-General. Dr Pao, and the 'special Chungking Government commissioner, Mr K. T. Loh —delivered addresses voicing the opinion that China will triumph this year. It was revealed that the Japanese since the outbreak of hostilities in 1937 have seized 340,000 square miles, equivalent to one-quarter of China. The Chinese military losses are estimated at 1,500,000 and the Japanese at 750,000, but it is computed that 24,000,000 of China's population have died as a direct or indirect result of the war, many of them victims of the Yellow River floods, famine and pestilence and while attempting to escape from the war zones in the early part of the war. SUNDAY RAID JAPANESE OBSERVANCE OF ANNIVERSARY. (Received This Day. 10.5 a.m.) SHANGHAI, July 7. Having heavily bombed Chungking last alight the Japanese observed the war anniversary by resuming the raid at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday. OUTBURST IN JAPAN ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES. ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT. (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) TOKIO, July 7. The fourth anniversary of the “China affair” was marked by a vigorous and almost unanimous Press attack on the United States of America. The newspapers said Japan is determined to defeat China despite United States encirclement. The “Hochi Shimbun” advised the Government to pay less attention to the Russian-German war and to concentrate its efforts on counteracting American-British manoeuvres in the Pacific. JAPANESE LOSSES NEARLY 2,000,000 MEN KILLED OR WOUNDED. ACCORDING TO CHINESE MINISTER. (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) CHUNGKING, July 7. The Minister for War, General Hoy Ying-chin, claimed that the Japanese casualties for the year ended on May 31 were 336,000 killed or wounded. During the last four years Japanese killed or wounded numbered 1,994,260 and prisoners 24,082. General Ho Ying-chin said the Japanese had lost 12,322 tanks and armoured. cars, 1,838 field guns, 7,888 machineguns and 2,054 planes, with 2,650 Air Force personnel killed. China’s only reverse last year was the loss of Foochow.