HALTED BY CHINA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 September 1941, Page 5

HALTED BY CHINA

JAPANESE WAR MACHINE

DR. WELLINGTON KOO’S CLAIM. ONLY EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO END INVASION. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON. September 21. Tn a broadcast from London tonight. Dr Wellington Koo, the Chinese Ambassador, said that China’s troops had forced .Japan’s mighty war machine to a standstill.

The tide, he said, seemed to be turning definitely in favour of China. Fifty months of sacrifice and suffering had' not cooled the ardent spirit of the Chinese people, but on the contrary had brought a grim determination to fight on until the invaders were chased away from Chinese soil.

Indeed, today it was Japan who was anxious to end the war. She was worried, because she saw no way of doing this except by giving up all she bad gained. While China’s will was steadfast and her war effort splendid, she needed more help from abroad to secure the victory. If she had enough equipment she would have little difficulty in getting rid of the invader. An early victory for China would free 'her fighting forces for service elsewhere if necessary and enable her to contribute still more to the defence of freedom and democracy.

STRENGTH OF JAPAN

SPOKESMAN ON ALLEGED INCREASES.

TOKIO, September 22.

Japan has increased her aircraft by 10 times and her munitions 50 times in the past four years, declared Major Tominago, who is a member of the War Ministry’s Press bureau. Japan, he added, had never used her full strength against China and both the navy and army had enough material to fight a war on several fronts al one time.

Japan's talks with America are reported to be at a deadlock over Tokio’s minimum terms, first, control of the Chinese treaty ports, secondly control of the four northern provinces, thirdly, the maintenance of garrisons elsewhere.

Hong Kong reports that the Japanese have launched a three-pronged offensive north from Canton. It is apparently designed to forestall Chinese encroachments on the territory from which Japan is recently reported to have withdrawn large forces.

SECOND MESSAGE? FROM PRINCE KONOYE TO U.S.A. PRESIDENT. REPORT NOT CONFIRMED IN TOKIO. NEW YORK. September 22. The Shanghai correspondent of the Associated Press reported that a Japanese emissary is taking to President Roosevelt a second personal message from the Premier, Prince Konoye, containing counter-proposals to the President's reply to the first Konoye note. It is semi-officially stated that the Japanese give credence to the report but Tokio does not confirm it.