THE FAR EAST

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20921, 28 September 1939, Page 8

THE FAR EAST

ADVANCE OF JAPANESE GETTING NEAR CHANGSHA CHINESE IN RETREAT (United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright) SHANGHAI, Sept. 26 The Domei news agency claims that the Japanese are within 20 miles of Changsha, the defences of which are crumbling. Five Chinese divisions are in full retreat. The Chinese dead totalled 8200 in the past fortnight. A message from Chungking admits that the Japanese are approaching Changsha. In despatches from Kweilin it is admitted that General Chien minimised the seriousness of the Japanese drive. He insisted that the Chinese Army was not fundamentally menaced by it. Since the South China area was great and the Chinese wercskilled in operating behind the enemy’s lines, he said he felt that the Japanese would refrain from driving further westward owing to the mountain defences.

LOAD OF TAXATION

BURDEN IN AUSTRALIA RECEIPTS TOTAL £125,000,000 (Unitea Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) CANBERRA, Sept. 27 The Commonwealth Statistician has furnished advance iigures of Australia’s load of taxation. They reveal that in the year ended last June the total Commonwealth and State taxation receipts were £125,000,000, of which the Commonwealth collected £74,500,000 and the States £50,500,00. The total Commonwealth and States taxation in the year preceding the Great War amounted to £23,000,000, or £4 14s 4d per head of population, compared with £l7 19s lOd per head at the end of the last financial year (this excludes recent heavy wartime imposts).