ECHO OF TOKIO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23923, 25 March 1941, Page 8

ECHO OF TOKIO

NANKING ON SOUTH SEAS RIVAL GOVERNMENTS' BANKS "WARFARE" AT SHANGHAI (Recti. o.;<r> p.m.) SHANGHAI, March '23 The Central C'hjna Daily News, organ of Wang Ching-wei, president of the puppet Central Government, gives prominence to an interview with W ang in the Tokio Asahi Shimbun on the first anniversary of the establishment of the regime at Nanking. Wang said: "The South Seas are part of the new order in East Asia and also a bone of contention between white and yellow races. Therefore settlement of this question is necessary and Chinese residing there must radically oppose and overthrow European and American suppression." Bank Employees as Hostages A Chinese gunman fatally shot Mr. Lor Tiou-ohuen, aged 60. innnatxor ol tlio development hoard of the Nanking Central Government bank, in the I United States marine defence sector, j The assailant, escaped. It is unimpeachably stated, although denied by Bank of China officials, that Japanese gendarmes at Shanghai invaded the bank's dormitory outside the International Settlement boundary and arrested between 20 and .'3O bank employees as "warfare" between Nanking and Chungking-controlled hanks increased. Repatriation of Concessions Urged The Centra! China Daily News eonfirmed the arrests and published photographs of employees of the Hank of China who. it said, would be held as hostages in the event of further assassinations. "This is the last warning to Chungking," it added. "The arrested persons will be released when and it' order is restored in the Shanghai foreign concessions.' The Japanese army's newspaper Hsinshunpao for the second time in three days editorially excoriated the Jews, accusing Kar-Kastern Jews of manipulating the Shanghai rice market, raisins: prices and starving the poor through control of foreign concessions. "Repatriation of foreign concessions is the only way to convert a dark abyss into a paradise," it added. NEW CHINESE RAILWAY AMERICAN CO-OPERATION CHUNO KINO, March 03 The Chungking vernacular newspapers give prominence to reports that the Chinese Government has decided to float a 10.000,000 United States dollar loan in the United States for the construction of the Kunming-Lashio railway, which was recommended by Mr. Lauchlin H. Currie, President Roosevelt's special envoy. Washington is reported to have approved the issue. The railway would be a joint ChineseBritish - American enterprise. It is learned that Chungking will send Mr. B. S. Fong to the United States as an agent, accompanied by engineering officials. BUSY PROGRAMME BRITISH PARLIAMENT (Reed. 7.10 p.m.) LONDON, March 03 Parliament has a busy programme before it, says the British official wireless. The Budget is to be introduced before Easter, and an early opportunity is likely to be given for a debate on the leasing of territory to the United States for naval and air bases, details of the arrangement having now been settled. There will be a debate on the Government plans for the. concentration of industry in such a manner that firms with the necessary capacity and facilities will work full time and make their own arrangements to compensate firms which have to close in consequence. Members presumably will wish to bo convinced beyond doubt that the need for tightening up methods of production in wartime will not inflict unfair hardship on firms which fall under the "axe," and that plans for their functioning again after the war will bo so practical that the closed factories will have no doubt that such promises will be effectively carried out. SHIPS FOR AMERICA MEXICAN BUILDING PLAN MEXICO CITY, March 24 The Mexican Government is examining a plan involving the building of a shipyard to enable Mexico to construct some oi the vessels required by the United States. SCRAP IRON SURVEY DISCOVERIES IN BRITAIN (Herri. 7.10 p.m.) LONDON, March 03 The national survey for the recovery of scrap iron and steel which has alreadv been in operation tor several months in certain areas, is to he extended to the whole country, says a British official wireless message. Scrap items already located and surveyed include disused railway tracks, bridges, old tin mines, derelict factories and even old iron sheds once used as fish curing stations in the Hebrides. All will ultimately find flimr »■»* +n (he wrir furnaces