WAR IN CHINA.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 221, 17 September 1924, Page 5

WAR IN CHINA.

EARLY CLASH IMMINENT. A POLITE GENERAL THE TRAITORS OF WU. (By Cable.—Press Association: —CopjrlsliU ( (Received 2 p.m.) PEKING, September I<K, Chang Tso-lin to-day issued a proclamation of his intention to fight against ' Tsao Kun. He has decided himself to < proceed to Chinchow, -where he will .' assume command of all the forces. £ j Chang's troops having • crossed the J frontier at Chao Yang, an early clash is i expected. Chang telegraphed to Tsokun an enu- < meration of. Wn Pei-fu's crimes, for ] which he must be brought to justice, ' adding: 1 "As your Excellency is surrounded by Wu Pei-fu's traitors I will ' send an aeroplane to inquire regarding .1 your health and ask if you are still at « liberty." Reports from Tientsin state that Mar- i shal Wu Pei-fu's northern troops con- ' tinue moving from Pact Ting-fu toward Shan Hai-kwau. They are fully i equipped with artillery and aeroplanes. 1 A Tientsin firm has received instruc- ■ tions to manufacture gas masks. " It is reported on reliable authority « that the railway has been cut on the Manchurian side of th& great wall of 1 China in order to prevent invasion by i the Chihli forces. > It is believed that-hostilities'may ( commence at any moment at Mukden. < The Chinese Red - Cross Society has l received a telegram stating that hostilities have started in?' Northern ' Chekiang on the Anhwei. border, where , ■Anhwei forces are attacking Chekiang. < The reports of firing in the Shan Hai- S kwan district are declared to be untrue. 3 • A message from Tokyo states that the , Japanese defence ship, Tushima,-has. left 1 there for Shanghai to protect Japanese 1 interests.— (Reuter.) GRAVE -WARMING. . BRITAIN TO CHINA , ./ "IMMEDIATE ACTION." V HONG KONG, September 2. It has transpired that when rumours were current that Dr. Sun Vat Sen con- , templated bombarding Canton last week , the \ Britisli Consul communicated with , him, "protesting .against the barbarity , of; firing on a defenceless city," and adding that he had received information , from the commodore at Hong Kong that i in the event of the Chinese authorities ] firing on the*city immediate action would be taken against them-by all the British naval forces available. Dr. Sun Vat Sen issued a manifesto ! saying that he had cabled to Mr. Ram- : say Mac Donald protesting strongly against this latest act, "Imperialist < interference in the internal affairs of China." , , . . Though hostilities between the rival . provinces of Kianh-Su and Kiang-Su ' have started about 20 miles from Shanghai, the engagements so far have not been important. . <■"'['■ - SHUT THE BOOR. . , AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. ' v FOREIGNERS IN CHINA. , LONDON, September 11. . Maintaining that the Powers ..should not interfere with the process of political development now operating in China, the correspondent of the "times" at Peking says: . "We are now witnessing or waiting to witness, a trial of strength between the two principal %?ements in the country, and the only jthing,for thej foreigner-to do is to shut all his doors L and windows and hope for. the.best man i to win.,/ ... : ' "When there is a victor who commands ] respect and possesses we will hope ' for a strong Government, with which foreign Governments can deal. As things ! are, the country is being sucked dry in! order to maintain ■ rival military inter- , ests, and though foreign ,, intervention I. might end the fightirfg,. it would liotl! ■eliminate the rivalry and its evil consequences." ■ . % ■-. * \ -" - ' ______ ". .. ]