"ITCHING TO ACT"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 123, 27 May 1941, Page 5

"ITCHING TO ACT"

THE JAPANESE NAVY; SITUATION IN SHANGHAI j i (0.C.) GISBORNE, this day., "The Japanese Navy is itching to. do something spectacular. If Britain has a serious reverse in the Middlel East, .Japan might try something in! the Far East, perhaps by trying toj cut the British naval forces in half." These observations were made to the Rotary Club by Miss Barbara Joyce Collins, of Marton. who returned three months ago after being lengaged in diplomatic work in | Shanghai for the past ten years. Missi Collins said she had been impressed since she had been in the Dominion ;by the anxiety of New Zealanders' at the intentions of®the Japanese Navy. The Japanese were making a successful financial business out of the war in China, even if they could not advance any further. The 1 Japanese people did not want war.j [but the Navy might act first and tell the Government to get out of the! (business diplomatically as best as it Icould. The Germans were becoming j powerful in the Far East, manning a jlot of Japanese defences in the Navy and Army, and trying to control trade. There was one curious difference, however, between resident jGermans and the Nazi Germans who' had come through Siberia. Germans] living in Shanghai realised the seri-: ous problem that would arise if thej Japanese became predominant, andi were working with the British toi keep the town on its international footing. j

Speaking of the war effort, Miss Collins said that the diplomatic' colony in Shanghai voluntarily taxed j themselves up to 20 per cent of their j salaries as a contribution to the Spitfire Fund and the general war effort. The men of Shanghai had organised! ;a volunteer corps of 600 men, and 1 [after they were trained they tookl over duties of the British regiments which were withdrawn last August.l The women got busy, too, making bandages and doing everything in'

their power to help. A broadcasting station was disseminating propaganda in 13 different languages each day, giving British news and combat-! ing anti-British lies put over by thoi Germans and Italians. That was one phase of the work that might have al tar-reaching effect. | The blockade of Shanghai established by Japan, had made food 1 prices soar. The Japanese allowed food in providing a 100 per cent pro-| fit went to the Japanese war fund. ! jCoal, which in 1937 was 23 dollars a! |ton, rose to 300 dollars a ton up to Ithe time she left three months ago.' .and rice rose from seven dollars al l picul to 110 dollars. At that price it"' was almost impossible for poorj ipeople to buy it. and large numbers!' of people had died from starvation.' From 50 to GO bodies were picked!i up each night as a result of dealhj from starvation last winter. i One of the great problems was the 1 forcing down of currencv from 17 dollars to 70 dollars to the £. Over |luQO bags of rice a day were being 1 contributed by the municipality to ! the poor, and municipal finance could not go on indefinitely doing such a 1 'huge task. The Japanese knew that and knew that food riots wouldi break out if the system was discontinued. As part of the campaign!] against China, free distributions of [opium were being arranged bv : Japanese supporters in order to : |weaken the will of the people, and :political murders were being staged.' ( IThese murders were being turned [against the foreigner also, ami in her: ihotel three such murders had taken place.