SUPPLYING QUEMOY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28699, 24 September 1958, Page 13

SUPPLYING QUEMOY

Weather Delays Shipping (N.Z. Press Association—Copy ng M) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) TAIPEH, September 23. The acute supply position in the Quemoy Islands may be worsened by rough weather which could hold up supply vessels. The Chinese Nationalist Defence Ministry spokesman told newspapermen it was unlikely a sea convoy would be able to reach Quemoy within the next few days. Other officials of the Ministry said there were high winds and rough seas in the Formosa Strait today. Unofficial estimates say the Nationalist garrison of 100,000 men on the Quemoy Islands is running short of ammunition and supplies. The present supplies should last until about the end of November.

However, the Nationalist artillery fire is slackening, they said. The United States has given three landing ships to Nationalist China. The craft arrived at the Nationalist Navy base of Tsoying from Okinawa yesterday. The landin o ships are expected to go straight into service on running supplies across the Formosa Strait.

President Chiang Kai-shek, in a Presidential mandate released today, ordered that frontline troops on the offshore islands get half a month’s extra pay.

The mandate said the President had ordered the reward for members of the armed forces who had. been serving on the offshore islands since the Communists started the bombardment on August 23. It said those specially commended were the men who braved enemy shellfire to supply 'the islands. The official Central News Agency reported from Quemoy that Nationalists had knocked out 25 Communist guns in the last three days.

The agency said Nationalist counter-shelling yesterday destroyed eight Communist gun positions, and one camouflaged gun emp acement, and set another emplacement on fire. The Nationalists knocked out nine Communist guns on Amoy on Sunday and another eight yesterday.