HOPE ABANDONED

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 259, 29 July 1937, Page 11

HOPE ABANDONED

Peaceful Arrangement In North China ACTION BY JAPAN Proceeding to Military Settlement FIGHTING AROUND PEKING By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received July 28, 10.10 p.m.) Tokio, July 28. The Foreign Office spokesman. Mr. Tatsuo Kawai, formally announced that Japan, hating abandoned hope of a peaceful arrangement, will proceed to a military settlement of the trouble in North China. The Minister of .War issued a statement that the garrisons in North China have decided on punitive measures in self-defence against the Chinese troops, and that the War Office has decided to take corresponding measures. A message from Tientsin says Japanese bombing aeroplanes from Tientsin attacked the Chinese barracks _at Hsiyuan and Nanyuan this morning, inflicting very heavy casualties. The distant roar of artillery can be heard north, south and west of Peking, states a message from that city. Fighting is now proceeding in I’apaoshan in addition to Nanyuan and Tongshan, suggesting that the Japanese have begun a determined drive to dislodge the whole of the 29th Army from the Peking area. Fighting at Tunghaow ceased at nightfall. It is reported from Hong-Kong that the Japanese Government has ordered its nationals to evacuate Swatow. Amoy and Foochow. Tokio reports that the messages from Peking state that two air squadrons are at present carrying out punitive bombing Jaids south and west of Peking, notably at Nanyuan, where the 38th Chinese division is reported to have been routed. The Japanese Minister of the 'Navy, Admiral Mitsubasa Yonai, announced that the navy is standing by and is ready to co-operate with the military operations in North China. These at present consist of a fullscale attack on Peking from three sides simultaneously, pouring a storm of shells on the city. Colonel Matsui, the envoy of Lieut.General Katsuki, commanding the Japanese troops, informed General Sung Cheh-yuan, the North Chinese commander, that Japan was finally forced to take independent action, adding that Chinese insincerity was evidenced by their treacherous firing on the Japanese troops at the western gate of Peking. This was an unforgivable insult. General Sung Cheh-yuan, however. had already rejected the ultimatum. Japanese headquarters in Tientsin announce that they have no intention of making the 100,000.000 Chinese in North China the object of a punitive action, which will be directed solely against the Chinese opposing the Japanese troops. The arrival of 30 more aeroplanes has doubled the Japanese air force at Tientsin, where 32,000 additional troops are garrisoned. Reports from Tientsin state that Japanese troops, assisted by military aeroplanes, almost wiped out a force of 800 Chinese at Tungchow (la miles from Peking), who resisted an attempt to disarm them. A Shanghai message says that contemporaneously with the Tungchow engagement, the diplomatic corps,at Peking notified the Chinese and Japanese authorities that the protocol formulated after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, which culminated in the siege of the Peking legations, forbade fighting within 20 miles of the capital. The only visible result of this was a further Japanese attack on Peking. Guards at the British and other legations are standing by with sandbag s filled ready to be rushed to the gates of the legation quarter. The British authorities at Peking have advised nationals to spend the night in the legation quarter. BRITISH VIEWS .Situation Grave, But Not Critical (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, July 27. Reports coming from the Far East are still confused and indefinite, and in London, while the new situation arising from yesterday’s lighting is regarded as grave, it is not taken to be critical in view of the fact that the agreement reached between the Japanese and Chinese authorities in the north, has been accepted by the Chinese Government. In the British view it would be deplorable if the settlement of the earlier incidents which seemed to be fn sight were jeopardised by unauthorised local action. In the House of Commons this afternoon the Foreign Secretary stated that His Majesty’s Government was continuing to urge on both the Japanese and Chinese Governments, with reference to the situation generally, its concern and its interest in seeing a peaceful settlement reached. He understood similar action had been taken both at Tokio and at Nanking by the United States and French Governments. In the meantime, His Majesty's Government was maintaining constant touch with the other Governments concerned. particularly the United States Government. Mr. Eden referred to a report which had reached him of the possibility of action by the Japanese troops at Peking in the city as well as outside, and told the House that he had instructed His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires in Tokio to express the earnest hope of His Majesty’s Government that such action would be avoided. He added that local schemes existed for the protection of British subjects, and would be put into operation if an emergency arose. UNITED STATES’ HOPE (Received July 28. 8.5 p.m.) Washington, July 28. The United States Ambassadors in China and Japan have been ordered to express the hope that hostilities will b< KXJtted in North China. The Secre-

tary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, reiterated that there was no present intention to invoke the Nine-Power Pact. JAPAN RAISING WAR LOAN London, July 27. The Tokio correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph” reports that Cabinet is raising a war loan of £5,600,000.