VYING COLUMNS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 133, 2 December 1937, Page 12

VYING COLUMNS

MAY REACH GATES WITHIN A WEEK

NECK-AND-NECK ADVANCE

(United Press Association—By Electrle Telegraph—Copyright.)

(Received December 2, 2.15 p.m.) LONDON, December 1.

Besides gaining a footing at : Liyang, 70 miles south-east of Ranking, the Japanese, who are consolidating their positions for, a renewal of the drive to Nanking, have reached Tanyang, on the Grand Canal. The Liyang and Tanyang columns will shortly forge forward neck and .neck, though the Tanyang columnis somewhat ahead, in the hope of being the first to challenge the Chinese resistance at Nanking.

The Chinese demolished bridges and mined the highways in order to delay the invaders, who,, however, seem to have.overcome most of these obstacles. The present rate of their progress justifies the expectation that they, will reach the gates1 of Nanking in less than a week, the armies moving along the Harigchow-Liyang-Nanking highway having captured Tsipuchen, Lukiafu, Szetienfu, and Huakutang, placing them within 50 miles of W"uhu.

The Nanking correspondent of "The Times" states that the Japanese, though they have captured Kwangteh, have still left a narrow gap through which the Chinese, Avho are holding seven concentric defensive lines .across the Yangtze-kiang salient, can escape if they do not intend to defend Nanking, whose populace has been thrown into a condition of dread by fires due to the blowing up of ammunition trains and the arrival of the first refugees. / WARNING TO HONG KONG. The Hong Kong correspondent of "The Times" says the Domei news agency- reports that Hong Kong re.ceived a warning from the Japanese Consul-General demanding' the suppression of activities by the leaders of the Chinese Government, and 1 adding that further tolerance of such activities "might involve Hong Kong in the' dispute between China and Japan." No confirmation of this message can be obtained in London. Tokio reports that quick promotion has been accorded tolast year's graduates at the Military Cadet School, including. Prince Mikasa, the Emperor's younger brother, in order to replace losses in China. All the graduates have received the rank of. lieutenant, avoiding the two years' service as second-lieutenants. Eight hundred and thirty-five naval . officers and ratings were killed in action up to December 1, including 120 officers, while of the land'forces fighting in Shansi Province 650 officers and men lost their lives between the middle of October, and early in November.. The Japanese naval air force claims to have destroyed 417 Chinese" aeroplanes and to have lost 60. A Peking message states that in order to establish- a British Embassy at Shanghai the majority of the members of the Embassy who were transferred to Hankow from Nanking are leaving for Shanghai.