REGARDED AS BOMBAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 35, 10 August 1939, Page 13

REGARDED AS BOMBAST

LONDON WARNING

FLEET TO FAR EAST

"BRITISH ARE JITTERY"

(Received August 10, 11.20 a.m.)

TOKIO, August-9

The spokesman for the navy, RearAdmiral Kanazawa, making reference to a report that Britain is inquiring during the crisis in the Anglo-Japan-ese negotiations whether America will send a strong squadron to join a reinforced British and Australian squadron at Singapore, said that he doubted that there would be such an extraordinary dislocation of the international line-up, but anyhow Japan was unperturbed and would not in the least change her policy.

He added that Mr. Chamberlain's warning that a fleet might go to the Far East amounted to "bombast for home consumption. "The fact that it was uttered reveals that the British are jittery," he said.

The British Foreign Office has instructed the Ambasasdor in Tokio, Sir Robert Craigie, to make a strong protest against the attempted confiscation by the Japanese of the Chiaotso coal mines, in Honan Province, and also to remind the Japanese of their ssurances that they would preserve order in the occupied areas.

Hong Kong reports, that unarmed ratings from the destroyer Tenedos were involved in a fracas with Chinese when a mob surrounded the British Consulate at Swatow, entered the compound, stoned the building, and shouted anti-British slogans. One Chinese was injured.

The Japanese Consul demanded a British admission of the sailors' complicity in the trouble and demanded their punishment, also compensation and an apology.

Japanese- landed at Paishahan and have closed the port of Haimeng. A British architect at Tientsin, Mr. McClure Anderson, refused to strip in front of his wife and another Englishwoman. After an argument the sentry allowed the party to enter the concession.