NEW WAR MINISTER

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 June 1938, Page 7

NEW WAR MINISTER

JAPANESE COMMANDER MORE ENERGETIC CAMPAIGN [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] TOKIO, June 3. Lieutenant-General Kagaki has been recalled from China and appointed Minister for War, to succeed General Sugiyama. He is the youngest War Minister in the history of Japan, and is regarded as possessing outstanding ability. The new vlinisle” favours speeding up the campaign >n China, beginning with the capture of Hankow. General Sugiyama has been appointed to the Supreme War Council.

CANTON AGAIN BOMBED. CANTON, June 3. Eight Japanese bombers at 3 p.m. carried out a raid which lasted an hour. They concentrated chiefly on the area round the Canton-Kawloon railway terminus, where thousands of refugees were awaiting transport to Hong Kong; but the bombs missed their mark. It is announced that during May Japanese naval aircraft carried out 1800 raids over China, dropping 900 tons of explosives. LATER. Thirty-five were killed or wounded in this morning’s air raid. MR. CHAMBERLAIN'S REGRET RUGBY, June 3. Replying to a Commons question on the recent bombing of Canton, Mr. Chamberlain said he regretted to say that reports received showed that Japanese aircraft bombed Canton on May 28,-29, and 30. As the result of the raids approximately 450 were killed and a thousand wounded, and considerable damage was caused to private property. The reports indicated that whatever had been the objects aimed at, most of the bombs fell on places which could not be considered as of military importance. Instructions have been sent to the British Ambasador at Tokio to protest urgently against this indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas in thickly populated centres.

PIRATES ACTIVE. SHANGHAI, June 3. After an act of piracy committed on Wednesday against a steam tender belonging to the- Dollar Line on the) Yan'gtse-kiang, yielding booty worth £2500, armed junks with a complement of 100 boarded a fiunall Portuguese cargo steamer entering Hangchow Bay. The pirates threw hand-grenades, killing the second 1 engineer, and smashing the mainmast. They abandoned the prize three hours later, taking the purser and four Chinese' sailors as hostages and all available valuables.

FOREIGN PROPERTI i'S. WASHINGTON. June 3. The State Department is officially advised that, the Japanese Government has acceded to at least some of the demands in the American protest of .lune 1. It has formally returned certain property belonging to America!, missions. A Shanghai message states that Japan has restored the American mission station at Chapei, but not the university or business properties. Permission has been promised to four British missionaries, to. return to Nanking. “ROBIN HYDE” SAFE' (Recd. June 4, 19 a.m.). SHANGHAI, June' 3. It is learned that Iris Wilkinson is' staying with United States missionaries at Hsuchow. Repeated inquiries from the Japanese evoked .replies that there was neither time nor means of communication to identify foreigners at Hsuchow, individually.