PEACE TERMS REJECTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1938, Page 7

PEACE TERMS REJECTED

RUSSIA’S DEMAND RESPECT FOR FRONTIERS (BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. —COPY BIGHT. J MOSCOW’. August. 8. The Foreign Commissar (M. Litvinov) has rejected the new peace proposal made by the Japanese Ambassador (Mr. Shigeinitsu), namely, that both sides should cease hostilities and retain their positions as occupied at the given moment of reaching an agreement. M. Litvinov said there would ho more fighting because each side would try to gain an advantage before reaching an agreement, lie nut forward the counter-proposal that the hostilities should cease when both sides agreed not to go across or shoot across the boundary line as marked in the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1868. He insisted that the Soviet would not tolerate Japanese troops on Soviet territory as defined by the treaty. M. Litvinov accused the Japanese Government of deliberately seeking to involve Japan in a war with the Soviet. He said the conflict had spread to the Grodskovo district where, he alleged, a Japanese ma-chine-gun company suddenly attacked and seized a hill in Soviet territory, but were driven out by Soviet reinforcements. both sides losing men ki’led. M. Litvinov —arned Mr. Shigemitsu that the Soviet did not intend in future to allow • uch incidents to go unpunished. Janan must compel the Kwantung and Korean armies to respect existing frontiers, otherwise the Soviet would take severe measu res.

REAL WARFARE.

(Recd. August 9, 1 p.m. LONDON, August 8

A Yuki (Korea) message states that to-day’s fighting in Manchukuo far exceeded the frontier incident, inasmuch as it developed into regular positional warfare, on a four-mile front, with the strategic hills of Changkufeng and Shaotsaoping as objectives.

ESTIMATE OF CASUALTIES

(Received August 9, 11 a.m.) TOKIO, August 8

Soviet planes are incessantly reconnoitring and raiding the Korean frontier. and again bombed Keiko. The damage was negligible. The spokesman says that the Japanese Air Force has not yet been put into action, as it is not. desirable to aggravate the situation. A Russian battalion, supported by artillery, later to-day repeatedly unsuccessfully attacked Changkufeng Hill.

Over 100 Soviet tanks are now in position, facing the Japanese. The total Japanese casualties at Changkufeng, since the outbreak, total 120 killed and 330 wounded. The Russian, casualties are alleged to be greater. G ERMA N-1 TA LIAN ADV ICE. (Reed. August 9, 1 p.m.) LONDON, August 8. “The Times’s” Tokio correspondent says it is understood that the German and Italian Ambassadors urged on Japan moderation, in handling th© frontier dispute, the former pointing out that this is the worst possible time to involve the anti-Comintern triangle with Russia, while Japan is occupied with China, and Germany is concerned with Czechoslovakian developments. Nevertheless, the army leaders do not expect an early cessation of hostilities. FIGHTING IN CHINA. GUERILLAS’ OFFENSIVE. SHANGHAI, August 8. Chinese guerrilla bands, taking advantage of the withdrawal of Japanese troops to Manchukuo, launched a widespread offensive in North China. The Japanese claim to have defeated them west of the Fenchen railway, killing 1000. The Chinese say they killed 1,500 Japanese before evacuating Haiyen. NANCHANG BOMBED TOKIO, August S. Japanese aeroplanes bombed the Nanchang railway station, warehouses, and munition dumps. Naval aeroplanes destroyed two Chinese munition ships on the Yangtse-kiang and blew up three mine-layers. They destroyed 15 grounded aeroplanes in a raid on Hankow. CHINESE CLAIMS (Recd. August 9, 8 a.m.). HANKOW, August 8. It is officially announced that Chinese airplanes and artillery destroyed seven Japanese warships' on the Yangtse. It is further stated that the Japanese air bombed Nanchang, 87 beingkilled and G 3 wounded. The flood situation at Hwangmei is getting worse. Civilians are evacuating l.lfiO square miles. The mobilisation of two million men and 200,000 officers has commenced in the Kwangsi Province. JAPANESE LOSSES. SHANGHAI, August 8. It is unc.onlirmedly reported that four thousand Japanese were killed in the Chinese attack on Susung, in the endeavour to swing decisively the Yangtse campaign to the northern hank. RAID ON CANTON. CANTON. August 8. Thirty were killed and many wounded, outside the French Cathedral, when the Japanese air-bombed the Government offices, power station and bridges. It was the severest attack for weeks. FRENCH “SINGAPORE.” ANNAM NAVAL BASE PARIS, August 8. Tin? newspaper “Excelsior” says Franco is planning a “Singapore base” in the Bay of Camranh (Annam). It is expected that, the technical examination will be completed in the autumn, after which construction will begin immediately. The proposed base is regarded as of the greatest strategical importance. Camranh is one of the strongest nat-

ural harbours in the world and is capable of accommodating the entire French Far Eastern fleet. The base would be complementary to Singapore. It is at present a secondary commercial port and submarine base, which was established in 1933. It. is intended to build strong fortifications on the hills surrounding the bay. The announcement comes after appeals to the Government from Colonial Administrators and industrialists in Tndo-China. It is also hoped that the development of the port will assist in the Industrialisation of IndoChina.