HUGE AIR-RAID

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 August 1939, Page 7

HUGE AIR-RAID

CHINESE CITY DESTROYED KAI-SHEK AS OBJECTIVE ? [.BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] CHUNGKING, August 21. Three-quarters of Kiatingfu has T. been destroyed by a huge Japanese air-raid, which caused uncontrollable fires. No details of casualties are available, but they are believed to be enormous. The city walls prevented the quick evacuation of the inhabitants. It is assumed that the raid resuited from a Japanese broadcast that Marshal Chiang Kai-shek had moved' to Kiatingfu, although he is still at Chungking. OVER 500 CASUALTIES. (Recd. August 22, 11 a.m.) CHUNGKING, August 21. The air-raid resulted in over 500 casualties. Two Australians, Mr. Peter King, and Mrs. King, Mrs. H. Mc-». ,* Intyre, a Canadian, Miss McLean, an American, and Miss Thoering narrowly escaped. The Canadian Church and clinic were demolished. Buildings in the business district were wrecked. Nine University students were killed. FRENCH TERRITORY BOMBED. “ (Recd. August 22, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, August 21. The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s Hong Kong correspondent says that Japanese planes from warships > anchored’ at Pakhoi, a treaty port, are reported to have bombed and machine-gunned the surrounding ‘-- country, violating Kwangchowman, which was leased to the French in 1898, for 99 years. TOKIO TALKS SUSPENDED. TOKIO, August 21. Sir Robert Craigie (British Ambas- ; sador) and Lady Craigie have left the city for the Summer Embassy quar- ; ters at Lake Chuzenji. This is an in- ■ dication that the resumption of the Anglo-Japanese talks is not expected “ for some time. " The Japanese Foreign Office spokesman said that there was nothing in “ either the British or the Japanese • statements which said that negotiations had ended. He denied a British assertion that the Japanese had requested the removal of the silver re- : serves from Pebin, but said he could not guarantee the futture. ANTI-BRITISH CAMPAIGN. PEKIN, AugusOi. The “Grand Anti-British Associa- -q tion” has been formed here. It is to advise the Puppet Governments on methods of enlarging the anti-British campaign throughout Asia. The cinemas, in future, will devote their first quarter of an hour to the showing of anti-British cartoons. The British motor-cars, including those used by the British Embassy and military authorities, have ceased •*'- flying the Union Jack here. HONG KONG FRONTIER, j . HONG KONG, August 21. British and Japanese military officials met on the frontier this morning and conferred on the exact demarcation of the boundary, so as to avoid incidents. “The Times’s” Hong Kong correspondent says that troops on the bor- - der now number approximately 10,000. Forced Chinese labour is building a motor road. Chinese are not permitted to enter Hong Kong. The Anglo-Japanese military representatives conferred in order to define the frontier. SHANGHAI FOOD RIOTS.

SHANGHAI, August 21. Hundreds of Chinese looted flour and rice stores, and carried off 100 bags of flour, before the police beat them back. These are the first food riots here since 1937. “The Times’s” Shanghai correspondent says that only twelve days’ supply of rice is left for 4,000,000 inhabitants. After the Japanese army ban on imports from the hinterland, several rice riots occurred. CHINESE IN TRAINING. HONG KONG, August 21. It is reported from Chungking that 3,000,000 Chinese troops are at present in training, in addition to 2,000,000 now carrying arms. .It is believed that when these troops are ready, Marshal Chiang Kai-shek will launch an offensive.