CONCESSION CONTROL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 11 March 1927, Page 5

CONCESSION CONTROL

COMMISSION APPOINTED. TO DEAL WITH TIENTSIN. DIFFICULT PROPOSITION. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPY EIGHT. LONDON, March 9. The Foreign. Office announces the appointment of a commission constlisting of representatives of the British and Peking Governments to consider the modification of the _ present system of administering the Tientsin British concession, which is different from all others in Chinn. It is wedged ‘between the French and ex-German concessions, while the main thoroughfare is occupied by Chinese, Austrian, Russian, French and German stores. The American consular buildings are situated m the centre of the concession, while the waterfront, though used by other concessionaries, is entirely British owned. Owing to the many arrests effected the oommissionls task will* be a very complicated and difficult one. Official circles emphasise that the appointment of the commission is another step, like the Hankow agreement, towards liberalising the conditions of out concessions and 'settlements in China on the basis of the British offer to the whole of China or any Government m China. LABOUR. AGITATORS BUSY. SHANGHAI, March 10. The police raided the headquarters of the Postal Workers’ Union during a meeting which was discussing preparations for another general strike. Seventy-nine were arrested and a quantity of strike literature was secured. Laiboit, the union representative, and the secretary and treasurer of the Postal Workers’ Union, were detained. The others were released. Labour agitators are doing their utmost to cause a ra-liway strike. The result of their violent methods was that only two trains left for Nanking yesterday. . * Following the defection of the Anwehi troops, the Southern forces are rapidly progressing in the advance upon Nanking. _ . ... . _ A party of Chinese soldiers at Wusnng 'seized a British steamer and forced the cantain to get under way. A British destroyer intercepted the vessel, put an armed guard, on hoard, and brought it to Hankow. The Chinese soldiers were landed under a naval escort and detained in the British concession.

BRITISH TROOPS. * SOME INNER. HISTORY. • (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 8. On a vote of £950,000 to met the expenditure arising out of the dispatch of troops to China, Captain Douglas King, Financial Secretary to the War Office, gave in Parliament a short account of how the dispatch was carried out. On January 18 the Board of Trade was authorised to make the necessary arrangements for ships and the transport of troops. The' Government* not wishing to take/ any decided military action until the last possible moment, did) not authorise the. War Office to ■take the necessalry military action until January 21. On that day warning orders were sent to the units selected to go to China, and' on the same day notices were posted calling up the men of Section A of the ai*mv. composed of men who undertook liability to. come up for service at any time within two years of their leaving the colours. Notices were sent to 1518 men, and it was very satisfactory to know that out of that total only four failed to reply to their notices.

Between January 25 and 29, six transports left this country, conveying practically the whole of the Shanghai Defence Force, including the whole rifle strength 'and most of the auxiliary troops. For the speed with which the dispatch of the force, was carried) out the very greatest credit was due to the military and civilian .staffs and thp officers at the Board of Trade responsible for transport. The whole movement was carried out with very little fuss and no ostentation. The conveyance of the force by sea was estimated to cost £520,000. Answering a number of questions relating to Shanghai, Mr Looker Lampson, Under-Secretarv of Foreign Affairs, stated that the British ConsulGeneral there had been empowered, if he thought fit, to carry on any negotiations which might he necessary with either of the contending forces.

SOVIET DIPLOMATIC COURIERS

REPORTED SHOOTING BY MILITARY AUTHORITIES,

SHANGHAI, March 10. \ A. report is current that the military authorities at 'iisinanfu have shot the three Soviet diplomatic couriers arrested wiithi Madame Borodin, carrying propaganda, munitions and military informations to the N ationalist headquarters at Hiaukow. Madame Borodin is .still a prisoner. The entire episode is construed to have the gravest international significance. Jt was declared by the Soviet .Embassy at Peking to Ire an act of piracy and murder. Madame Borodin is the wife of Jacob Borodin, Soviet adviser to the Cantonese forces.