CHINA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 8 April 1927, Page 5

CHINA

SITUATION GETTING WORSE.

RUSSIANS AND GERMANS.

JOIN GENERAL EXODUS.

BY CAULK —PRESS* ASSOCIATION COPY KlGl.»

Reeevied 10.(1 a.m. to-day. SHANGHAI, April 7

The latest wireless from Hankow indicates tint the Japanese are determinedly defending tne concession on which the Chinese troops are not permitted to trespass. There is already a landing party of 300 ashore. r l his will be uouhicd on tue arrived of the cruiser TVnryu.

The geieral situation is reported to be gettiig steadily worse. Lawlessness is Jn the increase, and Hankow is bein£ gradually emptied of all foreign residents. Euss.hns and Germans are now hurriedly joining in the general exodus. A geieral atmosphere of uneasiness prevails in the native districts. In acccidance with the decision to eontpletdy evacuate the up-river areas by JBritsh gunboats, consuls and commuiities are being brought to Hankow f ro n Chungking, ichang, Shangsua, ant Chenglin. At Shanghai, the curfev to-night was eased one hour, to at eleven o ’clock limit.

THE SOVIET EMBASSY

STORY OF RAID

IMPORTANT PAPERS NOT FOUND

SHANGHAI, April 7. Official details of the raid on the Soviet embassy at Peking show that secret agents oi Chang-'i so-Lin have investigated the source of radical propaganda emanating from Peking for months past. This culminated in the arrest of two Americans, the trial oi whom is held over pending the result of other investigations. Chang-Tso-Lin has appealed to the foreign Ministers comprising the diplomatic corps, to curb the activities of Peking Communists sheltering in the legation quarter. Permission was asked to enter, and was granted, in contravention of diplomatic etiquette. Acting on Inis permission, 100 Chinese police, personally commanded by the chief or police, and 200 Chinese soldiers from Chang-Tso-Lili ’ s Ixidyguard, surrounded the Russian embassy grounds on three sides simultaneously. The British troops, with fixed bayonets and loaded rules, appeared at the British legation wall on the fourth side.

Without hesitation the Chinese forced an entry into the embassy, searched all in residence thoroughly, arresting all found on the piemises. The first building entered was the former Russian garrison, where the searchers met with resistance. A shot was fired, from within

The searchers emerged dragging a Russian kicking and righting. Other searchers discovered two machine guns, 15 rifles and small arms, and two red flags. The Russian was handcuffed and dragged into the street. • Meantime other prisoners emerged quietly and drove off in automobiles.

The fighting Russian refused to enter an automobile, his struggles attracting a crowd, which were batoned away, asssited by foreigners. The episode produced trie wildest scenes in the legation quarter, and the mobs were dispersed with the greatest difficulty. The search of the embassy was continued, and the officials were ordered to remain in their offices. A fire which broke out in the main building, apparently to destroy important documents, was soon extinguished. .-Viter six hours’ searching, 64 were arrested, handcuffed, and incarcerated, including the Soviet Charge d’Affaires. Meantime, five trucks of documentary data and other material was removed, including seals inscribed ‘‘Peking branch of the Kuomintang political committee of the Kirin, Shansi, Kansu, and Chisli provinces.” The arrested included six women, all of whom were detained at the metropolitan police board offices while the search of the embassy was continuing. Staff experts, convened by headquarters to examine the seized documents, have reported that the exact documents required have not been found.

HEAVY FIGHTING REPORTED. NORTH AND SOUTH IN CONTACT. SHANGHAI, April 6. At Hankow the Chinese authorities have issued a proclamation ordering complete immunity t-o foreigners fiom molestation. It is officially stated that the Japanese casualties as the result of Sunday’s riots were five killed and ten missing. The Japanese naval reinforcements have arrived. The latest reports Dorn Nanking say that very heavy fighting is reported by the warship Emerald between the Northern and Southern forces at Kwantien.

FIRE-EATERS. REFUSED PASSPORTS TO CHINA. LONDON, April 6. An endorsement made by the Foreign Office oil his passport, “not valid for China,” has abruptly ended the scheme of Captain Livingstone Learinonth, a descendant, of David Livingstone, the African explorer, (o take oul. a small party of gentlemen adventurers for the purpose of fighting under Chang-Tso-Lin in the anti-Rod campaign. fifteen or sixteen ex-officers had already joined the party, and a cable was sent to Chang offering their services, but the passport office demanded Captain Learinonth’s passport ami sent it to the Foreign Office, which endorsed it as invalid, intimating that passports to China were only being issued under speei a I oi ream stances.

DEBATE IN COMMONS. FOREIGN MINISTER’S SPEECH. STAT USMAN LI K E UTTERA XC H. ('British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April G. Jn the course of yesterday’s debate in the House of Commons on the Chinese situation, Sir Austen Chamberlain said the British were in China in pursuance of treaties, and were ready to negotiate as circumstances made it possible to meet the Chinese national aspirations, and to remove the special conditions which had been rendered necessary. He had given a fairly complete_ account of recent events at Nanking, partly derived from the British. ConsulGeneral, and partly from American and Japanese reports. He had now a further report from the British Vice-Consul, signed and approved by the British Consul. In this report it was pointed out that the Nor-

them troops left the city peacefully on Wednesday night, March 23, and that early on Thursday morning troops belonging to trie fourth division of the sixth army, mainly Hunanese, entered. The British consulate was surrounded and trie Consul-General deliberately attacked. The Consul-General was attacked in the consulate grounds by sentinels posted by the looters. The Consul hid for a time with his child and two ladies, but they were soon discovered and robbed of all their valuables by bands of iooters, and eventually they were rescued. •

By half-past five in the afternoon the United States consulate was also in the hands of the looters, and the Consul made his way with great difficulty with his party to the Standard oil Company’s hill, where a large number of foreigners were assembled. Eventually they were rescued. The Japanese consulate was also looted, and the Consul himself was shot at as he lay iu bed, and the property w as looted or wantonly destroyed. Two British subjects were killed. There was no doubt the attack was organised, and there was no question of the troops getting out of hand. They appeared to assemble at various points when a bugle sounded. The ofaicers, when appealed to, made no attempt to interfere, and the whole affair seemed to have been planned, in advance. Looting was still going on, without any attempt at protection by the authorities. It there could over have been any doubt regarding the complicity of the Nationalist troops in the area wherein the outrages were committed, that doubt ought to be dissipated bj ; subsequent events. A similar state of affairs had arisen in greater or less degree in every place which was still under the control of the Nationalists. Sir Austen Chamberlain mentioned an incident in which the premises of the Wesleyan mission were broken into and the contents destroyed by a rabble of students and others. Members of the mission were hounded out of the place, and a jeering mob pursued them oy the light of lanterns, threatening them with violence, down to the river, bv which they left. LOOTING AND OUTRAGE. Sir Austen Chamberlain gave in great detail further instances or looting and outrages upon hospitals and other uui.dings, and said it would be a mistake to suppose these attacks were eoniined to British subjects and interests. There was a time when the campaign of hostility was concentrated on the British, and attacks on other foreigners were the exception. The situation had now changed, and the forces which the agitators had aroused were directed against foreigners indiscriminately. During the past few months the agitation and attacks had been more and more directed against loreigners in

general. Sir Austen gave further instances and illustrations of this statement, anti emphasised that he was dealing with outrages committed in the territory which the Nationalist Government controlled. Continuing, he said we had no interest in China except to live on terms of peace and friendship with the Chinese people, and the Chinese people had no other interest than to live on terms of peace and friendliness with us. He was sure they would he glad to do so if they were aliened, but in the face of a government which either could not control, or would not control, its troops; which could not protect .oreigners within its gates, or would not protect them; we must take such precautions as wo could for the protection of our own people pursuing their lawful a vocal ion. This was the primary duty which the Government must discharge, and to enable them to discharge it they find thought it necessary to secure further reinforcements. Why should we be suspected of taking the lead in anything of a military character r 1 We had taken the lead in the efforts to negotiate in the most liberal policy ever proposed AYe hud earnestly sought to settle this difficult question in a friendly spirit, and to recognise all that was legitimate in the Chinese national aspirations, and to allow opportunity to form the foundations of peaceful re--11 at ions with the Chinese people: but ! how could we negotiate with the CanI tonese Government in face of the outrages at Nanking, in face of the failure to "give protection at Hankow, in face of the failure to give protection at any

one of the other places that he had named, or to do anything to prevent that anti-foreign propaganda, and to prevent the cry of ‘‘Kill the Christians!” and “Kill the foreigners!’’ WHAT CHINESE MUST DO.

One must have existing in China an authority which not only undertook to protect life, but was in* - a position to do so, and exercised its power, before we could run any further risks with trie lives and interests of British subjects; but our policy remained the same. We recognised that the treaties were out of date, anil we must move forward with the new machine. But the Chinese must move, too, and concurrently, befoie wo could carry this policy further. M e must know what was to be the attitude ot the responsible Chinese authorities as regarded the outrages committed at Nanking. Sir Austen believed all the Powers concerned to lie in substantial agreement, if not already in actual verbal agreement, not merely to require redress, but agreed as to the terms in which redress should be demanded; but lie could not make a statement upon that subject until the agreement was final, and until publication was possible in tlie different countries concerned.

Replying to questions by Mr. J. Ramsay MacDonald, the Labour leader, Sir Austen Chamberlain said he thought it might be a day or two before the demands would be presented. He added that he trusted the Nationalist authorities would recognise their responsibilities, and would understand that their reputation as a government, and the interests of China and her honour, required that they should give full satisfaction and reparation. It was hoped they would recognise the ordinary obligations of the Government, and behave as other governments did in similar circuestances, so that His Majesty’s Governmenet could pursue that policy which was indicated in his memorandum of December, and amplified in the memorandum of February, which was the groundwork upon which we could hope to build our future relations with China.

SOVIET EMBASSY

DOUBT AS TO RAID

LONDON, April 6. The Foreign Office has not received r onfmnntion of the raid on the Soviet Embassy in Peking. Official circles question the truth of the report, and doubt the suggestion. The Diplomatic Corps gave specific authorisation ordinarily. Now warrants for entry may 'be cxectued within the settlements without a diplomat’s signature, which ordinarily is automatically granted; otherwise criminals could very easily find sanctuary in the settlements and defy the police, hut in the _ present disturbed conditions the Diplomatic Corps would be sure to examine every request. All the Powers being equally anxious to a void the appearance of partisanship. it is unofficially suggested that it. is most probable that application was made to raid some building whore Russia’s housed diplomats would feel hound to consent to an act which the Chinese authorities represented as essential, but it is very doubtful if tliov would consent to a deliberate raid on the Russian Embassy.