MARCH ON PEKING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 May 1928, Page 5

MARCH ON PEKING

SOUTHERNERS CONTINUE DRIVE DEFENCE OF CONCESSIONS. PLANS BEING MADE (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION) SHANGHAI, May 12. . The Tsinanfu affair is .regarded as beincr in the background in view of the latest reports front the north stating the Southerners are completely evacuating Tsinanfu and crossing the Yellou River continuing their drive against the Northerners, who ate reported to have fallen back on Teltcow, one of the latest Northern strongholds, tlie capture of which is believed to be certain. Ohang-Cbung-Chang, the Shantung military governor, is preparing to retreat to Tsangcliow, fifty miles south from Tientsin, and 140 miles from the Southerners’ goal, which is Peking. It is expected that Peking is doomed. The Northern militarists who are occupying it are reported to be piepaiing for fight. Chang-Tiso-Lin himself is reported to have departed for Manchuria, but this is not confirmed. Tientsin is occupied by tne sixth regiment of the United States Ma>iines and a few troops of other nations. Precautions have commenced to prevent arepetition of the Tsinanfu incidents. With the exception of occasional sniping Tsinan is completely clear ct Southerners. These have .retreated to Taianfu except for those portions which proceeded north from Tsinan to Yencheng, 15 miles beyond the Yellow River, where positions are static. In accordance with a telegraphed suggestion to cease fighting for the purpose of combination against. the Japanese, Marshal Chang fso Lin is withdrawing his troops unless the Japanese offer a truce and ignore the Southern troops. Fighting is practically at a standstill in the Shangtung area. . Meantime General Feng Yu Hsiang, who is allied with the Nationalists, has sustained a severe defeat at Changteh, leading to the rupture of friendly relations with the Whuang Government. This deprives Feng of Hankow as a port for the receipt of supplies, and of the protection of his .rear against malcontent commanders. Coincident with strenuous endeavours to provide an adequate defence for the concessions at Tientsin, a meeting of representatives of protocol Powers at Peking on Thursday discussed the advisability of taking steps to ensure an open railway from Tientsin to Peking in accordance with the Boxer protocol, together with the establishment of a seven-mile neutral zone around Tientsin. It is understood that the diplomats- were unanimously with the exception of one representative. The arrival of eight Japanese destroyers at Shanghai, where the situation though quiet has disturbing elements, raises the number of Japanese warships in the port- to ten. Similar precautions are being taken in other treaty ports. Nanking - appeals to the League of Nations claiming that Japan was guilty of an overt act of war in despatchim troops in Shantung. They blame the Japanese for the outrages on the latter, including the- alleged murder and mutilation of the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at, Tsinan. They ask that Japan be instructod to quit Shantung immediately and are offering tc r-.:l)m.i t- the dispute to arbitration.. Nationalist armies under General Feng Yu Hsiang and General Chi'"'. Kai«bek have commenced the last- stage of the advance on Peking. They are entering the Ghih-li province following the abandonment of Tehcliow. Marshal Chang Tso Lin, his son, Chang Hsueh Liang, the “Young General,” who leads his armies, are preparing to flee to Manchuria with Fengtien. Their armies are- intact. They are proceeding behind the Great Wall at Shanhaikuan and there they will make a stand for the retention of Manchuria. Foreign reports from the north indicate that the lack of morale among the troops lias now spread to the commanders, and it its not improbable that the withdrawal from. Chih-li may degenerate into an undignified retreat.

MASSACRE AT TSINAN. JAPANESE. MOBILISATION DEFENDED. TOKIO, May 12. l!h© Prime Minister, Baron Tanaka, sa.icl to-day that it was now hoped to transfer tbr* Tisinan affair to diplomatic negotiations. Japan iiad no intention of obstructing the Nationalist involution arv movement. The despatch ot Japanese troops was merely for the protection of Japanese residents and of the K iao-chow-Tsi na n railway. It was certain, lie said, that the massacres in Tsinan were committed, deli bera tel v. as they were a.t Nanking last year. Many more Japanese lives would have been lost if Japan lia<d ihesitailed in sending trodps. He believed the British, American and other foreigners might have been '■ mo’ested but for the presence of the Japanese army. He was convinced that Europe and America would recognise that Japan’,s mobilisation was opportune. So far no untoward incident has occurred in the Yang-T»? Valley, but Japanese and other naval authorities are exercising proper precautions in that area.

Regarding the reaction of the Shantung affair on domestic politics, Baron Tanaka said he was willing to co-oper-ate with the Opposition, for a solution of the Slmntung problem. Oheefo dispatches to the Foreign Office state that a conference decided to guard the consular quarter with •'>oo Japano.se, British. and American marines. Foreign nationals will Ire concentrated on tthe Yentai hil 1 , in the consuln,r quarter.

SINO-JAPANESE DISPUTE. u.s. attitudiTto mediation. WASHINGTON, May 11. Mr. Ernest Price, who is at present at Tsinan, has been given authority hy the State Department to attempt mediation between Japanese and Chinese nationalists or to take any other course he may deem advisable in the interess of a pacific settlement of the situation. Mr. Kellogg denied, however, that the United States had notified 1 . either the Japanese or the Chines© it- wins willing to mediate in the controversy. He added that- the Government had not sent any correspondence direct to the Jnpnnes and Chinese upon the matter.

Officials are otherwise reduetant to discuss the situation, except to reiterate that the United States will not

attempt to mediate unless requested hy both parties. Tt is stated that it is difficult for the department to obtain information and they had m» accurate statement of what had occurred since the first dav’s clash at Tsinan.