Japs Bring Division into Action

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 February 1932, Page 2

Japs Bring Division into Action

WOOSUNG FORTS ATTACKED.

FOURTEEN. ’PLANES OVER

CITY

San Francisco Press Broadcast SHANGHAI, Feb. 3.

Japanese land and sea forces to-day attacked the Woosung forts, sixteen miles from Shanghai, just when marines and Japanese officials had agreed here that neither side would resort to further hostilities, unless -provoked. Six Japanese destroyers bombarded Chinese forts to cover disembarkation of a landing force. Large bodies of Japanese soldiers, believed to approximate a division, were reported beinglanded at a considerable distance down the Whangpoo river from Shanghai, by ships recently arrived from Japan. Fourteen Japanese airplanes were flying over Shanghai shortly before noon.

A battalion of 800 British troops arrived on the cruiser Berwick to-day and were landed on the Bund in the International Settlement.

This morning military observers reported that the Chinese emplacements were tilled with loot from warehouses near the north station, where firing was desultory. Thousands of packages of cigarettes, bolts of cloth and other merchandise were piled indiscriminately, with soldiers helping themselves. CHINESE ACCUSED OF SETTING FIRE TO HONG KEW, San Francisco Press Broadcast. TOKYO, Feb. 3. Dispatches received here this afternoon telling of the opening of the new battle at Shanghai, said Chinese had set fire to the Japanese district of Hong Kew, in the International Settlement, and a large section of it was burning. The newsboys began crying their extra papers in the streets, around the Foreign Office, describing the battle, while Foreign Minister Yoshizawa was conferring with the Ambassador of the United States. ARTILLERY DUEL PRECEDES , BATTLE. New York Times Broadcast. SHANGHAI, Feb. 3.

The Chinese and Japanese forces fought an artillery duel yesterday apparently as a prelude to a greater battle in which the Japanese guns bombarded the Chinese formations for four hours, seriously damaging their lines. ‘ ‘ International Piracy ’ ’ LANSBURY’S COMMENT CAUSES PROTEST. LONDON, Feb. 2. In the House of Commons Mr. George Lansbury, leader of the Labour Opposition, following Sir John Simon, roused many protests and demands for withdrawal when he declared: “The country, and the world ought to recognise that Japan to date has been engaged on a piece of international piracy.’' The Speaker: “The piembcr ought to remember that he is referring to a friendly Power. ”, Mr. in' answer to Mr. Lansbury, said that unless replies had been received to the Powers ’ representations, it would be inopportune to have a general debate on the trouble in the Far East, which would only do harm.

NO CUT IN U.S. ARMAMENTS San Francisco Press Broadcast. WASHINGTON, Feb. 2. The opening of the Geneva Disarmament Conference at a time when the Far East is torn by the Sino-Japanese embroilment, was met to-day by a demand in Congress for increasing both America’s aerial and naval defences. The failure ,of international treaties to prevent the Sino-Japanese outbreak served to consolidate support for the campaign. There was a growing sentiment toward rejecting any compact which might further slash America's first lines of defence, the navy or air forces, regardless of concessions made by other nations.