AT A STANDSTILL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 229, 27 August 1937, Page 7

AT A STANDSTILL.

JAPANESE INVASION HALTED. SHANGHAI, Aug. 26. Fighting with extraordinary determination, the Chinese forces have brought the Japanese drive toward Shanghai to a standstill, forcing the attackers fiercely to contest every inch of ground. The possibility of an invasion of the International Settlement by either army is now considered to bo more remote. All places of amusement are closed. The curlew is enforced between 10 p.m. and dawn, but the arrival of British and other, troops is having a calming effect. Most firms have reopened. Admiral Hasegawa, commander ol the Japanese naval iorees, has proclaimed a blockade against Chinese shipping from Shanghai to a point near Hong Kong. The blockade applies to both Government and private shipping, but foreign .shipping is exempt. As a result of the blockade Chinese shipowners are seeking to sell their ships to foreign interests. Independent observers express the opinion that the Japanese pressure, especially from the warships, will be

too strong. The most disturbing feature, from the international standpoint, is the Japanese blockade which the Admiralty describes in the Japanese stock phrase as “a measure of self-defence.” It adds that foreign ships are liable to be boarded to ascertain their true nationality. It is feared that the blockade will seriously injure British and other traders.