HAINAN ISLAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 74, 24 February 1938, Page 9

HAINAN ISLAND.

WANTED BY JAPANESE.

CANTON, Jan. 22. After the unsuccessful attempts last month to land in Yulin harbour, south Haiii an Island, under cover of barrage fire from Japanese warships and aerial attacks, three Japanese cruisers left the harbour. ,The naval and aerial attacks were to test the defence strength of the southern coast, it is stated. The garrison resisted the landing party, of which over 60 bluejackets were killed. After the landing party had returned to their ships, naval guns went into action against the Chinese Yulin harbour forts. Over 50 shells were fired, but most ol them fell into tho water.

A New Zealand resident of Hong Kong states that the Japanese would like Hainan Island for a base and so cover Hong Kong. “This incident,” he writes, “will be of interest to those who have always maintained that to have a small armed force of our own in New Zealand was only a good waste of time and money. I think that this is a good answer to those critics.” He goes on to say that, although none of the Japanese forces have been seen in Hong Kong so far, he has heard their guns and bombs.