Effort to Settle Tientsin Issue

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 152, 30 June 1939, Page 7

Effort to Settle Tientsin Issue

Causes of Tension to be Discussed England Insists on Concession Rights United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, June 28. The Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, speaking in the House of Commons, announced the opening of negotiations in Tokio for the settlement of the Tientsin situation. The Tokio correspondent of The Times says that the talks between the British and the Japanese are expected to open next week. Japanese army officials will be participating, and the British military attache at the Embassy, Major-General Piggott, will also attend. An official statement issued at Tokio said: “The conference is the result of a British proposal, which Japan accepted in appreciation of the sincerity of British faith.” It was explained that the negotiations will not be confined to the transfer to the Japanese of the four Chinese who are alleged to have murdered a Chinese puppet official in the British Concession on April but will also concern other difficulties which arc causing tension. Japan will seek British consideration regarding the “army's responsibility for the maintenance of order, and- other military, political and economic matters necessary to the army’s existence on the spot.” The Times correspondent adds: “There is the highest authority for interpreting the deciaion as a sign that Japan has not abandoned hopes of friendship with England and America despite the blandishments of the Axis Powers.” A Tientsin message says that the British and Japanese Consuls will he flying to Tokio oil Friday to participate in the negotiations. The Domei News Agency in Tokio states that the negotiations will provide ample opportunity for a full exchange of views on the fundamental questions lying at the root of the Tientsin situation.

in announcing tne opening ot negotiations (says a British Official Wireless message), Mr Chamberlain said: “The British Ambassador to Tokio, Sir Robert Craigie, has been for some time in communication with the Japanese Government on the position, and I am now r.ble to announce that as a result of the exchange of views which has taken place between Britain and Japan it has been agreed that conversations shall take place in Tokio in order to effect a settlement of the various questions relating to the present conditions in Tientsin, and that representatives of the local British and Japanese authorities at Tientsin will be invited to Tokio for the purpose.

“These conversations, which are expected to start forthwith, will relate to local issues and will be designed to secure that, while the neutrality of the concession shall be maintained, British authority in the Concession shall be preserved intact.

“In view of these conversations. Britain assumes that there will be. an end to stripping, searching and similar incidents at Tientsin, and Britain has reason to hope that this will In fact be the case.”

Regarding the situation in Tientsin itself, Mr Chamberlain said that arrivals of perishable foodstuffs continued to be spasmodic. Only a fraction of the normal supplies was reaching the British Concession. The local British authorities were taking active steps to remedy the deficiency. All British subjects who had passed the barriers since the commencement oi the blockade had been subjected to a rigorous search. The number of instances in which British subjects had been compelled to strip was 15, including one woman, but there did not appear to have been any more such cases duri.g the last day or two. Regarding South China, Mr Chamberlain said that the Japanese authorities had announced military operations fox yesterday against the treaty ports oJ Wenchow and Foochow. A request had been received from the Japanese Con-sul-General at Shanghai that all vessels of third Powers, including warships should leave these ports by noon or Thursday.

The British Consul-General ai Shanghai had replied pointing out thal the right of British vessels to proceed to any port in China remained unaffected. Britain considered that the Japanese were consequently not entitled to exercise undue interference with the movements of British ships oi avoidably to endanger British lives anc property.

The situation regarding visits of British merchant shipping to Swatow wax still obscure, and negotiations continued between the local British and Japanese authorities.