OMINOUS OUTLOOK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 18 November 1937, Page 9

OMINOUS OUTLOOK

! CAPITAL TO BE TRANSFERRED i NO COM PRO MIS K BY CHINA I : FIGHTING TO BE CONTINUED t 1 fUnited I'resH AkhooiiiMou—By Electric I Telegraph -Copyrightl (Received 18th November, !) a.m.) ■ I.ONDON, )7th November. 1 The .special correspondent of “The Times" at Nanking says that owing | to the approach of the Japanese forces immediate steps are being taken to transfer the capital farther inland. The official Chinese Spokesman admitted the outlook was ominous, but insisted that China ’ would continue to resist, and that Nanking would be defended. There could lie no compromise or capitu- ' lalion. China was not contemplating any action independent of the Nine-Power Conference, the Spokesman added, but ' positive action, or at least some assurI uncc of action by the conference, was [ i essential to hearten the Chinese in the i struggle against aggression. II “NANKING ANOTHER MADRID" i! ITO ISE DEI 1 ENDED AT ALL COSTS :! DETERMINATION OF CHINESE ■ j -j (Received 18th November, 1.55 p.m.) • I NANKING, 17th November. t 'l'he Japanese advance and the with- [ | drawal ot Government offices has only • heightened the determination to check •, the invaders at all costs. "Nanking i j another Madrid” will become the pre- ; i vailing battle cry. In addition to heavy -! reinforcements hastening eastwards to ;! strengthen the line in the vicinity ef ; Soochow. troops have already taken up ; positions around the threatened capi- ; j tal. Another 150.000 from Szechwan ! province arrived to-day. j Anticipating attempts to break the J boom acioss Hie Yangtse river, Chinese ! erected another boom in the vicinity of | Chinkiang, in addition to mining tin j river. Nevertheless Hie majority ol J foreign observers consider Nanking i ; doomed. Few believe, however, that ’ the Japanese will attempt to advance : further into the interior after the fa. of the capital, owing to the approach o' j | winter and the danger of attenuated I ! communicalio;is. j General Chang Fahk-wei, commander of the Chinese “Ironsides,” launched a resolute counter-attack against tho Japanese advancing on Nanking in the j neighbourhood of Tashing. Heavy fighting was in progress at midnight. : Representatives of the Eighth Route i Army denied they are retreating from | Shansi. On the contrary they claim to 1 hold 26 districts in Shansi and organis- ! ed 25,000 peasants in North Shansi and I armed most of them, forming a huge anti-Japanese force operating at the rear of the invaders’ line. j SIIANGHAI-NANKING LINE FRESH CHINESE TROOPS NANKING, 17th November, i Fresh troops, including 150,000 from ! Szechwan, are marching eastwards to : strengthen resistance on the Shanghai- ; Nanking line. The whole of the original j Shanghai defenders have been with- j i drawn to the rear for reorganisation, j

| INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT j ! not to be occupied by japan TOKIO, 17th November. The Foreign Office Spokesman em* j phatically denied that Japan intends to : occupy the International Settlement at j Shanghai. Asked if the Japanese Command was going to Nanking, he replied: “To Chungking and Szechwan if necessary.” REFUGEES IN SHANGHAI 90,000 HOMELESS CHILDREN (Received 18th November, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, 17th November. The Chinese Ambassador reports that 700 babies are being born daily among < the refugees in Shanghai. Over 90,000 i children are wandering homeless and i parentless in Shanghai and near cities, i and 11,000 children were killed as a < direct consequence of the war. 1 NEUTRALITY ACT | RESOLUTION TO INVOKE (Received 18th November, 12.45 p.m.) WASHINGTON, 17th November. Representative Sauthoff introduced a resolution requesting President Roosevelt to declare that war exists between China and Japan and invoke the Neutrality Act. The chairman of the foreign affairs committee, Mr Mcßeynolds, prevented the House immediately considering the resolution.