SHELLS IN FOREIGN AREA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21110, 18 February 1932, Page 9

SHELLS IN FOREIGN AREA.

BRITISH SAILORS HURT.

DAMAGE TO WHARVES. BULLET IN CONSULATE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received February 17, 7.45 p.m.) SHANGHAI. Feb. 17. During the usual nightly bombardment shells fell in the dock district of the International Settlement and two British sailors were 6eriouslv wounded. In addition the shells damaged wharves and pontoons which are British property. Miss Margaret Nash, a typiste in the British Consulate, was hanging up her coat after lunch yesterday when a bullet, fired by some person unknown, crashed through the window of the room and traversed her desk. The British Consul-General, Mr. F. A. Brenan, was in the next room at the time.

JAPAN DENIES CHARGES ULTIMATUM TO CHINESE. WITHDRAWAL OR ATTACK. KOBE. Feb. 16. The Japanese naval authorities deny many of the affirmations regarding their actions contained in the report sent to Geneva by the Shanghai Consular Commission, including such statements as that 19 Japaneso aeroplanes were flown over Shanghai on January 31 and that Japanese marines interfered with municipal functions. The Japanese have issued an ultimatum stating that unless all the Chinese forces withdraw 50 kilometres from Shanghai the Japanese will attack them in force. The following is a summary of information regarding the situation at Shanghai, received by the Japanese Consul-General in Sydney from the Foreign Office, Tokio, on February 8, and forwarded to the Japaneso Consul at Auckland, Mr. A. B. Roberton: — 1. A proposal to establish a neutral zone between the Japaneso and the Chinese forces was tentatively agreed to by both of the opposing parties at the meeting held at the British ConsulateGeneral on January 31. In the afternoon of the same day, the commanders of the defence forces of the other Powers were also invited to join in a detailed discussion of the said plan. A suggestion was made by the British commander that the Japanese troops should evacuate from the extension of the North Szechwan Road, a part of the Japanese defence zone, into the settlement proper. However, to evacuate from the very part where, in addition to a number of Japanese residents and factories, tha headquarters of the Japanese marines were, was absolutely impossible for the Japanese authorities to agree to. Thus, the proposal came to naught and the situation remained as ithad been.

.2. The Chinese unexpectedly commenced firing at about 11 p.m. on that day. Shells fell on the Japanese Buddhist Temple and other places. Some of them also fell very close to the flagship of the .Japanese Squadron. 3. (aJ As many as 3000 plain-clothes Chinese soldiers are said to have entered secretly into the foreign settlement. Thenactivities became very vigorous, and the members of tlie Japanese naval forces and Japanese civilians were incessantly fired at from various Chinese houses. During the night of January 31 three Japanese were killed and four seriously wounded in the quarter policed by the Japanese forces. (b) A Chinese detachment consisting of 1000 regulars ransacked the locality lying to the west of the Shanghai-Woosung railroad, including several Japanese factories, and some Japanese were killed in that part. (c) The Chinese forces have been concentrating in Shanghai and it is said that they number about 50,000. 4. (a) From the afternoon of the Ist up to the morning of February 2, Chinese forces, both regular and plain-clothes, attacked the Japanese forces time and again.

(b) "When Japanese aeroplanes were patrolling, after having notified Mr. Wu. the Chinese Mayor of Shanghai, as well as the British, American and French Con-suls-General of their intention to do so. they were fired at by the Chinese, and were forced to drop bombs on them. The report of this occurrence was very much exaggerated by the newspapers. But the facts were very simple, as stated above. (c) At 9 p.m. on the 3rd, the CFTinese fired on a locality near the North Szechwan Boad, by means of field and trench guns. Several shells fell in the vicinity of the Japanese girls' school. (d) In the afternoon of the 4th tlie Woosung fortress started firing at Japanese naval and mercantile vessels. The firing, however, soon ceased, upon a counter-attack being made by the Japanese cruisers, destroyers and aeroplanes. (e) Owing to the fact that the Chinese stationed in Chapei attacked the Japanese forces in the early morning of the 4th, severe fighting took place between the Japanese bluejackets, assisted by some aeroplanes, and the Chinese. 5. (a) On the 2nd all the Chinese compradors of the foreign banks agreed to cease their business. The foreign banks concerned therefore closed their offices from the 3rd.

(b) On the sane day a Japanese timber shop in the western part of Shanghai was ransacked by the Chinese regular soldiers, and set fire to on the following day.