ARMS FOR CHINA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23226, 21 December 1938, Page 10

ARMS FOR CHINA

OROUTE THEOUGH BUEMA GUN-RUNNING CENTRE • ACTIVITY AT RANGOON "• JAPANESE ON THE ALERT ' [from OCR OWN correspondent] SINGAPORE, Dec. 6 First Hongkong and now French Indo-China have been closed as roittes by which munitions can reach China. But. China is making a determined bid to transport munitions by lior now Burma-Yunnan Road. Five representatives of the South- , Western Transportation Company, one of the largest transport companies in China, have just passed through Singapore on their, way to Rangoon, now the centre of gun-running to China. It is understood that a large number of big motor-lorries will bo bought at Rangoon for the transport of supplies nnd munition'? through Burma. This route is one of China's few unrestricted "life-lines" with the outer .world. Plans have already been made to open a branch of the Bank of China at Rangoon to facilitate matters for the Chinese Government in the transport of munitions. French Stop Transport o 1 Munitions The Kowloon (Hongkong)-Canton railway and load have been cut for gome time, with the Japanese occupation of Canton, and the French are reported to have stopped the transport of munitions for China over their Haiphong-Yunnan railway, following Japanese threats to occupy Hainan, a Chinese island of vital strategic importance off tho coast of French lndoChina. A recent traveller from Haiphong 6aid there were largo numbers of military aeroplanes and motor trucks at Haiphong, which had been refused transport over the railway. In view of the using of Burma as a base for the transport o£ munitions, significance is . attached to the fact that Japanese fishing craft based on Singapore left recently for the Gulf of Martaban, just south of Rangoon. Ostensibly they are on fishing expeditions, but it is suspected that their real mission is, to keep watch on munitions ships. Conviction is given to this belief by the fact that sis Japanese fishing boats sailed at midnight recently for the Gulf of Martaban without a port clearance. The Japanese owner, Tora Yeifuku, who pleaded guilty to a charge of permitting the craft to sail without a port clearance, Was fined £2O in the Singapore Marine Court. Japanese with Admiralty Charts Nine other Japanese fishing boats, equipped with powerful motors, also left suddenly for the Gulf of Martaban, but their papers were in order. The Gulf of Martaban is a recognised fishing ground. Although the Straits Settlements Government has adopted a policy of gradually reducing the large number of licensed Japanese fishing craft at Singapore, the opinion is being increasingly held that all Japanese fishing craft based on Singapore should have their licences withdrawn. Police investigations have revealed the presence of complete sets of Admiralty charts aboard the fishing craft. It is believed that the captains and crsws of the vessels have an intimate knowledge of all the islands and channels in the vicinity of Singapore Island and through the Dutch East Indies to Australia.