The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1937. THE ASIATIC CONFLICT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13638, 24 August 1937, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1937. THE ASIATIC CONFLICT.

To-day’s cable news indicates that the Asiatic situation as it affects England has grown worse. Ihe crux ol the matter lies in the safety o the Foreign Concessions in. Shanghai and it has been announced that the British Cabinet is considering the evacuation of the entire British J>° pulation from the Concession which numbers almost 10,000 .The Japanese viewpoint is that they must protect their own Concession from the depredations of the Chinese and for this reason they declined to consider the British plan for isolating the Concessions from the theatre of war. We have seen what terrible consequences followed ir. the Concessions when artillery duels and bombing flights were carried on by the rival SinoJapanese factions and to-day’s news gives the situation a' more terrifying aspect for those in the Concessions. British money to the tune of some £100,000,000 is invested in Shanghai and it is imperative that these interests must be protected against the overflow of violence from the fighting parties. It is considered that the evacuation of the British population from the Concession will facilitate the efforts of the English authorities in thi? direction and it is practically certain that the British) Government will insist on this step unless of course Japan alters her mind. The Japanese obviously mean business in China and the landing of a further force of -50,000 is aimed at pushing the offensive on to a snap victory before the Chinese forces can consolidate. Alcan while there are signs that Soviet Russia is taking up the cause of China, for reasons too obvious to be misinterpreted. Thus do we have the makings of another battleground, happily out of Eurojie this time, but one which is likely to be fraught with serious repercussions whichever way the conflict ends.