WAR ON BORDERS OF HONG KONG

Southland Times, Issue 23677, 28 November 1938, Page 5

WAR ON BORDERS OF HONG KONG

REFUGEES AN ACUTE PROBLEM OVERCROWDING IN FOUR CAMPS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received November 27, 7.30 p.m.) HONG KONG, November 26. The Japanese advance close to the border has made the refugee problem in Hong Kong acute. Thousands en masse ignored official appeals to wait until accommodation was provided, and at least 100,000 refugees swarmed with all their belongings, even cattle, into British-leased territory and spent the night in the open. Additional hordes rushed the Shamchun bridge, leading to the British area. Police obstructed them, upon which the refugees improvised plank bridges and rafts, so the bridge was despairingly thrown open. Four refugee camps are already overcrowded. The British have disarmed and interned several hundred Chinese soldiers who tried to rush the frontier at Shataukok. British military outposts on the border report that Japanese shells are falling at their very doorsteps. JAPANESE CONTROL ANALYSED CHINESE CLAIM TO RULE MOST OF COUNTRY (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 26. The Chinese Consul has received advice from Chungking that the executive has published statistics showing that the Japanese military have nominally occupied nine provinces out of 28 but actually control only small areas outside the main communication arteries and municipalities. These statistics are compiled on the basis of reports received, from provincial governments in nine so-called occupied provinces, Kaingsu, Cheking,

Anhui, Kiangsi, Shantung, Honan, Shansi, Hupeh and Hopei. The number of hsiens or counties in these nine provinces totals 296. . Statistics show that the Chinese Government is still exercising complete political and administrative control over 489 hsiens, or 61.44 per cent, ot the total. The Chinese Government exercises partial control over 248 hsiens, or 31.15 per cent. These figures do not include municipalities such as Shanghai, Hanking, Hankchow, Tsinan, Hankow and Tsingtao. The number of counties under complete Japanese control is highest in the Hopei province, where the Japanese control 44 out of 132 counties, or 3a P6 The Japanese completely control 14 per cent, of the counties in Kiangsu, 3 per cent, in Chekiang, and 3 per cent, in Honan. In other words; the number of counties in nine provinces under complete Japanese control totals only 7.41 per cent.