GRAVE SITUATION ARISES IN CHINA

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1927, Page 7

GRAVE SITUATION ARISES IN CHINA

BRITISH DRIVEN (OUT OF. FOREIGN CONCESSION CHINESE MOBS ATTACK MARINE DEFENDING FORCE COOLNESS DISPLAYED UNDER GREAT PROVOCATION (Prew Association—Copyright.) Received January 5, 8.30 p.m. Hankow, January 5. : At.seven o’clock last evening, a Chinese mol) entered the British concession occupied by the Customs House and the Municipal Buildings, and expelled the British from the concession. The Chinese police arc patrolling the concession, keeping order. The Chinese attacked the defences of the foreign concession, which was held by British sailors and marines, the British being driven out after violent attacks on the marines with poles and other weapons, and the manner in which the marines refrained from opening file in the extremely provocating circumstances excited the admiration of the correspondents. ' . • i

Received Jan. 6, 7.50 p.m. London, Jan. 5. "The. British Bailors’ and marines’ behaviour during this afternoon’s ordeal, which called for supreme patience under the severest provocation, is the finest exhibition of self-control I have seen,” cables Mr. Percival Phillips to the Evening News from Hankow. "A naval force from the Mangolia, the Woolstan and the Bee, reinforced the Hankow volunteers, who were holding the western barricade on the British bund. The seamen faced a mob, who, acting under the excitement of antiforeign agitators, were repeatedly edging near the barricade, which resembled a miniature fort, until they were a yard from the sandbags, all the time showering abuse end stones on the defenders. "A Chinese rush reached the sandbags and a flank movement along the undefended foreshore nearly surrounded the pest. The marines drove the mob back by a frontal attack, and the mob retired, pulling up the wire entanglements. "Twenty members of the naval force, retaking the foreshore, were attacked with heavy poles. Two of them lost their stel helmets and were beaten on the head and had to be sent to hospital. It is feared they are mortally hurt. Another fell and the Chinese seized his rifle and bayoneted 'him in the leg. Lieutenant Ellis, belonging to the Bee, was struck in the face by stones and two volunteers were injured. “The British authorities attempted to reach the Cantonese Government, demanding the quelling of the rising, and received the reply that nobody had authority to act. Later four Chinese police arrived and feebly harangued the crowd, who continued surging around three sides of the sandbags, still abusing the occupants; yet hot a shot was fired and not a single man lost his temper.” The Daily News says the Foreign Office does not attach seriousness to the Hankow incident and it is not at present believed necessary to evacuate the eight hundred British and two hundred other foreigners. There would be no difficulty in doing this in the event of necessity, owing to the presence of three gunboats and many river craft. It is officially reported from Hankow that while the marines were advancing with fixed bayonets one Chinese was killed. The Cantonese authorities’ action in sending troops to suppress the disturbance is regarded as a hopeful feature. The Times’ Hankow correspondent says i The incident emphasises the present absurdly inadequate protection at Hankow, where rowdies have been ordered to attack the British concession, believing the masses are sufficient to intimidate the thin line of naval men in extended order across the bund to the foreshore.

Chinese officials issued a proclamation alleging the butchery of blood brothers by the British marines. A report that General Wei-Pei-Fu’s troops were defeated at Liuling, 140 miles north of Hankow, is partly confirmed. The Cantonese are hurriedly moving two armies northward to hold up an expected advance. The correspondent, in a later message, states that immediately following on the agreement between the British and Chinese authorities, tinder which the marines were withdrawn from the concession and replaced by Chinese police, swarms of rioters invaded the concession, dismantled the sandbag fortifications, and defaced the war memorial Cenotaph, throwing stones against the foreigners and shouting: "Kill the foreign dogs!” A naval detachment temporarily landed again, but later re-embarked owing to the impossibility of refraining from opening fire. The situation at present is most grave.

MASS MEETING HELD. PLAN TO SEIZE CONCESSION, Received Jan. 6, 1.15 a.m. Shanghai, Jan. 8. The latest report from Hankow state* that a big mass meeting this morning ■was attended by representatives of the Government departments and all the unions. Government speakers and agitators reviewed the previous day’s incident, declaring that several Chinese were killed by the marines. The object of the meeting was to forrri a society with the object of disarming K the British forces and seizing the British concessions. Resolutions were carried emphasising the British oiuelty after the previous clash, when the: crowds had been driven back. The Chinese authorities have promised to send troops, and an agreement has been reached between the Chinese and British that no more marines will be landed, leaving the Chinese to maintain order. ; A later message states that all the barricades defending the concession were removed by sections of the crowd, apparently working according to an organised plan and gradually invading the concession. At the time the message was sent the Chinese defence forces appeared adequate to cope with the situation, which at the moment was not dangerous. Received Jan. 6, 12.5 a.m. Shanghai, Jan. B. The latest reports from Hankow fail to confirm that the British have been driven from the concession. Hongkong reports that the naval authorities there state that the marines were withdrawn to avoid trouble. The warships Wishart, Vindicative and Carlisle left Hongkong this morning for Hankow. The Enterprise and a third destroyer flotilla are already 'here. There are about 360 British residents in the Hangkow concession. BLOODSHED INEVJTABLE. CLIMAX BELIEVED NEAR. Shanghai, Jan. 4. Strong evidence is in the hands oi the local authorities that the Kuomintung extremists fearing that the conservative element favours a friendly attitude to Britain as the result of Sir William Lampson’s visit to Hankow and the British memorandum, arc deliberately forcing the issue with Britain on the counsel of Russian advisers, tvho see Soviet influence slipping away unless Britain is driven to causing an incident by firing on an unarmed Chinese mob. The Hankow events are being the forerunners of others worse, and it is believed that bloodshed eventually is unavoidable and the eliinax is generally regarded as near. A long succession of anti-Biitish outbreaks is expected, and the Yangtsze valley may become a holocaust should Britain be forced to retaliate, if there should be increasingly hostile demonstrations. The valley is now seething with the hatred of Britain. The anti-foreign feeling is almost solely eoniined to Britain, Japan and America, file other Powers are being temporarily overlooked, proving conclusively that Soviet influence is at work. London, Jan. 4., The Riga correspondent of the Times says that the Soviet declares that the Chinese'revolution is not yet half accomplished and urges the creation of' a mighty national army capable of crushing ChaUg-Teo-Lin and Iris imperialist allies. It is endeavouring to create the belief that the British memorandum ie the preliminary step to the intervention ot the Powers for the purpose of imposing on China a plan resembling the Dawes scheme, by which China will be enthralled.