ULTIMATUM REJECTED

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1932, Page 5

ULTIMATUM REJECTED

CHINESE REFUSE TO WITHDRAW-

JAPANESE POSITIONS BOMBARDED THE INVADERS TO ATTACK TO-DAY By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received 8 p.m., ' . . Shan S lia b Fe J ,, .? p 9 ' “THE conference of the Japanese and Chinese military leaders iai . to achieve peace and the Japanese last night issued an ultimatum that the Chinese must withdraw 20 kilometres from Shanghai before mid-day on Saturday. Declaring they would fight to t e end, the Chinese rejected the Japanese demands at the con eience that they should withdraw their troops. _ ... , ’ Artillery fire was again exchanged during last evening an without waiting for the expiry of the Japanese ultimatum the inese early this morning took the initiative, intensively bombarding Japanese positions. Shells fell in the British quarter, one wrecking the upper room of the Savoy Hotel. Thousands of Japanese equipped with every modem weapon o warfare are marching into lines stretching fiom the e erne boundaries to the mouth of the Whangpoo River near boosting. Chinese official circles announce that the answer rejecting the ultimatum was handed to the Japanese authorities to-night. According to 'General Uyeda (Japan), speaking to the foreign Press correspondents, the Chinese must commence their withdrawal before 7 a.m. to-morrow; otherwise the Japanese wiH open their offensive.. General Uyeda assured the Press that.foreign interests. would be in safe hands. He announced it was not the intention of the Japanese to pursue the Chinese beyond t e metre zone, where the Japanese front line would be established.

“DEFENCE OF HERITAGE” / CHINESE GENERAL’S IDEAL ARTILLERY FIRE RENEWED SHELLS IN SETTLEMENT By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 11.10 p.m. Shanghai, Feb. 19. The commander of the XlXth Route Army (General Tsai Ting Kai) definitely rejected, the Japanese demands, he claiming the Chinese people could not accept such dishonourable means of averting the crisis. “I am fighting for the rights of the nation which have too long been trampled beneath the heels of foreign Powers,” General Tsai Ting Kai said. “If I and my men die defending what is the Chinese people's heritage we at least know that we have done what others feared to attempt.” Chinese shells last night dropped behind Astor House, Broadway district, smashing the windows and doing other extensive damage in the settlement. Fortunately the curfew prevented injuries, the streets being deserted. It is practically impossible to reach the Chinese headquarters as the roads are mined and trenched and the bridges destroyed. The'meeting of the military commanders yesterday lasted two hours. The Japanese series of demands included the demilitarisation of Shanghai, the destruction of the fortifications in the • Woosung area, and the immediate withdrawal for 20 kilometres of the Chinese forces. The Chinese representative said he was unable to accept the proposals and must refer them to his Government. Afterwards it was stated that the terms \ as communicated to the Chinese were that their troops must withdraw from their first lines by Saturday morning and from' their second lines by Saturday evening.

> CONVOCATION OF TSE LEAGUE. 'CHINESE APPLICATION UPHELD. Geneva, Feb. 18. The jurists’ committee of the League of Nations has upheld the Council’s thesis supporting the Chinese application for the convocation of the Assembly. ■; BUILDING OF U.S. FLEET URGED. COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ALARMED. Washington, Feb. 18. Mr. Vinson, chairman of the Naval Committee, stated in the House of Representatives >to-day that the situation in the Far East was becoming more alarming. He urged that the fleet be built to treaty limits.

BRITAIN’S CLOSE WATCH NOTE TO CHINESE MINISTER I LIFE AND PROPERTY LOSSES “EACH SIDE RESPONSIBLE” British Wireless. Rugby, Feb. 18. The acute interest with which the House of Commons is watching events in the Far East was shown again to-day when Sir John Simon, the Foreign Secretary, gave members the latest information in his possession. After referring with regret to the two British naval ratings killed yesterday by shells which, from their direction, seemed almost certain to have been firei’ by Chinese guns, Sir John said the British Minister, Sir Miles Lampson, had sent a note to the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs calling attention to the episode and requesting that strict instructions be issued to the Chinese military authorities concerned with a view to preventing any possible recurrence of such incidents, and reminding him that the British Government must in this unfortunate conflict between China and Japan hold each side responsible for any Ess of British life and property that may be caused by the respective armed forces. Referring to the meeting this morning between the Chinese and Japanese military authorities, which he mentioned had been largely brought about by Sir Miles Lampson in the hope that a cessation of hostilities might be arranged, Sir John said the House would regret that the latest Press message indicated that an agreement had not been secured.

The latest news from Geneva, said Sir John, was that Japan had raised certain legal points in connection with the Chinese request for the reference of the dispute from the council to the assembly. These had been referred by the council to a committee of jurists. It was anticipated that the Chinese application would then be dealt with by the council without delay. When the Shanghai situation was mentioned in the House of Lords this evening, Lord Hailsham, Secretary for War, in expressing the grave concern of the Government, said that what had happened was very difficult to reconcile with the provisions of the Pact of Paris or the League Covenant.

While co-operating in all peace efforts, the Government had kept in closest possible touch with the American Government and colleagues on the League Council. The reported failure of the meeting to-day between the Japanese and Chinese was to be greatly regretted, and there seemed a serious risk of the commencement of hostilities. Such a failure would not discourage the Government in its peace efforts. He asked for restraint to be exercised in expressions of opinion as to where responsibility lay for the situation until full opportunity was given the council or the assembly of the league to determine the issues.