LONG FIGHT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23281, 17 August 1945, Page 2

LONG FIGHT

China And Japan Republic’s War Effort I Ten years before Japan precipitated j herself into World War If. by attack- i ing Pearl Harbour, her forces invaded ; j China’s "Three North-eastern Pro- ’ Vinces”—Manchuria. Still in the | B throes of a great internal revolution, > " which even to-day remains uncorn- j P pleted, China was in no position to ; u resist, effectively, and within three j months tire Japanese were in complete control, Jehol was taken the following year and then Japan settled j j down to digest the first bite. y During the next five years China j avoided conflict, with Japan while she endeavoured to settle her own internal difficulties, and the end of this period saw China divided into two major opposing factions, tire Kuomintang forces and the Communists. I Then occurred the famous Sian inci- J dent, when Generalissimo Chiang Kai- I shek was kidnapped by the “Young Marshal” Chang Hseuh-liang. Communist intervention saved the Generalissimo’s life, and talks then instituted resulted in the KuomintangCommunist dispute being “patched J up.” A united China was dangerous 1 to Japan's plans and six months later, I on July 7, 1937, on the pretext of ' searching for a lost soldier, Japanese t troops attacked the Chinese forces in Loukouchiao. , , The long Sino-Japanese war hart - begun. At first China had little but ' the sympathy of the nations, who. m 1941. were to become her allies. Later, plans were made to give her practical i help, but these were only beginning I to materialise when war spread i throughout the world and China’s would-be friends had to look to their own defences. It is only within the last year that aid to China has been on an appreciable scale, and this has been reflected in the improved situation in that theatre. In spite of the difficulties under which China has laboured, her contribution to the Allied war effort has been no mean one. She has inflicted on the Japanese over two million casualties, and her steadfast resistance m i spite of a number of peace overtures by the Japanese has had a great in- | fluence on the course of the whole Allied war with Japan. China’s effort has been realised at i great cost to herself. Millions oi her , soldiers have been killed or wounded, ; while tens of millions of civilians have lost their lives as a result of the ravages of war—slaughter, disease and starvation. No nation will welcome the peace more than China.

RATION COUPONS MEAT. —No. 41 (valueless after Aug. 19 '- No. 42 (valueless after Aug 26). BUTTER.— Nos. 41, 42 and 43 (valueless after Sept. 2). SUGAR— Nos. 41 to 44 inclusive (valueless after Sept. 2). TEA.—Nos. 41 to 44 inclusive (valueless after Sept. 2).