BRITISH BATTALION SENT TO WEI-HAI-WEI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18470, 23 May 1928, Page 9

BRITISH BATTALION SENT TO WEI-HAI-WEI.

WILL BE RUSHED TO TIEN-TSIN IF NEEDED. (United Press Assn. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received May 23, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, May 22. Making a statement in the House of Commons regarding the situation in China, Mr Locker-Lampson said that no great progress had been made by the Southern forces in their advance on Pekin and Tien-tsin, and the latest reports showed that the Northern forces were offering resistance south of Pao Ting-fu. He added that recently a battalion, less two companies, of the Shanghai Defence Force had been despatched from Shanghai to Wei-Hai-Wei, where for some time past there had been one company. This movement had been undertaken primarily for training purposes and in order to give the troops the benefit of a more congenial climate, but they would be available for the defence of British lives and property at Tien-tsin if necessary and were only about a day’s journey away.—British Official Wireless.

NORTH AND SOUTH ENGAGE IN BATTLE.

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received May 23, 12.15 pm.) TOKIO, May 22. Negotiations between Chang Tso-lin and the Japanese legation at Peking

for Chang’s orderly withdrawal into Manchuria appear to have broken down, the Foreign Office here stating that Chang’s agent approached the Minister, Mr Yoshizawa, at Peking on Tuesday night with a proposal that the Northerners would immediately withdraw into Manchuria, provided Japan would stop the Nationalist advance on Peking and guaranteed that the Peking-Tien-tsin area would not be allowed to fall under Nationalist control.

Mr Yoshizawa refused, declaring that such a step would be a violation of neutrality. Chang’s desire is apparently for a sort of buffer state for the Peking-Tien-tsin area w hich would be between the Nationalist domain and Manchuria.

War Olfice advices substantiate this analysis, declaring that a major battle is already developing between the Southern and Northern forces with preliminary fighting now under way between the Shansi army, which is part of the Southern attacking force and the Northern troops. The War Office states that about 200,000 Northern forces are opposing 220,000 attacking Southerners along the line from Nankou Pass around Peking, through Paotingfi and Tangchow, which is about sivty miles southward of Tien-tsin.— United Service.

JAPANESE TRADERS BOYCOTT CHINESE.

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received May 23, 12.30 p.m.) SHANGHAI, May 22. Japanese merchants having decided on a retaliation of the Chinese boycott. yesterday decided to refrain from purchasing Chinese export goods until the boycott is lifted.—United Ser-