STILL HAZY

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 365, 5 March 1932, Page 1

STILL HAZY

SHANGHAI POSITION OBSCURE.

League Assembly Discussion.

CHINESE REJECT JAPANESE PEACE TERMS.

United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received March 5, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, March 4

The Shanghai situation continues somewhat obscure, although fighting seems to have entirely ceased in most places since the withdrawal of the Chinese forces to the rear lines.

Press telegrams report firing near Nanziang between entrenched Chinese and the Japanese forces advancing to occupy positions within range. Meanwhile, the Japanese terms for the cessation of hostilities are not acceptable to the Chinese authorities, who, while* quite prepared to discuss the armistice terms, take especial exception to the Japanese proposal for a round-table conference to be held in Shanghai during the armistice, the present form of which they regard as too vague.

Meanwhile conditions in the Settlement, despite the influx of crowds of refugees, remain quiet and orderly, and the inhabitants experience relief in the absence of gunfire.

In Geneva the Assembly will meet again to-day to resume consideration of the Shanghai problem. The General Committee of the League of Nations Assembly, composed of the chief delegates of each country, met this afternoon at Geneva. Divergent views regarding the situation at Shanghai were expressed by the Japanese and Chinese delegates, and after an hour’s discussion the chairman, M. Hymans, suspended the sitting to enable a small committee to draft a resolution governing the terms of the cessation of hostilities and outlining the further steps necessary at Shanghai. Later this evening the full meeting resumed, and M. Hymans introduced the following* resolution : —“ That the Assembly, recalling the Council’s resolution of Feb-

ruary 28 and other measures which have been contemplated, first invites the Governments or China and Japan

to take immediately the necessary steps to assure the effective execution of the orders given by the commanders of both forces for a cessation of hostilities; secondly, to inform the Assembly of the conditions on which the invitation formulated in paragraph one have been carried out; and thirdly, recommends negotiations to be undertaken by the Japanese and Chinese representatives, with the assistance of the naval and military authorities of the Powers above mentioned, with a view to making the cessation of hostilities definite on arranging for the withdrawal of the Japanese forces, and the Assembly expresses the wish that the Powers referred to will keep it informed regarding the progress of negotiations.”

Viscount Sato, the Japanese delegate, moved as an amendment an addition to paragraph three of the following words; “And the future standing of the Chinese forces.” After discussion the amendment was withdrawn under protest and the resolution was adopted.

SETTLEMENT ALARMED.

Cracker Demonstration Causes Panic. (Received March 5, 10.5 a.m.) SHANGHAI, March 4. No definite steps had been taken locally to-day to further the peace movement, though negotiations were continuing for the purpose of summoning the Round Table Conference. The greatest difficulty in the way of peace consists of the refusal of the Cantonese troops to accept any terms arranged by the Nanking Government, which is described as not representative of the whole of China and without credit. A war bulletin issued at Nanking states that a body of Chinese troops, consisting of 20.000 Feng Yu-hsiang men, landed at Liuho and captured that position from the Japanese. The Shanghai authorities are having much trouble in controlling the crowds of Chinese, who, either believing that the Chinese have won a victory, or because they wished to create a panic, startled the inhabitants by a great cracker-firing demonstration over the city. Ultimately volunteers assisted to restore order. The disturbance extended to the foreign settlements and detachments of British troops patrolled the streets all night long.

ANOTHER OUTBREAK.

TOKIO, March 4. Tokio deplores news of the re-opening of hostilities after the “cease fire” was ordered. The Chinese attacked again this morning, and details are anxiously awaited. It is hoped that the fighting is purely local and'will not develop into further fighting.