BRITISH “JITTERY”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 188, 11 August 1939, Page 7

BRITISH “JITTERY”

FLEET TO FAR EAST COMMENT BY JAPANESE SPOKESMAN i _E>:- Telegraph—l’ress Association—Copyright) TOKIO, Aug. 9. I'h ■ Rear-Admiral Kanazawa, making reference to the report that Britain was inquiring during the crisis in the Anglo-Japanese negotiations whether America would send a strong squadron to join a reinforced British and Australian squadron in Singapore, said he doubted such an extraordinary dislocation of the international line-up. but anyhow Japan was unperturbed and would not in the least change its policy. He added: “Mr. Neville Chamberlains threat that the Fleet may go to Asia amounted to bombast for home consumption. The fact that it was uttered reveals that the British are ! jittery.The Foreig Office has instructed the British Ambassador, Sir Robert Craigie, strongly to protest against Japanese attempted confiscation or the Chiaotso coal mines in the Honan province, and also to remind the Japanese assurances to preserve ! order in occupied areas. PRO-JAPANESE BROADCASTS EXPELLED CHINESE PREMIER. LONDON. Aug. 9. The Hongkong correspondent of i the London Times says the expelled ; Chinese Premier, Wang Ching-Wei, is iin Canton broadcasting attacks on j Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, claiming | ihta he can arrange an armistice in I the Canton area immediately if the i Chinese desire peace on the basis of ! anti-Comintern good neighbourship. He seeks to establish a Government on the basis of a federal system of : five autonomous units closely co- . operating with Japan, but since the i plan involves continued Japanese i military occupation the prospects of : winning reputable adherents are poor. Canton reports state Japanese are making sorties round Canton, prinj cipally for commandeering food, destroying what they arc unable to ■ carry off. and machine-gunning farm- i ers who are hurriedly harvesting rice.