WAR IN FAR EAST

Wairarapa Daily Times, 29 September 1937, Page 5

WAR IN FAR EAST

WIDE FRONT OFFENSIVE LAUNCHED BY JAPANESE. Press Association Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, Tuesday. With the ground drying up, the Japanese in Shanghai launched a tanks and infantry offensive on a wide front from Chapei to Kaingwan, for which they had installed heavy artillery and landed numerous reinforcements. Apparently they aim at severing the Chinese communications between Shanghai and Nanking, and then to drive to Sooehow. The thrust follows on failure to cut the highway between Lotient and Leihang. The Chinese counter-attacked in the latter place, where they claim considerable success, reaching Yanghang. The Japanese on the Hopei front advanced along the Tientsin-Pukow Railway to Fengeliiakou, 30 miles south of Tsangchow, but the Chinese to the north-westward are still preventing a Japanese consolidation on the Hopei Plain. Ten Japanese ’planes raided the aerodrome and arsenal at Nanking. JAPANESE TREACHERY. PLANES FALSELY MARKED. LONDON, Tuesday. The Chinese Embassy states that an official telegram from Nanking says that two Japanese monoplanes flew low over Kwangteh, in Anhwei Province, on Sunday, with, the Chinese national emblem painted on the wings, and dropped two bombs. Japan has thus treacherously tried to shift the responsibility to China for murderous attacks affecting foreign nationals. SINKING OF FISHING FLEET. REPORT ASKED FOR. TOKIO, Tuesday. The British Ambassador has been instructed to make a full Teport to London concerning the shelling of a Chinese fishing fleet by a Japanese submarine, which was responsible for more than two hundred deaths of men, women and children. OUTRAGE DENIED. BY JAPANESE AUTHORITIES. HONG KONG, Tuesday. Additional survivors of the . submarine attack on fishermen have arrived. They ■ repeat stories of the ordeaL Nevertheless, the Japanese naval authorities deny the outrage. JAPANESE DEFEATED. BY COMMUNIST ARMY. LONDON, Monday. The Chinese report that the Communist Eighth Route Army, advancing eastwards, defeated the Japanese in North Shansi, in the neighbourhood of Hungyuan, killing and capturing between 300 and 500. AIR RAIDS. RETORT TO BRITISH PROTEST. (Received Wednesday, 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, Tuesday. ' The British Government denies Japanese newspaper allegations that the British bombed natives in Tanganyika, made as a retort to the British protest against the Japanese air raids. JAPANESE AIRMEN RESCUED. BY BRITISH STEAMER. HONGKONG, Tuesday.

The British steamer Sooclioav picked up six Japanese airmen, four of them Avounded, near a Avrecked plane damaged by anti-aircraft gunfire in the bombing of Canton. ANOTHER OUTRAGE. SLEEPING CIVILIANS BOMBED (Received Wednesday. 12.10 p.m.) SHANGHAI, Tuesday. Japanese bombed the open toAAm of Chingyuan while the populace was asleep, killing tAvo hundred and demolishing scores of houses. HUNDRED BOMBS DROPPED. ON AN AERODROME. (Received Wednesday, 12.10 p.m.) SHANGHAI, Tuesday. After bombing Nanking tAvo Japanese formations fieAV over Wuhu, which is listed as a safety zone for foreign officials, and dropped 100 bombs on an aerodrome fiA*e miles from the toAvn, BOYCOTT THREATENED. 8 AGAINST JAPANESE GOODS. , ... SYDNEY, Tuesday. Labour organisations in this and other States threaten to embark on a boycott of Japanese goods arising out of the Japanese bombings of non-com-batants in China. Decisions are likely to be reached this Aveek. RAILWAYMEN’S resolution. MARTON, Tuesday. While not giving support to a resolution passed by the Otahuliu Workshops branch of the National Union of Railwaymen concerning the situation as between Japan and China, the Marton branch carried an 800-Avord resolution recording "utter horror and disgust at the diabolical atrocity and destruction of innocent human life as the result of the Japanese method of invasion and attempted conquest by ruthless attack and destruction in China and that a general expression of the feeling of Avorld-Avide trade unionists against a

continuance of inhuman slaughter by attrition should be expressed with a view to influencing organised trade unionists of Japan to endeavour to induce the Japanese workers and people to call upon the Government to seek' other rational means of settlement of the dispute and/or desires with the Chinese people if they have a case for reasonable consideration.” The resolution proceeds that the cause or reason for the Japanese invasion is not clearly disclosed, but the resultant atrocities call for serious notice. The fact that there was no formal declaration of war is considered suspicious and the statement that aggression is not against the Chinese people, but is directed at the so-called Communist menace, is held to be an obvious subterfuge. The resolution e onclud.es: "If Japan requires territorial expansion and access to materials, we are of opinion that such should be considered by peaceful methods and reasoned negotiation by an impartially-constituted tribunal. W.e invite all trade unionists to join in a protest and to consider means of united action in expressing our horror to the New Zealand representative of the Japanese Government and our sympathy and concern with the Chinese people through the resident consul. —(P.A.)