THE CHENA
SOOCHOW IN RUINS
Great Fire Still Burning In Lakeside City
CHANGSHU DEFENDERS
EXPECTED
FALL
SOON TO BACK
Shanghai, 9 a.m., To-day. Soochow is in ruins following severe bombard- ment by the Japanese who now control the town.
Many houses and buildings are still burning away, and the streets are covered with the dead and wounded.
Conditions revealed show the "romance" of the
LONDON LOAN TO ITALY DENIED
Rome,
Rumours in the foreign nite of an impending Italian London, are strongly the authorities here.
A trip to London by
ent Italian financier rise to the rumours.
Ocean.
fantastic story of the scouts marching in with Chin-HANGCHOW NOW
ese troops and hoisting the Japanese flag on the pagoda.
JAPANESE RECOGNITION
OF GEN. FRANCO
Salamanca, To-day.
The Japanese have been long engaged in clearing out snipers who remained in the town after the Chinese troops retreated.
BIG MILITARY CENTRE
Reports from the Fushan area state that the Chinese were forc The ed to abandon their first defence hive of line following severe shelling by the ce Japanese warships and artillery Wucher and mechanised assaults.
Sungte in
chow, To-d
The Chinese are retreating In the past 36. westwards to a new defence line loaded with troops and have made contact with the steaming out of Hangchow troops who have retired from Station, while
Our Own Corresponents in and Soochow. dent.
[been mobilised
HEAVY LOSSES
The Japanese, who are silent re-]
port services
mlit
As to the centre of the Chi line, no important
have been evident since the fall
An official communique issued here states that the Nationalist charge d'affaires in Tokyo, Senor Francisco Castillo y Campos, has for some time been in communica- tion with the Japanese Foreign garding their own losses, state that Office.
60,000 Chinese troops died in the Soochow, as the invaders adva
westward has been stopped The communique says that the defence of Soochow.
Chinese inforcements, who are Mocheng has been subjected to holding a new defence line in the proposal has been made by the charge d'affaires for opening of a mass raid by Japanese planes, vicinity of Soochow Hus Na diplomatic relations between Japan while desperate fighting is reported and Nationalist Spain, as they round Changshu, claim to the cap- existed between the two countries ture of which the Japanese prior to the outbreak of the civil admit to be premature. war, and that the Japanese For- The position of the troops eign Minister expressed his full agreement.
The communique concludes that recognition of the Spanish Nation- alists by Japan, and appointmen of accredited diplomatic represen- tatives, will formally take place as soon as the Emperor of Japan has signed the agreement, which he is expected to do within the next few days.-Trans-Ocean.
JAPAN'S FIGURE OF CHINESE CASUALTIES
Peiping, To-day Japanese figures of Chinese Ities in North China are
as
Hopei, 164,290, including bodies found on the field
Chahar, 90,000;
bodies the field.
anat are not
taken in Ho Enumber 730, and
being done
HOW
de
fending Changshu however is be- coming increasingly precarions, with both tanks exposed, and voluntary withdrawal is hourly- ticipated.
FROM NORTH CHINA An interesting revelation made to day showed that four of the new Japanese regiments recently arriving as reinforcements in the Shanghai area came under transfer from North China, These troops were in the vanguard of the final assault on Fuskan.
On the southern front, Chang Fat-kwei is still resisting stubborn- ly, and despite the fall of Kashing, the flank is holding. Our Own Cor respondent
Am
FRONT QUIET
Nanking To-day offic
front is com Reuter
Lively quie
NIANGTSEKWAN SKIRMISH
༧
JAPANESE SEIZE S.M.P.
FIRE BRIGADE LAUNCHES
Shanghai, To-day More than thirty large and small launches belong- ing to the Water Police, the Harbour Fire Brigade, the
Chinese Customs and the Whangpoo Conservancy Board, were seized yesterday afternoon by Japanese mar ines from their moorings of the Customs Jetty on the Bund
The vessels seized included the $20,000
The foreign
mbers of the
by the Jap but the Chin- not allowed to
JAPANESE WITHDRAWING IN SHANTUNG
tow the Yel
kilome low Ri
of Shar
tung
XMAS & NEW YEAR HAMPERS
We beg to notify Customers that Assorted Hampers suitable for the Festive Season may be obtained from us at the follow- ing Reduced Rates:
No. 1 HAMPER
Qt. Moet & Chandon Dry Im perial Champagne.
1 PL. G. F. Peppermint. 1 PL DOM
~1 Qt Martell's XXX Brandy,
Qts. John Haig Gold Label Whisky.
$65.00. Qt. Superb
2. Qts. St. Julien Claret.
1 Qt. Old Brown Sherry, Black
Seal
1 Qt. Taylor's Old Tom or Dry
Gin
Phial
No. 2 HAMPER -
1 Qt. Guillemart Champagne. 1 PL DOMA
1 Qt. Burgoyne's Burgundy.
1 Qt. Martell's XXX Brandy
Qts. John Haig Gold Whisky
$60.00.
Bitters.
Qts. Tawny Dry Port.
2 Qts. St. Julien Claret
No. 3 HAMPER
Qt. Taylor's Old Tom or Dry
lor's Old Tom
Gold Label
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use Street.
HONG KONG