THE HONGKONG TE LEGRAPH, MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1937.
BRAN
A LONG DRINK OF
CLEAR
GOLDEN
SPARKLING.
BEER IS GOOD
FOR YOU
'AND
TIGER BEER
IS BEST
TUDEBAKER
The Last Word in Porfoction !
THE YEAR'S
STUDEBAKER
Some Expressions of Satisfied Ownors:
"Costs less to run."
"Leads in roominess and in miracle-
ride comfort."
"I can drive it hundreds of milea
and never feet fatigued."
SUNDAY: "Things are growing more tense..." MONDAY: "Twenty-three planes roared overhead..."
I FLED from
the BOMBERS
NAYAN BREWERS
PER DOZEN
PINTS $4.65
QUARTS $8.00
SOLE DISTRIBUTORS:
Tel. 20616
A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.
ONE
MEMBER OF THE
FAMILY will
CERTAINLY WANT
A
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
for
CHRISTMAS
WE HAVE A SPLENDID STOCK FROM WHICH YOU MAY SELECT A SUITABLE
GIFT
S. MOUTRIE & CO., LTD.
York Building
STILL A FEW SEATS LEFT
Chater Rd.
BUT YOU'D BETTER HURRY! -they're going fast. So are all your friends (to the show, I mean). It wil So hurry along to the brightest, gayest, craziest
be the Tale of the Town. show in the East
McLTOING 26!!
CHINA FLEET CLUB
Ask for a demonstration drive.
Hongkong Hotel Garage
Phone 27778-9
Stubbs Rd.
The
Hongkong Telegraph.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1937.
HONGKONG MUST GUARD ESSENTIAL SERVICE
Refugees fleeing from the Japanese bombers- "men, women, children
bedding, baskets, pillowcases filled with goodness knows what"
NINA
This
The Government of Hongkong is to be congratulated upon its decision to lay down in the near future two 21-inch trans-harbour; pipelines, instead of the 18-inch line recommended in the recent. Report on the Water Supply. Provision for an adequate water supply for this growing Colony is one of the essentials in any Government programme of de- velopment, though water is an element not always interesting to the public. Man, generally speaking, is more concerned with his food. But, a moment's reflection will show that water is the most vital necessity in life. We take it too much for granted. There are complaints enough if the supply is cut off even for a few hours, and al- though Hongkong is no stranger to the idea of rationing it would UNDAY.-Things are growing more commence to feel uncomfortable
and more tense. Last night we met if the hours of supply were cut here to discuss plans and hear the to, say, four or five throughout Shanghal_news_over_my_radio...The. the day.
Such a condition of call has come from our Consul," Prepare to affairs is not by any means im- Evacuato"; but no orders to evacuate or possible. Hongkong's own re-instructions where to go. So we are waiting. servoirs are far from adequate We are hoping that, even now, events for supplying the needs of the will not make it necessary for us to go. Island. And in a year of late or For the hospital here (Soochow] is going little rain, Hongkong would be to need help. It is terribly short of staff. a dry spot indeed were it not for morning remind me of the calls that were The radio calls last night and this the supply available from Kow- loon's usually well-filled inkes.
W. TROY, American missionary in China, sent to
friend in London this vivid extract from her diary which tells of the flight of refugees from threatened Soochow, near Shanghai, to a first-hand account of how Japan's mountain retreat, Mokanshan.
undeclared war on China affects the ordinary people was received in London simultaneously with news that a huge area of the resi- dential section of Soochow had been demolished, with enormous casualties among civilians. Only a few reached the security of
Mokanshan...
Examination by diver of the water pipes across the harbour early this year revealed that the 12-inch line laid in 1929-30 had corroded badly. The report leads to the belief that the pipe
broadcast on England's radios during the Fen foods. As we met last night we kept the radio on and constantly heard a warn- ing "Stiu!" Then the music would stop and a voice would say:-
"Culling Mrs. →→→→ at Mokanshan, Hus- band well and safe. Stay where you are. Calling children of ——— in Tsingtao. Stay where you are... Calling mother of in Paitalho. All safe. Don't leave until you hear from us.
At ten o'clock the announcer said, in a tired voice: We are piled up with calls. We cannot get them all through to-night. Please save your calis for to-morrow. We will start early in the morning."
It is as bad as that.
*
SUNDAY AFTERNOON.-We have decided to pack our suit-cases for a hurried exit: a bag with the immediate necessitics and a ble trunk full of other things, to be shipped home if the opportunity ever comes. Though thingå may quieten down overnight and school re- open....
At one o'clock the message came over-the- radio from the United States Consul: "All Americans in Cheklang and Kiangsu Pro- vinces (that includes us) "are to move to places of safety, not near nerodromes or, con- centration camps."
We are not near either, and feel that per- haps after all we shall not have to evacuate Boochow. And when the news comes in of the bombing of the aerodrome in Hangchow, where we thought we might be told to go, Soo-
WHEN WINTER COMES
is considered to have de vital as guns and ammunition
Wednesday and Thursday this week at 9.15 teriorated to a dangerous extent. when it
TICKETS: $3 to 50 cents from
-
'Mossrs Moutric or H.M.S. Westcott, Ship's Offico corrosion has
In aid of Charities
司公空航亞歐
FOR PASSENGERS, MAIL & FREIGHT HONGKONG HANKOW EXPRESS
EVERY
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY Dept. 11.25 a.m. Arr. 4.25 p.m.
and
HONGKONG CHANGSHA EVERY
wwwww
HANKOW SERVICE
TUESDAY & FRIDAY
Dept. 11.25 a.m. Arr. 4.25 p.m. WITH CONNECTION TO SIAN, CHENGTU, KUNMING (Yunnan)
also
comes to prolonged
In the 18-inch main serious action? It will be recognised, occurred. then, that the time may come Moreover, there is considerable for Hongkong Island to preserve doubt that pipe of this load is what water it possesses in its adequate for the needs of the reservoirs against a time when jimmediate future. In any event, the supply from Kowloon may the decision to construct two be restricted or cut off. This 21-inch lines is welcome; for it should be another phase of the not only assures the Island of a defence scheme, and it is prob- volume of water sufficient for able, though not officially made its needs but, in the event of known, that such a plan exists. damage to one of the pipes. Water in war, as Kipling has would prevent any real hardship. made clear and a good many These pipe lines form a vulner- thousands of old soldiers and lable section of the Island's lines sailors will testify, is better of communication, it is re-than beer as a beverage. More cognised. It is not necessary to than ever, in times of bombard- stress here the necessity of ment, water is necessary for the adequate water supply for the proper sanitation of a city. How preservation of the health, in-essential it would be in prevent- deed the life, of the Colony.ing the spread of fires started Since Hongkong's defences at by incendiary bombs, particular- this time are a matter of in-ly in such crowded areas as terest to everyone, it is gratify- Hongkong
possesses, ing to know that with the com-needs be told. pletion of the proposed new A story is told of the war in maing the Island's supplies are Mesopotamia in 1917 when doubly secure.. But there is also stricken Turkish post sent a problem in the protection of message to the lines behind: the source of supply. Such "We have neither food nor am- great engineering works as the munition. There is not a man Shing Mun Dam offer an excep unwounded.. But we can hold tionally fine target to anyone this point another day if you bent upon the destruction of this can send us water." It must be
render. How botter could an mander anticipated that Am- enemy strike a blow than at a munition would come along with fortress' water, every bit as the goatskins.
no-one
#
EURASIA AVIATION CORPORATION Colony or the procuring of sur-supposed that the garrison com-
H.K. OFFICE:
KING'S BLDG., 4th Flr. Tol. 25552.
WHAT do you do with yourself in winter?
Does the
bad weather get the better of you? Does the cold "kill" you? Or do you conquer condlifons, make them your servants?
comes.
So many people throw up their hands when winter "Kamerad!" they cry. "Please don't be too hard on me," they moan.
The first signs of winter see thick clothing and wool- ly waistcoats produced. Fires are piled up. Hot water bottles are ordered for beds. Worse stil, conversation turns upon the weather. The cold, wet, foggy at- mosphere is mentioned ad nauseam. Its 1-effects are stressed by all and sundry.
Psychologically.. a vast number of persons talk them- selves into a state of misery in winter. If they fell cheer- • ful when they leave their homes for work, they are right down in the dumps by the time they have told their friends, or their friends have informed them, how treacherous are winter winds and ruins.
A Wrong Approach.
The majority of us approach winter In quite the wrong spirit. We make up our minds to be wretched. And wretched we become.
Mr. A. gets a cold every December. He is de- termined upon that point. He cannot remember a December when he has not had a cold or influenza. He tells his pals all about it. They are not interested, but that dies not stop him from recording the sensational news. December comes. Mr. A. settles back comfort- ably, waiting for the cold, Untl that appears, to la uneasy. Of course, it comes sooner or later. He thinks himself into it. Although a sad case with his cold, he Is Inwardly happy. He has done a great trick. Hla annual big event is on.
Some Individuals are so unhappy in winter that I often consider it a pity they cannot be like some animals and hibernate. Many of them come near to it. One never sees them except when they are going to and from their work. They bury themselves indoors. They may us well be in the earth for all the good their lives are to them in winter,
Others, more affluently placed, hibernate in n different way. They flee to the sunshine of the South of France or other delectable spots.
(Continued on Page 5.)
chow seenis to be the safest place we know of.
my
Now I am taking watch by the radio. We are dividing up the hours so that no calls shall be missed. As I write planes are zooming overhead. We are on the direct air route from Shan- ghal to Nanking, and hardly an hour passes without we hear the roar of their on- gines. Markings are not clear, but we judge them to be Chinese. We hope so. anyway.
MONDAY MORNING.—No one is allowed on the streets
to-day. We are getting ready to evacuate, for we realise the call may como at nny moment. The servants asked that if we went no one should stay. But some of them may wish to.
MONDAY, 4 PM-A Jap- anese plane formation has Just left us; 23 death-deal- ing bombers, bombing just outside Soochow. We heard them coming. A great roar of engines sent Kate ́and I rushing to our uncovered. porch. We saw them, a great distance above us.
While we were wondering whether or not they were Japanese the question was answered by a great crash to the south. We dived for the comparative shelter of the house. Everyone gathered in an inside hall on the first floor where radio instructions told us to go in case of a raid.
Fifteen bombs dropped in quick succession, shaking doors and windows-and folk. None was very near us; but they sounded as if they were right next door,
LATER-All afternoon and evening planes have been zooming overhead. Several times during the afternoon the strens called every- one to cover, and distant booms were heard. But Soochow continued tense and quiet, wait- ing
watching, dreading.
By supper-time things seemed quietened down. At 0.30 we went in to supper. We had just got the blessing asked and the plates We served, when someone said, "Listen!" knew only too well what to listen to.
A thunderous noise announced yet another rald (we learned later that there were 40 planes which came in formation, then scat- tered and covered the entire city). We went back to the inside hall again: family, friends, -servants.- refugees from across the city--The- electricity was switched off to protect us against fire should we be hit.
We heard plans after piano sweep by, then the deep boom and crash of an exploding bomb, another, another. Then a short pause as the planes turned back again, another cxplosion, and another,
Our doors and windows, our new house, and we ourselves shook. The house seemed to be mado of pasteboard. One bomb dropped so near that we feared the new school building had been hit,
For an hour it kept on a roar increasing In intensity as the planes advanced, the noise of the explosions as bombs were dropped, a pause as the planes made a great circle over the city, then the whole procedure over again..
· TUESDAY.-Blept in small room in hos- pital, like sardines. There were no raids dur- ing the night, but even so there was not much sleep for us, We thought and talked about the raide.
I asked one doctor whother his house had rattled, ***The house?" he said. "I don't know. I was trembling so myself, I couldn't tell about the house."
The uncertainty of everything unnerved us more than the actual danger. We were 50 tense, not knowing what to expect, fearing to move to see to oven necessary things. We heard the roar of the planes when they were there and thought we heard when it was only the rising wind. Even the bang of door caused us to glance at each other in dread.
This morning has been better; only occa- stonal planes passing in twos and threes. But distant explosions are a constant reminder that the danger is not so far away as we would like.
Mr. Henry has returned from Mokanshan. He has been trying since Sunday to get us boat, bus or launch to take us to Mokansban - or out of Boochow. The Commissioner of Foreign Affairs is helping, too. But boata are scarce, and boatmen fear to take them out, for the Government has commandeered boats, trains and buses for troop movements.
Everyone listens for a whistle: wondering whether the one long blast will be followed by two short ones, to tell us that raiders are on the way. www.
Then, at last, the bont arrived and into it wo tumbled. But still no one breathed freely until
wo were part the landing fold two miles out- rida the city-and we were really on our way from threatened Soochow to Mokanshan and katety.
**** To-day's Thought............ ETERNAL law allowed us one entrance
into life but many exite.
-SENECA.