1940-01-19 — Page 12

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 19, 1940

Yonai Appointment Described As "Underhand"

JAPANESE ARMY

SECRETLY BITTER

OVER THE AFFAIR

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA_MAIL")

Tokyo, To-day.

THE SUDDENNESS OF THE appointment of Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai to the Premiership when the general public and press were convinced that either Prince Fumimaro Konoye or Gen. S. Hata would succeed Gen. Abe was unprecedented in Japanese political history.

The announcement made a deep sensation in all circles, par-

RUMANIAN OIL CONTROL BOARD

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Bucharest, To-day.

The Government has decided to create a "national oil commissar- lat" to control Rumanian oil pro- duction and sales, co-ordinate all oil industries, control exports and provide the army with its needs. -Havas.

OFFICIAL

ticularly Army ones, which were convinced that the Em- BEST

peror would call Gen. Hata as the normal successor to

Gen. Abe. This conviction became almost a certainty SELLERS

when Gen. Hata was summoned to the Palace on Sun- day evening when the decision to appoint Admiral Yonai had already been reached.

ILLINOIS SUPPORTS THIRD TERM

(SPECIAL TO “CHINA MAIL")

Washington, To-day.

After visiting the White House yesterday Mayor Kel- ly of Chicago told pressmen: "Illinois State delegates to the Democrat Convention will support President Roosevelt for a third term with or with- out the President's agree- ment."

The statement is considered highly important because Illinois has 58 votes at the Convention.

Another reason is that it constitutes a clear indication of the Democratic London, To-day.

attitude towards the thorny third term Sales of the Government question.-Hovas. Blue Book on German-Polish

It was later revealed that Mr. Kura-relations up to the outbreak het Yuasa, Lord-Keeper of the Privy of war have now reached the

DR. SALAZAR Seal, Insisted on this "camouflaging" amazing total of 565,000

ON THE WAR

and wantonly left the Japanese press to announce that Gen. Hata was the copies. most likely candidate.

The Throne's tactics in placing be- fore the public and the Army a fait Madrid, To-day.

"accompli" was motivated by the desire Indications of a similarity to quash, in advance any rumours that in Spanish and Portuguese Admiral Yonal was strongly opposed

the reactions to

war in by the Army mainly because the Europe is given by the been strongly opposed to the projected Madrid radio.

military alliance with Germany and Italy as advocated by the Army.

an

The Madrid radio quoted from article appearing in a leading Span- ish paper by Dr. Salazar, Portuguese Prime Minister, in which he said that economic problems, population ques- tions or the absence of riches in the subsoil were not sufficient reasons for the present conflict.

Rather, it had been brought about by a deterioration in spiritual values; a spirit of egotism and passion was "let loose in the world to-day-Reuter

RUMANIA'S DEFENCES

BUCHAREST, TO-DAY.

THE

, RUMANIA HAS COMPLETED THE BUILDING OF HER FRONTIER FOR- TIFICATIONS ALONG

RU- MANIAN-RUSSIAN BORDER AS FAR AS THE BLACK SEA, IT IS LEARNED.

The fortifications include dykes, tank-traps and other works; the dykes link up all the rivers from the Car- pathians, making flooding easy in time of need.

Work on these fortifications, it is understood, has been carried out se- cretly ever since September, 1938.- Reuter.

U.S. AMBASSADOR'S MOVEMENTS

Shanghai, To-day. Mr. Nelson T. Johnson who arrived from Pelping yesterday morning, re- ceived foreign and Japanese officials during the day. He is expected to remain here for four days and then proceed up the Yangtse.---Our Correspondent.

Own

MORGENTHAU OBJECTS ON PRINCIPLE-

Washington, To-day. Mr. Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of Treasury, stated yesterday that as a matter of policy he was still oppos- ed to using Government' funds in any way to take over British holdings of American securities. — Reuter.

|

When the sale of some 25,000 copies ordinarily places a novel in the cate- gory of best seller, the extent of the interest created by the publication of this documentary survey can easily be judged.

Navy, and the Admiral himself, had publishing hits

The Admiral had even been des- cribed as the man who torpedoed the alliance before Hitler himself scuttled it.

COMMAND ACCEPTED

SALAAM

Indeed, the Stationery Office in re- cent months has had several notable the pamphlet on the German concentration camps has had a sale of 377,000 coples and it is anticipated that the sales of the re- port on Russo-British relations, to be published within a few weeks, will, at least, rival the earlier Stationery

Office best sellers.

the Japanese Army and General Hata accepted the Emperor's command and the latter accepted to retain his post

Nevertheless, with typical discipline, BRITISH

in

as War Minister under Adml. Yonai.

The only sign of this episode was the very bitter article published the Kokumin Shimbun, which is close- ly connected with Army circles stat- ing that Admiral Yonai's appointment was due to underhand action by "statesmen close to the Throne" who had been looking forward to him as a future candidate for Premiership "ever since the time he quashed the Ja- panese-German alliance by opposing It when as Navy Minister in the Hir- anuma Cabinet.”—Havas,

SHANSI "REVOLT" NOW OVER

TRADE

British Wireless.

KEEPING UP

B.F.R.D.C. GRANTS

The Board of Administrators of the British Fund for Relief of Distress in China Hong Kong and South China

Branch has sanctioned the following further payments from the Fund, and

cheques have been forwarded accord- ingly:-(1) Hong Kong Refugee and Social Welfare Council for food kit-

chens for January-June, 1940. $15,000; (2) Rev H. A. Wittenbach, to meet un- expected and unbudgetted special ex- penditure in connection with typhoon damage matsheds $500; (3) Foreign Auxiliary to the National Red Cross Society of China, for the purchase of agricultural implements and seeds and for food kitchens, for Po On, Walchow and Tungkung $10,000,

The Board has also agreed to con- tinue grant of $1,000. a month to Rev. H. A. Wittenbach for a further "six" months (1. e. from January to June, 1940), in respect of relief agencies under his direction in the Chungshan area. A cheque for $1,000. in respect THE BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE of January 1940 has been forwarded. FIGURES FOR DECEMBER AGAIN ILLUSTRATE THE SUCCESSFUL MAINTENANCE OF THE NORMAL

LONDON, TO-DAY.

LEVELS OF SEABORNE TRAFFIC | IN BRITISH PORTS.

The value of imports was 17 per cent. higher than in December, 1938. The improvement is authoritatively stated to be due to a genuine increase in purchases abroad and not,

as it was possible to conclude by the November showing, due merely to the delay in the clearance of imports during the first two months of war.

More significant still are the export figures which for the first time since war began are ahead of the 1938 levels, namely thres. per cent. higher than in Decem- ber, 1988. There was a really substantial in- crease Chungking, To-day.

in exports of coal, spirits, The fighting among the textile products and chemicals.

The value of coal, spirits and rayon troops of Marshal Yen Hsi-

and staple fibre exported during 1989 shan in Shansi has now ceas-was substantially higher than during ed, according to authoritative either of the two preceding years. quarters,

It is stated that fighting was con- fined to a few minor clashes between 3,000 new recruits, who were about to be discharged because they refused to

obey orders, and other sectors of Mar-

shal Yen's forces,

Most of the troublemakers have been rounded up.

Reuter.

TO MECCA

eddah, To-day

The Pilgrimage to Holy Islam 'ir now in Mecche the total number of pilgrims being bouf ,000, of whom 6,250 Br

This is about the

The suggested - danger of civil war is strongly deprecated here. "It is pointed out that with several for million men at the front or in training, isolated cases of insubordination can- not entirely be avoided.-Reuter.

GILT-EDGED BOOSTED

London, To-day.

On the Stock Exchange, following yesterday's announcement in connec- tion with the four and a half per cent. conversion loan, glit-edged securities moved up sharply, which Inactive dealings and proft-taking sales quickly absorbed.

Czechoslovakian eight per cent. bonds rose from 49% to 61, and Prague 7% per cents. from 35 to 45. Other sections were also cheerful.

Wall Street is reported to be quietly steady. — Reuter.

ANATOLIA QUAKE TOLL

Ankara, To-day.

!! It is reported that 50 were killed and injured, when two more

dur were

Anatolia There

quakes,