1938-06-17 — Page 17

THE HONGKONG

TELEGRAPH,

VERITYS

FRIDAY, JUNE

DEFENDS BOMBING OF CANTON

The following open lotter de- fending Japanese action against

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Consul Japanese General in Hongkong, for pre- sentation at yesterday's protest meeting of the League of Nations Society.

The letter was not read at the League society's meeting.

To the Chairman,

Hongkong League

of

Society Meeting,

St. John's Cathedral Hall,

Hongkong.

Dear

Sir.

Nations

I learn from the South China Morning Post, dated Monday, June 13, p. 17, col. 2, under the heading of "Canton Bombing", that the Hong- hong League of Nations Society will hold a public meeting to-day at 0.30

in St. John's Cathedral Hall. pun.

In connection with the Resolution before which it is proposed to

this Meeting, I beg, in fairness to all

concerned,

particularly to

17, 1938.

BRITAIN READY TO RESTRICT BOMBING

Plan To Humanise Warfare Discussed

London, June 17. The British Government would not allow the question of "police bornb- ing" to stand in the way of con- clusion of an agreement to humanise the rules and practices of warfare, declared the Prime Minister, Mr,

Neville Chamberlain, in the House of Commons last night.

He was replying to Mr. Arthur Henderson, who had referred to the recent offer of Mr. Cordell Hull, the United Secretary of State in States, who said his country would be willing to join other nations in seek- ing such an agreement.

Asked whether the British Govern- the ment would make a similar offer and the practice

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Japanese authorities and to the actual with this object in view announce Its THE HONG KONG DAIRY, SUPPLY CO., LTD.

of

men in the field, that you will kindly willingness to forego place before your Mecting to-night the following facts and views for consideration, lest grave injustice is done.

The Resolution, it will be noticed. is aimed particularly at Japan, but it is my considered contention that it la based on mis-information, if not on deliberate invention or distortion of what purports to be fact,

The charge of "Indiscriminate Bombing" is one which from the first the Japanese authorities have strenu- ously denied.

must be patent to all that the Japanese planes have had the mili- tary establishments in Canton for their

targets, as is evidenced by the fact

that they have succeeded. in While it destroying many of them. must be admitted that the technique serial still leaves

Sole Agents: SHEWAN TOMES & CO.of ethan bombing destroy si le ve

Bank of East Asia Building, Hongkong.

and Shameen, Canton.

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bombing on the north-west frontier of India and elsewhere, Mr. Chamberlain emphasised, amid cheers, thint the Royal Air Force was not employed on the north-west frontier of India or elsewhere for the purpose of alincking civillan populations.

Bombing was never resorted to, he sald, unicas at least 24 hours' notice were given the tribesmen and their families to evacuate the volved-Router.

areng

COMPLAINS OF ILL TREATMENT

MUI TSAI GIVEN PROTECTION

in-

even the most curacy, and that skilled airman cannot always attain

A recent arrival from Canton, Po 100 per cent, accuracy, yet everything Sau-fong 24, married woman, was possible has been done by the charged before Mr. Q. A. A Mac- Japanese authorities to avoid un-fadyen at the Kowloon Magistracy this morning with keeping an unre- gistered mui-taal. She admitted the offence and was fined $50.

necessary loss.

DEEP AND GENERAL REGRET

acrlal bom- Mr. H. W. Fraser, Inspector of Mul That Japan's recent

Teal, said that the girl, who was now bardment of Canton has been accom- panied by more or less damage to 13, had been sold in Canton at the age 03 an adopted civilians, is a matter of deep and of nine for $110,

then however, her general regret, but under present daughter. Since conditions it is inevitable that civi-status had been changed to that of a lians must suffer

to some extent, mui-tsal. Defendant came to Hong- the although I wish to emphasize again kong on May 31, and on June 10

father in Fuk Wing that such losses have not been the girl met her result of bombing of an indiscriminate Street and asked to be taken backs hs nature, in spite of the protest made she was ill-treated. Three days later she was brought to the Secretariat against Japanese nerial attacks by a group of foreign physicians in Can- for Chinese Affairs by her father, ton, who actually treated victims in who apparently contemplated resell- their hospitals and were stirred by ing her to someone else. the sight of tragedy, which can be well understood.

Nevertheless, it is true that loss of civilian life has been made lever for propaganda purposes and has now

Pointing out to the father that he had not right to sell his daughter, His Worship placed the girl in the custody of the Secretariat.

been so exaggerated that t would appear to have been the sole been enormous. The actual losses, object of Japanese aerial operations large and most regrettable as they

on mili- Any actual damage inflicted

admittedly are, yet are in fact tary establishments has been much fortunately only a small fraction of less talked about, the publication of the exaggerated figures given all such losses having been carefully many unreliable quarters. prohibited,

an

50

actual figures In this connection, regarding the casualties In Canton were given by Mr. Li Chich-shih, Chief of Police in Conton, who wrote in the June 11 issue of the Chung,

of citizens from air attacks and urg- ing them not to leave Canton. His gures covering the period from Sept. 18 last to

to June 10 are:- Air raid sirens: 300 app.; Bombs dropped: 300

300 app.;

Any protest therefore, based on one part of the whole picture may lead the public to a wrong conclusion, as if Japan were bornbing civilians Indiscriminately, making the destruc-shan Yat-po emphasizing the safely tion of civilian lives and property the sole object of her aerial attack.

Actually, in order to avold civilian suffering and loss, the Japanese alr forces used to give warnings to the civilians of their bombardments, but such warnings were usually inter- cepted and prevented from roughing

people. from the city therefore did not take place until the commencement of the Japanese operations, thus adding con- siderably to the roll of casualties.

civilians

Killed 270 app, Wound: 700 app.; Houses destroyed 400.

These figures, given by an official in authority, may be regarded as the most authentie yet published. They reveal how enormously exaggerated many reports have been.

As a further matter of general fairness, beg to call the attention of of the your meeting to the visits Chinese air Squadron to Formosa on Feb. 23 lust, when

bombed Taiboku, a city

como more protected in a military sense than Canton, loosing 12 bomby In

the suburbs, killing 15 and wounding 40. incli Including women and children On the same day also, Chinese airplanes GUNS ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS dropped 72 bombs on Shinchiku,

miles from Talhoku, An absolutely Your close attention is drawn to open town, when they killed 3 per- the fact that many schools, factories sons and Injured 12. Losses on this and other buildings have, as is well ereuston were low owing to the fact known, been surmounted with anti-that most of the bombs dropped in aircraft guns which have been used open fields, due to the Inexperience for firing on Japanese planes, while of the Chinese bombers. many of these buildings have

also

In view of all these facts, therefore,

Also, it is reported that when a group of foreign missionaries pro-farm posed to establish a safety zone for the elvillans, this plan was rejected. One cannot but be doubtful, there- fore, of the precautions that were taken, if any, for the protection of in- nocent citizens prior to the bombing although subsequent propagandu was Intensified.

been utilized as militaray barracks. I submit that your Kesalution to-day. If, however, the charge of indis- should be amended so as to avold criminate bombing were justifiable, any particular and discriminatory re- the loss of life in such a denselyference to Japanese serial bombing. populated city as Conton would have CONSUL-GENEral for JapaḤM.

COPIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

by "Staff Photographer”

appearing in the

"SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST"

Hey, and

"THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH” may be purchased

at the Business Office

of "The Hongkong- Telegraph" Morning Post Building, Wyndham Street.

17, Waterloo Road, Kowloon Phone 59788.

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