1939-02-15 — Page 3

VOLUNTEERS FOR NEW FIRE RESERVE

RECOGNITION OF the fire fighting service in Hongkong as an essential factor in the scheme for the defence of the Colony against air raids was provided to-day with the announcement that Government has commenced work on the formation of a Fire Brigade Reserve.

JAPANESE AIR RAID MEASURES

The Fire Brigade Reserve will be run on voluntary lines.

It is proposed to call at first for fifty volunteers from all see- tions of the community.

They will undergo training under officers of the regular Fire Brigade, the course lasting bc- tween four and five months.

n course of

Government, it is learned, has set aside $12,000 as a preliminary con- |

New Buildings Torbution towards the cost of the new

Resist Fire

fire-fighting service.

TRAINING FOR FIREMEN

In addition to the creation of a

the

training

aside

AINGLE COPY 10 CENTS

$30.00 PER ANNUM

Half a century

Tyre Leadership

has culminated in tho

DUNLOP Fat Fort

The Tyre with 2000 teath to bite the road-!

Ensuring the maximum of comfort, durability and, above all, safety,

Canton Threatened

CHINESE CORDON CLOSING IN ON JAPANESE H.Q.

CANTON, Feb. 15.

REPORTS THAT the Japanese have started

a drive down the Kowloon-Canton Railway from Sheklung were not confirmed this morning.

Japanese military spokesmen claim that no attempt has been made to "mop up" the guerillas south of the East River,

The report apparently arose

from the fact that the Japanese HAINAN CONQUEST

forces have launched a general offensive on the guerillas north

of the river, and that fighting is now proceeding between the East River, Canton and Восса Tigris,

LUNGHWA BATTLE

A column of Japanese troops en- countered about 1,000 Chinese near Lunghwa, 13 miles north-east of Sheklung and fighting was reported to be still continuing this morning. These Chinese irregulars succeeded in penetrating to twenty miles of Canton, It

have

within

pointed

out.

Japanese reports this morning claimed that 3,000 Chinese troops

American

Tells Of City's Fall

Heard Of Landing From Z.B. W.

KIUNGCHOW, Feb, 15. concentrated near Pahou, 15 milca Hainan to be interviewed after THE FIRST EUROPEAN in north of Teingshing, were defeated after an all-day battle yesterday.

the Japaneso landing to-day told me the story of the attack on Kiungchov, the capital, and

POSITION INSECURE Although the Japanese claim that Holchow, guerillas in many sections are belog dispersed, examination

He was Father D. S. Tappan, of their American Presbyterian reports would indicate that their residing in Kiungchow.

missionary

position in

Canton has becaIDE somewhat critical in the past few Brat intimation foreigners had of the Father Tappan revealed that the weeks.

Japanese landing was a news bulletin For the first time, the Japanese broadcast from ZBW in Hongkong have admitted the extent of guerilla and from Shanghai broadcasting operations around Canton,

stutions at 1 o'clock on Friday.

By that time, the Japanese were almost on top of the elly,

guerillas are being encountered Govern- to-day, disclosing the trend of trade between Paper dealing with the defence Colonies and the United Kingdom.

It is learned that the ment to-morrow will issue a While

and its proposals for

programme, financing it.

These figures disclose that of the Colonies, Protec- A debate on Defence will follow torates and Mandates in the British Empire, totalling

in the House of Commons next week.

The points they mention at which would indicate that Canton is com pletely surrounded by a ring of Chinese troops who have drawn a cordon less than twenty miles from the former Kwangtung capital, Wangking. Wangtsulung und

*****altogether forty-four, Hongkong's percentage of trade Fatien, all about fifteen miles from

It will probably be passed Anancial resolution enabling the necessary legislation for increasing borrowing powers to be passed.

4189 DEBT PER CAPITA

with the Mother Country was the lowest of all.

In the last

year

for which figures were available, the Report discloses that the per- the anticipated deficit this centage of Hongkong's imports year, the gress Publie Debt of the from the United Kingdom was United Kingdom, which now stands

With

at £8,148,085,000, will be substan-only 7.6 of the total trade. tially increased. The debt per capita Percentage of exports to the

Northern Ireland will reach £180. of every man, woman and child in United Kingdom was only 4.5 per England,

Scotland. Wules

and cent. of the Colony's total trade,

Hongkong imports for the year

Ordinary defence year are as follows:

Navy Army

estimates this under review totalled £38,100,000.

203,707,000 £85,357,000

Chinese Stage Air Raid Japanese Planes the United Kingdom. Claim Destroyed

on the

COLONY'S

TRADE FLOURISHES

S. China Loss But Exports Still Rise

O

Canton and which the Japanese have hitherto claimed as being in their possession, were admitted to-day os being in Une possession of the Chinese. "We deating great blows to these guerilla forces,"

the Japanese report claims.

are

CANTON DEFENCES

It is significant that in Canton it- self, the Japanese have recently intensified defence measures, and now pill-boxes and sandbag defences are springing up everywhere in the city.

Around Canton, the Japanese are said to be preparing extensive de- fences along the old Chinese "magi- not fine."—Our Own Correspondent.

GUERILLA SUCCESSES

were

The news of the landing spread like wildüre after the broadcasts made known, and few of the populace had time to dec trom the.cilies.

REFUGE IN CHURCH Many Chinese, Father Tappan said, took refuge in his church when (Continued" "On Page 12.) ~

LATEST

CHINESE THREATEN WUCHANG

CHINESE MOBILE UNITS HAVE REACHED THE OUT- SKIRTS OF WUCHANG, ONE OF THE THREE WUHAN Chungking, Feb. 15. CITIES, ACCORDING TO CHI- Subject to repeated attacks by NESE MILITARY DESPAT Chinese guerillan, the Japanese CHES FROM SHASI, RELAY- troops at Nankino in Footung, on the ED HERE BY "REUTER". have been withdrawn, according to east side of the Whangpoo River, a Shanghai mesent.

Of this total, only E2,888,000 was spent in the United Kingdom. The Colony spent more money in China, Air Force ... £73,500,000 the United States and Japan; as well

HONGKONG'S small army of making a total of £252,504,000. Ex-as, other countries. traordinary expenditure

"prophets of trade doom" re- on naval British North Borneo, building, elc. will amouni to about other hand, obtained 93.5 per cent. [ceived major reverse this the same total-Reuter Special,

of its total Imports from the United morning when preliminary Kingdom, and sold per cent of figures for January trade were Its exports to the Motherland.

Issued from the Statistical Office.

SINCE LAST SUNDAY THE Malaya proved much more' patrio-

Compared with January, 1938, ex-

CHINESE CLAIM TO HAVE tie than Hongkong, obtaining 15.5 per cent. of its total imports, valued ports from Hongkong rose this year.

They were $40.2 millions, com-returned to Chinese control.

Nuoliso and Sinokiso have both |MET WITH CONSPICUOUS et £79,823,000, from Britain. Ceylon

SUCCESS IN THEIR NEW was even better with a total of 22.3 Pared to $39.4 millions a year ago,

However, with the import trade It Gunfire presumably from Chinese OFFENSIVE IN HUNAN PRO. per cent. of fis imparts received from was a different story, and mainly guerillas was audible at Siccawei in

VINCE, AND YESTERDAY owing to the present tension in South the western outskirts of Shanghal

THREATENING YO- HOW COLONIES SELL China, the Colony's trade took a nose- yesterday afternoon. Central News,WERE

CHOW, ON THE CANTON- The following are some of the dive.

| HANKOW RAILWAY. Agures published:

Percentage Percentage

The mobile units which are report- of Imports of Exporis

In south Honan has given rise to in-ed to reach Wachang (which is on of the Yangtee the opposite sida from United to United

creasing Chinese guerilla activities. *Kingdom

presumably Kingdom

River from Hankow) Kwanchuan, Shangcheng, Kushih, 19.1 20.9

Kwangshan, Loshan, and Kingfu have comprise portion of the left Bank of

The few Chinese forces, been successively recaptured by the

"Router" giales that the Chinese guerillas after a series of harassing have also appeared in the vicinity of attacks on the Japanese.

Lochiashan, while another force has After the recapture of Yanglowsze, reached Nanhu - (South)・・ Lake strategic town 37 miles north-east of Aerodrome. Yoyang, the Chinese have destroyed | the bridges and track on the Canton- Hankow Rallway leading to Pucht (Continued on Page 12.)

23

TOKYO, Feb. 15. Fire Fighting Reserve, members of

SHENCHOW, Feb. 15. A NEW ARCHITECTURAL the regular Fire Brigade are under- NINETEEN JAPANESE act designed to protect impor methods to be adopted in fighting and four others heavily damaged

going extensive

In the grounded planes were destroyed tant citics of Japan from air dres caused by incendiary bede in when a squadron of Chinese raids will be put into force on sum of money hos April 1, this year.

Fire Brigade estimates to cover a planes raided

the special course of Instruction in Air aerodrome at Yuncheng, south Japanese Pending promulgation by the Home Hold Precautions work. Ofice, the new act stipulates that all It is believed that, in order to bring Shansi, last Sunday, according to wooden buildings to be built on and fire-fighting resources in the Colony reports received here. after April 1, shall be rendered are up to war-time strength in the light proof by means of coating stuffs and of modern warfare, it will be neces-chlayin near Yuncheng was also A Japanese unit massed at Tseng- fire-proof walls and fences.

sary for Government to provide, some bombed by tho Chinese planes, Secondly, all large buildings of retime in the near future, reserves of Heavy casualties were infileted. inforced concrete or wood shall be Ore engines and of hose.

Central News.

provided with shelters and anti-gaa rooms and anti-air raid galleries.

Thirdly, such buildings as may at- tract the attention of "enemy planes" shall be camouflaged by modifying their shapes or colouring. Fourthly, all oll tanks

shall be

moved underground or else furnished with protective works-om,

HE EATS PING-PONG

BALLS

St. Helena

Borneo

43.6

Kenya Tanganyika Nyasatund Nigeria

80.9

20.2

41.8

01

54.0

Gold Coast

67.

47.6

Cambia

47.2

30.9

70.4

99.01

Malaya..s

10.5

10.88

British N..

93.5

97.1

Ceylon

23.3

45.7

Hongkong

7.0.

4.5

AIR MAIL. DUE

Fi Irlands Gilbert & Ellico

Is. Jemalen

34.2

38.9

- British

Tocol

Air mail is expected at Kal Tak at 3.10 p.m. to-day from all countries,

Malta

81.00 32.5 Gulana 52.9 25.7 15.7

87.7

$3.0

37.

29.0 64.04

It is understood thai a complete scheme for protecting the Colony against wholesale fires has been drawn up by Fire Brigade officials In conjunction swith the A.B.P. organisation,

Army Mobilised

In Jamaica

KINGSTON, Feb. 14.

THE GOVERNOR has declared a

Palestine

BRITAIN'S STATISTICS

LONDON, Feb. 14.

state of emergency in the Island, due OFFICIAL RETURNS of British ovoransk trade for January to strikes, which have lied-mi ship: show imports totalling £75.570411, compared with £74,122,071 GODFREY the mechanical man ping completely, and which are in December, and £84,879,549 in January of ast year.

whose digestive processes in threatening to spread in the hotels

© Re-exports were 24,505,953 bu And the plantation year and Exports to £39,479,399 com trigued four million people at bay vko, militare pa telur mobilised; pared with 239,008,555 in December / against £4,778,878 in December, andi the Glasrow Exhibition, arrived No Loceders are reported and 41028 Jaques sur 1)16 January last year in London recently.

Reuter-Special.

Marktkvalled Press, your,

Imports in January this year were $40.7 millions, compared with $61.7 millions.

Trade with South China took the same turn, though in view of certain declarations that Hongkong's trade was finished, the export of $2.3 millions to South China, last month lo rather surprising. This, however, compares with $10.5 millions In January, 1030.

NO DEPRESSION YET Attempting to analyse the present trade position or Hongkong, an off-| clat wald, "I do not think there will be any real depression felt in Hong- kong this year.

Trade should continue to be at the

three Aame level as it was

years ago."

(813)

S VICTORIES IN SOUTH HONAN Loyang, Feb. 15. The thinness of the Japanese lines

See Back Page For.

Further Late. “Nëwa.

PLANE NEAR DISASTER Skilful Pilot Saves His Passengers

He predicted that 1940 would be. the diach year, unless there was a considerable betterment of the political situation in the Far East. Imports from South China to Hongkong also slumped last month, totalling $4.95. This compares with millious last year, or a drop of

With seven passengers and a crew of three aboard, the plane 60 per cent in the twelve months

In period.

of the Japanese could not get its under-carriage down for funding? coup at

Holhow, Hainan, the only port of trade in South China left

The ßre brigade, ambulances, and me. Ini mabertos sult atrod bpon to

Hongkong Yunnan, via by, and eventually the plans landed with the under-carriage still up. Haiphong." **

The pilet made: af

skilful landin

(and the machine was only It is expected therefore that, next month's South China trade will show

while none of the passengerW” was hurt

LONDON, Feb. 14... FOR TWO HOURS a British Airways liner from Paris to-day circled over Croydon-unable to land.

a further, drop

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