Evening star., 1938-10-17

TO nave Deen IdnQeQ on JHe fedll lbLNel
delta to the west of the line.
Other forces crossed the East River
after the capture of Waichow and
fought their way up the Waichow-
Canton highway to within so miles of
Canton.
Canton Under Martial Law.
Indica tions that the japanese in
tended to drive straight on to the
South China metropolis were seen in
the fact that japanese Warplanes
heavily bombarded Tsengsing. Chinese
troop concentrs ton point Is miles east
= Of Canton. Canton was placed under
martial law.
Wongsha railway station was hit by
II bombs yesterday and more than
20 persons we're killed in extensive
Japanese air raids along the Canton
Hankow and the Canton -Kowloon
Railways near the city.
Communications between Hong Kong
and Canton were completely paralyzed.
Telephone lines were down making
confirmation of many reports impos-
sble, but it was generally assumed
the Chinese defenses were taking
terrific pounding from air lombard
ments.
In many instances it was reported
japanese planes, meeting no opposition,
were diving continuously to within
few hundred feet Of the ground and
machine-gunning Chinese.
Hundreds of Villages Razed.
Literally hundreds of hamlets and
villages were reported razed or burn
ing as result of air attacks
A new japanese landing at Namtau.
on the Pearl River delta near Hong
Kong. was reported to have been made
Yesterday with remarkable ease and
lack of opposition. Part of the land
ing force was said to have reached
shatau, deep bay port on the edge of
the Kwangtung Hong Kong border.
Military observers now believe a de-
csive battle will be fought near Tseng-
sing, where the terrain is favorable for
defense stand and where the Chinese
must block the japanese or permit an
attack on Canton from the east.
Amazing war refugee scenes were
at Canton tens of thousands trudged
into the interior. Fully half a million
civilians were reported already to have
left Canton.
japanese engineers were said to be
performing herculean tasks in bridg-
ing rivers and waterways, in most in
stances conscripting Chinese labor for
the work.
Hong Kong Future a Question.
With the Canton -Kowloon railway
in the hands of the japanese and
japanese soldiers practically at the
border of Hong Kong, the question of
Hong Kong's economic future now is
a commanding one-whether the Brit
ish colony can continue to receive the
benefits of wartime boom.
1t is estimated that 100000 tons of
cargo are now in storage here. The
immediate effect of the invasion has
been a decrease of 1000 tons a day in
outgoing cargo, while an estimated
1000 tons is arriving daily to swell
storage.
Cargo now stored includes a large
smount of military supplies intended
for the Chinese. mostly on a cash de-
livery basis. Estimates OF this cargo
run as high as sl,000,000.
Japanese Close In on Hankow.
SHANGHAI, Oct. II P).-Japanese
r-ported today that they had pierced
the so-called secondary defense Of
Hankow and were closing in on the
provisional capital rapidly from three
directions.
They said the occupation of Hwang-
shihkang, SIS miles by air from Han
xow, was imminent, but that the
Chinese were making a determined
stand despite combined land, air
and naval attack.
Hwangshihkang is on the south bank
OF the Yangtze River just to the west
OF Shihweiyao, which was captured
yesterday.
Farther to the south the Japanese
said their forces were within a mile
Of Yanesin, where a heavy artillery
duel was in progress.
Northeast of Hankow another Jap
anese column was said to be advancing
down highway toward the provisional
capital. tightening pressure in that
quarter.