Evening star., 1938-08-15
ANGL0JAPANESE
FRICTION GROWS
British Accuse Nipponese
OF Discourtesy to Flag
and MoIestation.

BACKGROUND
Jnpdnese troops captured Kiu-
tton1. Ynnotae Riuer port July rs
after drive npriper when forces ad-
tnnctnc from north mere mashed
ont by YelloW River floods, caused
hv opening Of dtkes. Chinese also
hare opened Yangtze Riper dikes to
protect HdnkoiD. Behind japanese
tines guerrilla forces haze continued
n harnss taut japanese COM
mhnicdtions lines.
~ tire Associated Press
SHANGHAI, Aug. 15.-New Anglo
Japanese friction arose today as
British naval officials accused Japanese
Of discourtsey to the Union Jack and
molesting = British tugboat captain.
Japanese officials said the incident
eaused the British to dispatch the
Eunboat Scarab to investigate the oc-
e,,rrence near Tungchow, at the mouth
Of the Yangtze River.
The British tugboat Victoria. under
charter to a Japanese firm. was said
By British naval officials to have been
boarded by Japanese Navy men, her
captain truSsed with a rope. and the
vessels Union Jack lowered un-
tremendously.
A japanese flag was run up in its
etead.
The Scarab was believed to be in
the vicinity still investigating.
japanese Stopped by Foes.
A survey of the Yangtze front
showed today that japanese gains have
teen almost negligible since the cap
ture of Kiukiang July 26, despite Bit
ter fighting on both sides of the river
and heavy aerial bombardments
A japanese column which struck
southward from Kiukiang along the
Nanchang Railway 20 days ago mas
advanced only IL miles and is now
engaged with strongly entrenched Chi
nese troops in the hills near Shaho-
chen.
Another Japanese force operating
eoIth Of the Yangtze has advanced q
miles from Kiukiang toward Juichang
but Is meeting desperate resistance
on the shores of Red Lake and in
the hills before Juichang.
Juichang Fall Seen Near.
japanese army reports said the fall
Of Juichang was imminent, but mill
itary observers pointed out that the
capture of the town still would leave
the invaders a difficult advance Of IS
miles to their goal, the Canton Han
kow Railway, which they hope to cut
south of the provisional capital.
On the north bank of the river, the
Japanese have spent the past IL days
fighting off repeated Chinese counter
attacks without advancing a mile
nearer Hankow.
Latest Chinese dispatches from the
front said Hwangmei, 20 miles north
Of Kiukiang. had changed hands twice
and that heavy fighting was in progress
there. The dispatches said each side
had suffered thousand casualties
AIOuTO f1WdHkIIlel.
Shanghai Tension Relaxed.
Meanwhile, the tension in Shanghai
relaxed after a relatively uneventful
observation OF the anniversary Of the
outbreak of fighting in the Shanghai
area. Barricades were removed from
the streets and the city was slowly
coming back to normal.
It was disclosed that Japanese
sentries shot and killed two Chinese
said to have been attempting to swim
soochow Greek. north of the Interna- :
tonal Settlement, carrying pistols and
grensdes.
Japanese authorities were reported
10 be planning a strong protest to the
British against treatment OF two
Japanese officers in civilian clothes
alleeedly stopped, searched and de-
tanned by Seaforth Highlanders patrol
Ing the International Settlement.