London, Dec. 13.
The Government were carefully examining the whole question measures to be taken to deal with the Bias Bay pirates, said the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the House of Commons to-day in reply to a question by' Mr. H. W. Looker (Conservative), 'A final decision had not yet been reached. If possible, it would be desirable that the Canton authorities should themselves take the action.
The Under-Secretary asked notice of a question as to whether negotiations were ton authori Troops to Attack the Stronghold Canton, Dec. 16.
In accordance with the plan drafted by the Kuangtung Provincial Government for the suppression banditry, the Canton authorities, have decided to send troops te attack the zone around Bias Bay, where pirates have a stronghold.
The General commanding the ith Division has been ordered to send troops to attack and the Canton Navy forees have been ordered to] send a gunboat to ce-operate.
For the zone close to Hongkong, and the New Territories and ad-
Jacent waters, the Canton auth orities, after notifying the Honikong Government of the eommenc>- ment of the campaign, "have made it clear to Hongkong that cooperation is desired to the extent of arresting bandits crossing the boundary and handing them to the Chinese authorities on land as well as on sea."
For Chinese territory, the Canton authorities reserve the right to suppress banditry. This reservation is made explicit, according to the Nationalist Government, "beau: of the reported intention of the Hongkong Government to send navy jeraft and aeroplanes to destroy the bandit stronghold at Bias Bay."
Tke Cantonese authorities "announce their willingness to receive!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.