The Rickmers Line str, Bertram Rickmers, a vessel of 4,230 tons gross, which arrived at "Woosung, from Burope two or throe days ago, has also been held by the Chinese naval authorities at Woosung, and Was still there lust Friday vvening Although full details are lacking, it seems that her detention occurred in exactly the same manner as that] of the Muensterland, with the! exception that she was not. permitted to get on the way to Shanghai before being detained, The Deike Rickmers, a vessel of the same tine, of 8,921 tons gross, which arrived from Hankow on duly 16 ex youre to Europe, was tied up at Mackenzie Co's wharf; but she, too, has come under the notice of the Chinese naval people, who hist Fri day had her taken from the wharf, to Lunghua arsenal, for what purpose is not known.
Tu contrast to the above cases, the Norddeutscher-Lloyd str, Pfalz arrived from northern ports last Fri. day and was; permitted to come:
stream without incident, The reason for sudden epidemic of detaining and searching German vessels in Shanghai not known to any of the Gen an shipping companies concerned, and the German Consulate-General has. no official "knowledge of the matter; while the Chinese authorities are vague lo a degree that would be amusing if the whole affair were not s0 serian Bland. Offic Tnorance The local manager of cne of the ping companies affected, hearing of the seizure of one of his company's vessels, promptly went to Woosung to interview the Chinese Admiral there, received with every consideration and courtesy, and was informed that the Navy were simply carry ing out orders and that he had perhaps Vetter go to the' Bureau of Foreign Affairs, off Route Accordingly, he went, but neither Mr, Quo Tai-chi for any of is department were of any assistance, and it was suggested that the local Chinese authorities could do nothing in the matter, doubtedly orders in such would come from the Gover headquarters at Nanking! manager of another company who also had the temerity to try to find out the why and wherefore was referred to the Customs, as] the was told it was probable' the} Customs people were responsible for the detention of the ships, There appears to be reason to believe that the. vessels from Eu-
Tope were seized on the suspicion a representative of thiy journal that they knew nothing at all of the matter officially and "that. they had received no) lo source, ~however, that cave S98 Bees.; Calais authorities issued definite instruc tions that under no circumstances was any German vessel in Shang hai to be given clearance papers. to any port.
One gentleman who is in close touch with local affairs sug-geste that it is by no moans improbable that Chiang Kai-shek bias planned to make a seizure of as many German ships as he can; secure within the next fow days)
Tt was pointed out subjects enjoy no rights in China and that whatever measure the Chinese authorities might see fit to put into force could be done without much hope of immediate redress. A German shipping man to whom this point way put later said that it was improbable, but at the same. time not impossible, He finis up by saying. "It's" quite all with the Nationalists now, have no oxtraterritorinl "rights and whatever they might do to us fat the moment we should have to endure to a great extent, But I wonder, had there been a couple: of German cruisers lying Woosung during the last few days, whether they would still hhavg' seized German shi the way T think that, in such a case, diplomatic considerations would not have entered tos much into the thoughts of our! Naval people, and that the Chinese Navy would have been told where
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.