Residents' Wretched Plight: Southerners' Menacing Attitude finan, May 14, The Japanese military authorities here issued a statement to-day regarding the action taken by the Japanese troops since May 8. It is follow:
"Japanese residents in Tsinan had already been leading a miserable life, living in a small number of houses in the area guarded by the Japanese troops, before the Sout! ern troops entered this distri After the outburst of disturbances May 3 all traffic and communi tions between the protected ares and-other parts of the city were interrupted, business was paralyze and provisions gradually ran short. The residents in the protected area became weary und panic-stricken.
"Our army, as a matter of common duty, could no tonger bear. leave the Japanese residents suffering in these wretched conditions. Our army considered it absolutely necessary to clear the area of Southern troops.
"On the other hand, Southeln plain-clothes men were in hiding a: many places in the city and several thousand regular Southern troops were stationed in the walled city, while villages aroond Tsinan were filled with Southern soldiers whose namber was: estimated at approxi mately 100,000. Moreover, the at-
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