North Szechuen and Dixwell Roads Now Closed As expected, yesterday produced another large crop of Britons setting out to visit their homes in the Hongkew District, and fetching warmer clothing to carry them through the cooler weather Thursday's figure of around 300 was doubled by yesterday afternoon, although all those applying for passes were not visiting Hongkew immediately, many waiting until to-day or to-morrow.
The North Szechuen Road and Dixwell Road areas were closed by the Japanese authorities yesterday, presumably because of military operations in the North Station area.
This was in accordance with the conditions under which permission to visit Hongkew was granted, it being stated that the areas specified might be closed at any time owing to the exigencies of warlike operations, The period during which Britons may cross over to Hongkew ends to-morrow, aren.
Advance Claimed Japanese forces advanced to a point 2500 metres due west from Lotien early yesterday morning, a Japanese military spokesmen announced yesterday evening, The progress, he said, was part of a general Japanese advance in a southwesterly direction from Lotien.
Gains were also claimed by the spokesman in the Yanghong sector where Japanese forces had occupied Chinchia village and Liuchiawang at 8 o'clock in the morning. The Kiangwan front had remained "unchanged," the spokesman declared, Contrary reports notwithstanding, Chinese troops are still guarding the North Station area, where numerous sand bag redoubts were reported to have been erected during the night after a Japanese attack around midnight had been repulsed.
Diet Members at Lotien Members of the Japanese House of Representatives who are now visiting the Shanghai war zone, the spokesman said, visited Lotien on "Thursday and spent the night in the town, Japanese troops the spokesman asserted, are advancing "satisfactorily" on the Liuhang front despite "bitter Chinese opposition."
Regarding the firing heard in the Chapei sector early this morning, the spokesman said that probably Chinese were fighting among themselves, for neither Japanese army nor naval units were in action at that hour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.