If the new: Peiping; Government solves the problems of financing and the distribution" of commodities, it whi-sudoGed,. me the-belief. of. Mr, Shinrokuro. Hidaka,. Counsellor, of the Japanese Embassy in China, Interviewed by Japanese reporters en Wednesday, the official declared was "astonished". at the "bright and, cheerful atmosphere" ' prevailing in North China.
In -Reiping,-he said, conditions are "entirely. normal," with' both Chinese and Japanese. residentg enjoying prosperous business 'Admitting that he remained in Japan, whence be returned on Monday, for only 47 hours, Mr.' Hidaka id"he could: not fail noticing signs oram: economic. boom, 'One proof of Japan's ~financiat soundness, he added; was supplied by the' fact. that only two: months before the termination.of. the, current fiscal year the Goverhtient had' not yet spent two-thirds of the- Y.2,500,000,000 budgetary, appropriations for 1937-28.
Japan, Mr. Hidaka told the -pressmen,-is.'economically- capable of accepting -Gen,—Chiang "Kai-shek challenge of protracted hostilities.
Prior io proceeding to. Tokyo. to. report to the Foreign Office, Mr Hidaka made an inspection tour of North China, On.his journey north, Mr, Hidaka accompanied Mr. Masayuki Tani, ister to Austria, who was ordered the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Koki Hirota, to make a study of conditions in Central and North Chin:
Light Infantry guest honour of the usual tiffin of-the com-MiTttee òr the Royal Society of St. George.yrslerday-: at—the. Shanghai Club, Mr. -E. S. Wilkinsón, president of the - society, occupied the chair and in proposing the health of the.guest of honóur expressed the great plea-stir-thescomamittee had in being able to entertain him, They had dnown the Durham Light Infantry before, since the -Stéend*Bettalion- came to Shanghai in 1927, The regiment bad alway been known as a first rate spotting "One and the. commanding officer Himsélr hád à very fne sport ing record, He Went all through the Great "War, was: later Staff Captain in-Egypt, and had. oceupied- several other important posts.
'Major Héslop replying' stated that he "had joined the Durham Light Tüfantfy "because of the regiments mobd. spotting history. He was in command 'because the Colonel fell sick, and thoügh he Kad just arrived home on leave had"had to assume cómmand at 24 hours notice, He left England with 350 officers and men; and was - joined by a similar number and the whole battalion -had not paraded together until they landed herer- He-referred to the-high degree of hospitality that Shanghai had extended to the battalion and their 4 appreciation of Tt.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.