"Because the Japanese troops in North China and Shanghai have been unmistakably and overwhelmingly victorious, naturally the Powers' conception of the China incident has changed considerably.
This statement, said the "Yomiuri Shimbun" to-day, was made by the Foreign Office authorities in commenting on press reports that the genera] atmosphere at the Brussels Conference was comparatively lukewarm.
The same authorities are said to have observed that the conference in all probability would appoint a small committee to patch up the present situation, watch the shift of conditions, and come up to the surface again at the proper opportunity.—Reuter.
Uncertain conditions in Shanghai during the past three months were reflected in an action heard before Judge P. Grant Jones in H, M. Supreme Court yesterday, a claim for rent, in which defendant stated that for a whole month after the Nanking Road bombing he was unable to do any business, and did not even trouble to ask his staff to continue working. The case was brought by Messrs. Edward Ezra against Mr. E. S. Little, plaintiffs claiming $430 for rent for September and October. "I had to have the windows boarded up", Mr. Little stated in evidence, "and this meant that I could nct display my goods to the public, In any case, there was no public to see them". Counsel in the case were Messrs, H. A. Reeks, for plaintiffs and H. D. Rodger, for the defendant.
Mr. Reeks explained that an agreement of tenancy had been drawn up between plaintiffs and defendant for six months from November 1, 1936. A six months' option was attached to the agreement, which, plaintiffs alleged, was exercised by the defendant. The option expired on the last day of October this year. Defendant should have told the landlord whether he wished to exercise this option in April last, but he had been in occupation since that date, and had not notified the landlord. In his submission, defendant had ex-excised the option by continuing to occupy the premises. Defendant had left the premises at the end of September, and contested his liability to pay rent for the month of October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.