'The reason for the cessation of hostilities was outlined in stars ments by General Yoshinori Shirakawa, Chief of the Japanese Land Frees, and Vice-Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, Commander-chief of the Third Japanes Fleet, In' his statements General Shirakawa declared: The Imperial Tapanese Land Forces, since their val in Shanghai and its vicinity.
id, in conjunction with the In perial Naval Forces. made every effort to achieve the object of pro. tecting the Japanese residents" by peaceful means, However, the proposals based on such desire were not to their regret, accorded to by the Nineteenth Route Army: of China, and at last the hostilities were started, The Chinese forees have now retreated to positions beyond the distance originally requested Ivy the imperial Forces, and signs are geon of the peace of the Shanghai Settlements being recovered and the safety of the Japanese resi dents being reassured, T have, therefore, decided order the force to halt, for the time being, at the points actually held and to stop fighting provided that, the Chinese forces will. not resort to further hostile actions, Chapei in Ruins Other than gruesome memories and obliterated houses, not a roof sight, vacant and staring windows and doorways without frames, Chapel yesterday was as peaceful churchyard. Opposite the indy Sector, from Paoshan Road to well beyond the Station compound, desolate ruins stared a representative of the "North-China Daily News" in the face, Their very desolation precluded nny observation. Such havoc such gaunt scenes, and the atmosphere filled with mourning lent' itself elegy as Shanghai has never heard.
From Jukong Road the reporter: (proceeded toward the railway cross. ing with Paoshan Road. The closed rail gates were mute evidence of the "gallant defence of the 19th Route Army, with their sandboy parapets where they left them after an honourable retreat. 'The strands of the gate had been punctured with machine gun bullets and the station sign was wddled by other signs of war, But strangely enough not a single body was in sight. This parallel was broken by a motorcar' filled with Japanese. marines, Among them was a stretcher, cover. ed with canvas sheet upon which rested the stiff remains of a Japan-
The description of a single ruined home only illustrates the plight of 20,000 others, spread over A radius of three miles. As a Chinese said, who had gone in to inspect the former premises of his deceased "Chapel is gone: we are i Iam afraid, "Will you help me out?"
Other than military transport vehicles, little activity' was noted. During the morning. hundreds Japanese civilians had penetrated Chapel, searching for souvenirs, The afternoon saw only a few. An American and a British phot Keapher were near the blockhouse, Paoshan Road from the railway crossing to the boundary was littered with debris, clattered with bs bed wire (a Chinese defence), which the attackers had" eat on Wednesday afternoon,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.