Mar. 3. letter. to Jdent of the League Council, on February 29, for cessation of hostility News Welcomed at Geneva Mi Mar. 3
News of the cess tion of hosti ties at Shanghai has been receives somewhat scoptically in League of Nations circles, here, One leader' prominent in the inner civeles. of the League pressed the general. feeling. to-day when he deme have had. oer hopes, das! often especially jose before important. negotiations were scheduled to begin, that it is doubtful whether—the ese aden developments, I effect any materi jai change the scheduled for this mor "All members of the League of Nations naturally welcome the armistice, and further news from both ides being awol ously."
Dr, W. W. Yen, chief Chinese delegate to the League of Ni told the United Press, to-day, that something more definite tha the present tentative truce will have to fe "arranged before he can, view without at Shanghai has not yet been refeeived by him and that reports reaching him indicated that the Japanese Army had' f Into an advantageous!
do not yet know if the latest basic conditions laid down by. the Japanese will be acceptable to my Government," he said, but "I feel assured, that any honourable, solu.
will be acceptable to Nankin Dr. Yen's Talk to Pressmen Ma 'The Anglo-American Press Association in Paris, which has recently "entertained Tardieu, the French Prime Minister, Sir' John Simon, the British Foreign Secre-ind Mr. Sato, Japan's repre ive to the League Council, received Dr, W. W. Yen, the Chinese delegate at the League of Nations or lunch, yesterday. Dr. Yen the peace in Far East can only, be maintained by an approximate equilibrium of the forces now existing there, "If Japan succeed in her present attempts, the equilibrium in Far East will be upset and anarchy will reign. We know that the status Jquo cannot last for ever, but it ig four belief that the changes must be made by evolution and not revolution or by brutal fore. The Far Eastern" serious economic crisis will be further aggravated by the present events.
"We are consequently defending tal ideals of q much greater im= Portance than the idealistic pri ciples of the League of Nation The ideals defended by us are the respect of treaties and the respect of all. organisations created since 3919 with a view to avoid the wary well as the strict observance, of international Yaws and customs."—
Troops Withdrawal in Three Stages Tokyo, Mar, Shanghai plan to. cense their ofene The Japanese troops operating ab
sive against the Chinese forces as soon as the Chinese are driven back approximately 20" kilometres, ale though "tactical considerations' aris"
of the topographical, con:
necessitate a slightly further "ad uration of the local terrain" may vance at certain points, a War Office spokesman old Reuter to-day. to after that nutes troops ate tempted a counter-offensive This, however, is considered by the War Office to be unlikely.
Later. three stages:
(1) They will immediately take lup a defensive line approximately 20 kilometres from Shanghai (2) They will withdraw to the Shanghai and Woosung area as soon Jas satisfactory arrangements have been made for policing the neutral zone; and (3) They will complete their withdrawal to Japan as 5 chee cumstances permit, 1
Although it is fosse. troops, the hope is expressed thatthe gradual evacuation to Japan, will be commenced as soon as the Round Table Conference is called for the purpose of effecting a settlement of the Shanghai dispute, In connection, with this. dispute, it is declared that the Japanese Government, acting on the sugges tion of Mr. Shigemitsu, the Japanese for to China, has agreed to make no fresh demands despite what is described as the sweeping Japanese victory.
In the meantime, it is intimated that the newly arrived Japanese roinforcements in Shanghai will pro-Dably. relieve the Kurume and Kanazawa troops in the front lin The promise ig also made that everything possible will be done, to ender assistance to the Chinese civil population in restoring normal con titiens in the occupied zone, to Shanghai 'The Privy Council has approved of the issue of an Imperial Ordin" tance sanctioning the expenditure in Shanghai of Yen 10,000,000, this being sufficient to carry on' until March 17.
The Cabinet is expected to call special session of the Diet on Starch 15 for purpose of-obtaining approval for any purflier. expendi" ture that may be necessary, and also post facto approval of the Suspension of note conversion and two urgent Imperial Ordinances regarding military expenditure, The Cabinet has decided to call a special five-day session of the Diet on March 18—Reater.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.