Canton, June 20. CANTON today is a city of sharp contrasts, Normal life goes on in many districts with the attendant hustle and bustle familiar in a big, noisy city. Yet, desolation and destruction much the same as that of Chapei during hostilities may be found but a few paces away.
Such conditions have come into being after intense Japanese air raids on the city, Where mis: les left their marks of death and destruction, and where continued stay is considered to be extremely perilous, few living souls may be found, Shops and houses are abandoned.
Shutters have been put up and doors barred. Craters, some being 30 fect in diameter, charred ins of buildings, piles of bricks and masonry, and shattered windows give grim evidences of horrors from the sky.
An entirely different picture of the city is provided almost side by side with these areas, Motor cars, rickshaws and other kinds of vohictes Jostle the thoroughfares with large numbers of pedestrians moving about pavements, Shops and restaurants ahwow open their doors fully for pyalness, Hawkers vellinye at the top of their voices sell fruits or nther goods. Busy trame also goes on on the Peat diver, Whangpoo of Canton, Life and Death The contrast of life and desolation even much more sharp at Huang Sha railway station, the Canton ter~ minus of the Canton-Hankow railway, which has been the target of numer= ous Japanese alr raids. Although hundreds of bombs have been dropped here, laying waste a large tract of land," trae is maintained and amidst extensive ruins, passengers still come tu and out of the much battered, "and devastated area.
"The station building was' badly damaged, but oddly enough, the ticket, office still stands, When a representative of this paper visited the place one afternoon recently, passengers were seen Ming past the office, many having already obtained their tickets, waiting on the platform for sitting inside coaches.
The destruction covers a wide area, where all but the railway workers: and gendarmes have deserted. Ato corner of the badly damaged plat form, a. pile of luggage, some of which "was "blood-stained, was left behind by those killed in one of the raids. Passengers nevertheless still, crowd the station, bringing life to a scene of death and destruction.
Also the target of Japanese air raids, the Chinese section of the Canton-Kowloon railway is still being ised as usual, Several stations along the line have been more or less damaged, But passengers come and go as If nothing has happened.
Stand. Street afler street close _to these' premises are found practically amply, but amidst this desolation, accentuated by ruins, routine is kept fis normal og possible by Government oMeials despite constant menace from the air.
Numerous bombs have been losedd the vicinity of the offices of the Kwanglung Provincial Government and the City Government, Dr, Sun Yat-sen' Memorial Hall. A. number of bombs have also been dropped in the vicinity of the Pear! River Bridge, the waterworks and the power station. With the exception of One of the eaves of the memorial hall, which was damaged by a flying piece of shrapnel, all these structures remain Intact today. The memorial hall, with blue-tile roof, has a seating capacity of about 5,000, and occubies a wide area, All these buildings are located in congested areas, Several bombs land-Tai Tek Road, a busy street, Wwhieh isin between the power station and Kwangtung Provincial Gov ernment building, a distance of about a mile, Tek Theatre and several. other completely demo!
Bombs also landed in between Pearl River Bridge and the ofice of the! Foreign Affairs. Commissioner for! Kwanglung and Kwangsi, also a distance of a mille. Yung' Hon Road. Nanking Road of Canton, is practical ly.a-dead elly after it has been hit in' several raids [Ching Nan Road. to the east of the! Kwnnglung Provincial Government Headquarter: wax the worst s.ruek, fas every building in the street; about'
Gistance of over 200 yards, was demolished or badly damaged. Several streets around the Kywangtung Kuomintang Headquarters were also struck by bombs. The new waterworks and power station were badly darraged Many Streets Mit Ofelat Casually List Almost, similar conditions exist in areas where Government building:
One thousand and five hundred civilians were killed and 5,500 were Heavy Japanese Bombing laid waste by Japanese air attacks but the city carries on its normal existence. Upper left Upper right, ruins in Wu Sion Below are seen, left, a fire starting where a Japanese bomb fell, and, right, junks and wonnaed since May 28 and up to June 7 according to official figures Feleased recently. Chinese officials here are bitter against these. bomb= ws, saying that there were. miliary establishments. to speak of in places. where' boms were drop ed Canton in normal" times has 2 population of 1.200000, At least halt St this number fs remaining inthe city," carrying on their' "normal fouling. Lafre scale evacuation began in districts where Government ofoes and utility plants are located. 'Many Of the residents returned to. villages, thers seeking shelter elsewhere 'Owing to the. adverse rate' of Shange, small number of wellso-{do famille left for' Hongkong.
"Airerald alarms have been sounded every day during the past four days. but Tu none of these instances have Tapanese. planes put_in.an.appear-dance. Consequently, small groupe people have been seen returning to their homes. There are signs in some completely deserted streets that life begins to stir again.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.