Mr. Kodama criticized the recent speech in the House of Commons in which the British Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, said Japan could not develop China without Great Britain's financial help.
"Mr. Chamberlain," he said, "seems either not to understand the situation quite correctly, or he might have been misquoted, or meant more than he said. True, we should need capi-if we had to complete our work in a hurry by a certain fixed date. But that is not going to be the case. We aim at working principally for the happiness of the Chinese people. There is under our command plenty of labour and food, the organizing power of Chinese and Japanese brains and ample natural resources to exploit. If we go along slowly, we do not think we shall have to depend upon foreign financial help, although this does not mean to say that our policy will be to exclude it."
Chinese Intimidated Asked if Chinese business leaders in the occupied areas had shown any disposition to ce-operate with the Japanese in their commercial enterprises, Mr. Kodama replied: "Yes, they have, but fear of assassination by General Chiang Kai-shek's agents has hindered greater participation.
The Central China Development Company, Mr. Kodama said, was a purely Japanese concern, but its affix listed and subsidiary companies would be joint Sino-Japanese enterprises.
Replying to a question whether third-party capital would be welcome, he said: "That depends on the circumstances. If third parties show a friendly attitude towards us, we will not refuse their ce-operation; in fact, we should be glad and willing to have it."
Although his Company was purely a commercial concern, its work, Mr.
Kodama declared, would in a sense be political. He was eager to improve the relations between Japan and the foreign Powers, and he would do nothing which would tend to e: clude foreign business from China. It was entirely wrong to suppose that foreign firms would lose their trading rights in China.
"If Shanghai Flourishes"
Referring particularly to Shanghai, Mr. Kodama said: "If Shanghai flourishes, then Japanese business will (Continued on page 6) on the south bank of the Yangtze, at one o'clock.
The entry into the Chinese strong-ihe spokesman said, was made after a bitter fight against Chi-se lodged in heavily fortified positions. Both the air and artillery arms of the army ce-operated with the infantry, the spokestaan said.
With the fal! of Tungcheng, which was not only a major stronghold of the Chinese retreat, but also an important point in the Changsha defence, me Japanese advance will be considerably facilitated, the spokesman said. Yanglussu, the spokesman declared, was completely occupied at 7.30 on Wednesday morning.
West of Hankow, the spokesman said, the Japanese advance is continuing satisfactorily.
Unimpeachable information reaching here, the military spokesman said, asserts that General Vu Han-mou, Kwangtung Pacification Commissioner, has been executed.
This report, if correct, the spokes man said, goes to show that the much vaunted unity of China, especially among the military, "is no more."
Five Killed, Teri Wounded in Chengtu Chengtu, Nov. 9.
Five persons were killed and 10 wounded yesterday, when the south airfield, in the West Gate area, was bombed during the first air-raid on the Szechuen capital since the hostilities between China and Japan. Six persons were also wounded by machinegun bullets.
Japanese Squadrons 8 and 9 appeared at 1130 in the morning and crossed the city to the north airfield. They were attacked en route by Chinese pursuit "planes.
The squadrons flew low over the West China Union University and the radio station, but they did not let loose their bombs until they were over the north and south airfields.
Despite the fact that there were 54 bomb holes in the north airfield, the only damage was a broken window in the solitary plane remaining on the field. No bombs were dropped in the vicinity of foreign property.
—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.