Shanghai, Apr. 10, Chinese victories in" Southern Shantung, widely publicized by Hankow sources, were characterized by @ Japanese military spokesman in Shanghai yesterday as "the deseripfinn of what would have happened fad the Chinese plans succeeded. However, the Chinese plan did not succeed," he remarked, Basing his assertions on dispatches from the front giving information up to Thursday midnight, the date on which the Chinese claimed having jecored a major wietory, the spokesman declared that the towns of Taler-Ghwang, Yihsien, Taoehwang and Lincheng were in Japanese hands.
Engagements between Japanese troops, seeking to break up' con Jeentrations of Chinese forces preating for an offensive, and. their Jadversaries took place near the: towns of Taierchwang, " Yihsien, [Tsacchwang and Lincheng on the 'Tsinpu spur'. line. and near Lanling, further east, on Wednesday and Thursday, the spokesman said.
"These combats, however, were on 'a small scale", he remarked. "In dispatches they wre characterized as major skirmishes" These combals, he added, were invariably precipitated bby the Japanese, who took the offend sive against Chinese concentrations before the latter had consolidated their positions.
When questioned whether or not! the Japanese had been checkmated in their "attack upon Hsuchow,—the spokesman said: "Int takes a long time {to kill off 200,000 men." This number, he said, was the aggregate of Chinese lorees now concentrated near the Lunghai and Tsinpu junction.
"One cannot judge the success or failure of an offensive operation in terms of time alone." the spokesman jeontinued replying to a barrage of questions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.