Tokyo, Apr. 22.
Mr. Tokejiro Tokonami, Minister of Communications, was to-day cleared of suspicion of' having directly. received a bribe of Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang in Mukden in 1929, allegedly in return for a promise to influence the polley of the Japanese Government towards China, hut British women and children due Jon furlough shortly are now leaving for the coast in order to simplify evacuation in the event of such a necessity arising.
Information is lacking concerning the American missionaries stationed Jat Chengtu, but it is reported that a fpumber of wealthy Chinese are leav-ting the city.
Meanwhile, tt is believed that the JCommunists'' drive southwest merely a feint and that they will Jagain attempt to make for Kansu—Reuter.
Communists Beaten Back Apr. 17, After the attempt made at ma by the [Communists in Szechuen to capture Kiangyu, in an endeavour to reach the Sungpan Valley, in the north. [western corner of the province. had been frustrated by stiff resistance, they retreated to the eastern bank Jof the Fu River.
There they encountered the Sth Route Army, under General "Wang [Chan-hsu, on Monday, when they were badly handled by infantry and aeroplanes. losing many killed and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.