The Japanese authorities, it was an= nounced here today, last Friday suddenly declared the Pearl River closed for ten days "for military reasons" and for this reason neither the Japanese steamship whích is engaged in regular service from Macao to Canton nor the British gunboat Moth were able to carry out their planned trips.
The Transocean representative in Hongkong, who intended to proceed to Macao was therefore compelled to make the journey overland via Shekki which took about 24 hours He fo ud that the region directly outside Canton through which he passed on his journey was not occupied by any Japanese troops, while in various villages passed by him Chinese volunteers were upholding peace and order.
Some of these volunteers were building roads while others were patrolling the numerous creeks and canals which form an unbroken network throughout the Chungshan district. The population seemed friendly disposed towards foreigners although the latter are seldom' seen in- this region.
Chinese Police on Duty In the territory between Yungki and Shekki where junks are maintaining a regular passenger service, regular Chinese police were on patrol duty.
The most dangerous section of thè journey from Hongkong to Macao was the stretch between Shekki and Macao, where Japanese planes are reported to have machine-gunned a number of motor cars on Sunday as well as an omnibus, in which three persons are declared to have been killed.
Cars proceeding through this region yesterday carried special observers whose task it was to look out for roiding planes.
It is rumoured that the closing of the Pearl River is due to Japanese troops transports and movements of Japanese warships in a southerly direction from the Pearl River. Reports from Macao state for instance that seven troop transports passed Macao on Sunday proceeding from the Pearl River, in a southerly direction Trans-Ocean.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.