London, Sept. 1.
'The Japanese advance on Hankow' is dealt with in a leading article in "The Times" today which states that General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese War Minister, is learning by experlence when he admits that the fall Hankow will not mean the overthrow of the Chiang Kai-shek regime.
After reviewing the present stage of the hostilities and particularly' pointing out the holding up of the Japanese advance in the Chengchow sector, the paper comes to the conclusion that Hankow will not fall into the hands of the Japanese before the middle of November this year. This city, "The Times" continues, is not nearly so isolated as many reports: from the Far East have declared.
Although the American-Chinese and the German-Chinese air lines have suspended their services in consequence of the attack on a C.N.AC. passenger plane, there is still regular Pcrial comm nication. over Chungking! and Yunnanfu. But more important still is the fact that railway communication from Hongkong to Hankow operating, having been interrupted nly once for three days although the Hine has been subjected to innumer-uble attacks from the air. But even if the Japanese did sneeeed in cutting} off this line, the Chinese have suing cient communications to obtain raw material necessary to carry on the war, the paper believes, It is high time, "The Times" goes on to say, for the Japanese General Staff to pay attention to those problems which have sprung up in the territory already occupied. For people. like the Japanese, who do not} command unlimited supplies of raw material, it is not politic to make China, a nation which is so powerful numerically and economically, take up arms against her, as it is not only 'a question of her best customer but also of the population of the country which she wishes to exploit economi-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.