Cmdr, Tadano, who has just returned from Amoy, where he was in service for a considerable time, said that the Chinese inhabitants are rapidly returning to that city because they have learnt that conditions there are quite safe under the Japanese naval authorities. He said that while only about 18,600 of the inhabitants remained in the city when the Japanese occupied it, they have now increased to about 70,000.
The population formerly was about 170,000, The naval landing force at Amoy, Cmdr. Tadano said, realized that one of the most important factors in restoring normal conditions there after the fighting was to enable the residents to return to their homes as soon as possible. Great efforts were accordingly made to secure peace and order, with the result that there has not been a lo case of terrorism on the island. The inhabitants are content that they are able to carry on their business much as usual.
Relating some episodes, Cmdr. Tadano said that Amoy is the home of many thousands: of Chines? merchants in southern countries, specially Malaysia. Quite recently a Japanese living in Singapore had his bicycle mended at a Chinese bicycle shop there, but the shopkeeper refused to make any charge because he said his family was living in security at Amoy under the auspices of the Japanese naval force, and he wanted to Show his thanks. This was regarded as remarkable in view of the intense -anti-Japanese feeling among the Chinese in Singapore.
Some Chinese merchants in Manila, he continued, had heard rumors that their families in Amoy were being badly treated by the Japanese and intended to try to get them over to Manila. But when they came to the vicinity of Amoy and learnt that conditions in the city were just the contrary, they were content to give up the idea and returned to Manila alone.
As another case, Cmdr. wla
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.