Following a public protest by the leeding foreigners in the French Concession yesterday against the action Of Japanese sentries who refused to allow foreigners to bring their personal provisions into the Concession, mers has The day before yesterday a number of foreigners' cars were stopped at the Concession gates, the occupants ordered out and the vehicles ran-secked It has since been semi-officially explained that the sentries were exceed-their orders.
The embargo against Chinese taking food into the French Concession inues.—Reuter. itary Precautions"
Questioned at yesterday's press conference on restrictions placed on the entry and exit of foodstuffs and Chinese into and from the French Concession in Hankow, Japanese spokesmen stated that only ordinary military precautions were being taken, inasmuch zs there were a large number of Japanese troops in the Wuhan area. There was no definite scheme to restrict access to the Concession.
To the suggestion that Chinese were not allowed entry, it was stated that all Chinese bearing passes were allowed to enter or leave before curfew hours. A correspondent asked if it were true that Chinese foodstuffs were prohibited from going into the Concession; the reply was made that food carts had to be examined in the usual manner.
Were the restrictions in Hankow and Tientsin comparable with those existing round Shanghai?—Purposes of restriction were the same; to prevent undesirables from travelling to and fro. It was difficult to make an exact comparison, it was added, unless one went 'o Hankow and observed. conditions first hand. y of further explanation, a pointed out that Japanese sentries on border duty in the Shanghai area on searching Chinese had found grenades in bamboo poles, pistols in cabbage baskets, and ammunition in bedding.
No one of the spokesman said he had any knowledge of a Japanese vessel arriving in Hankow with two or 300 Japanese civilians including women and children on board.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.