It is satisfactory to learn that the Chinese authorities are taking steps to improve their information services. Much. misunderstanding can be avoided if the news issued to the public is made to conform with something like the facts as known, This journal is desirous of giving full publicity to all verified assertions which cannot disclose military information harmful to either side. With this object in view it makes no distinction between Chinese and Japanese communications. All it seeks to do is to eliminate from a mass of information such items as appear on the face of them to be lacking in the elementary requirements of accuracy. It would be unfair to assert that the news agencies are not cooperating. They are for a Chinese news agency has just withdrawn from circulation an unfortunate statement made by it regarding the alleged flight of Japanese soldiers into the Settlement—the "story" in question being found, on inquiry at British Military Headquarters, to be quite without foundation, Perhaps a similar withdrawal will be given to the same agency's message to the effect that a Japanese warship, in covering the landing of troops in Pootung, tried to hide its identity by flying the Union Jack. Again, there is not the slightest foundation' for that charge. Moreover if a Japanese warship had any such intention it would have sufficient Knowledge to use.the White Ensign and not the Union Jack. This criticism is made in no spirit of peevishness but with a desire to be helpful. To obtain publicity for its information Chinese authority should take reasonable care to be sure of the probability and then the accuracy of the news submitted to it. This newspaper does not pretend to be any less fallible than most at any time, but it is taking the customary pains to test the accuracy of news coming into its offices. Imaginary feats such as those quoted do no good to the Chinese forces and are, in fact, detrimental to the spread of information to their credit. The other day a friend rang up and conveyed his disappointment that the "North-China Daily News" had not published the statement that Japanese marines, had been disarmed and interned in the Race Club. It was explained to him that this was due to no lack of enterprise on the part of the hard-worked staff of this journal or to any desire to minimize Chinese successes, but simply and solely because, after personal inquiry, it was found that the story was utterly false.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.