Turning out in what probably constitutes almost record time, foreign and Chinese detectives from Louza Police Station yesterday evening surrounded a Chinese shop before the armed robbery within was half over, and had four out of the five members of the gang safely handcuffed and back at-the station before the gangsters really knew what it was all about. The whole of the booty was recovered and detectives were hot on precedents suggest that war w formally declared on China, will mean an immediate blockade of the. Yangtze and Canton and a demand for the withdrawal of foreign warships from blockaded China waters, A blockade at Canton is hardly possible without direct, immediate and constant interference with the trade of Hongkong. "Either procedure," says the correspondent, "would strain relations between Great Britain and Japan to a breaking-point."
The announcement of a state of war, says the Diplomatic Correspondent of the "Daily Express," would have two important effects: first, it would bring into force the United States Neutrality Act and cut off American supplies and war materials to Japan and China; secondly, it wóüld enable Japan legally to blockade the China, Coast against ships of Il nationalities carrying war materials to China.
The Neutrality Act, he continues, would prove atwo-edged weapon. but it is thought that Japan may consider her reserves of oil and other war materials big enough to carry her through the war. China has no considerable supplies of munitions, and the Japanese move, therefore, would be a gamble on starving out China before Japan's own supplies gave out. the trail of the fifth member of the gang early last night.
"he alarm to Louza Station w turned -in at 9.10 p.m. by C.P.C. 1810, who reported that "the first shop east of Kwangse Road on Avenue Edward VII" was being robbed by an armed Tang. and that he was standing by. At the station, all available reserves were hastily mobilized and a large party of-foreign and Chinese detectives, including Chief Inspector R. Shellswell, Chief Detective Inspector V. Sharman, Sub-Inspectors McFee, Thick, McLennan and Black, and Sergeants. Nicholl, Regan. MéDougall, Medley and MacAdie, rushed to the scene in the station's cars.
The scene of the crime was a Chinese bed-manufacturer's shop at 650 Avenue Edward VIL and, learning from the C.P.C. that the robbers had not yet left the premises, the foreign and Chinese detectives surrounded the shop and rushed in, For a moment or two, all was pandemonium, inmates of the shop and the robbers themselves being so rhixed mp and alike that the police were unable to be sure who was who.
This was responsible for the escape of the fifth member of the-gang. The other four, young coolie-type men, readily seized upon the confusion to pretend to be inmates of the house and waved the detectives on in the "direction" the "escaping robbers" had taken, Prepared for Risks Ruse Frustrated It is believed in London, the correspondent proceeds, that the Japanese Government is prepared to take the risks involved. it Japan declares war, the correspondent declares, an entirely new situation will be created for Great Britain and other countries with special interests in China The British Ministers, he adds, are closely watching developments, aided by reports from Britain's diplomatic representatives in Japan and China.
A meeting of the Cabinet, the correspondent concludes, will be called Japan acts, ard th: question of naval and military re: cements in st will rave to be considered immediately. Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.