Marshal von Blomberg Nears Age Limit of 60
Berlin, Feb. 3. Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg. Minister of War, is expected to retire within the next six months, Reuter understands from very well-informed quarters to-day.
The ostensible reason is that the Field Marshal, whose 60th birthday falls on September 2, is approaching the retiring age for high army officers, which is 60.—Reuter.
Hankow, Feb. 3. The various Embassies here to-day received copies of the Note delivered yesterday to their representatives at Feiping by the "Provisional Government," in which all nationals belonging to neutral Powers were urged to evacuate a huge area north of the Yangtze, In view of the big issues involved. none of the Embassies was willing to offer any comment. It is believed that all of them have referred the matter to their home governments.
In its scope, the warning is unprecedented, Previously the Japanese, before bombing Chinese cities, only requested neutrals to evacuate specified cities or towns, but the area now involved comprises part or the whole of seven provinces, Kiangsi, Anhwei, Shantung, Honan, Hupeh, Shansi and Szechuen, in which more than 150000000 Chinese are believed to live. A large number of foreign missionaries and educational workers also lives in the area.
Considerable alarm is felt regarding the position at Hankow, where the congested Chinese population of about 1,000,000 intermingles freely in districts where a large foreign population lives.
Various Embassies are now established here and there are large British, American, French and German interests.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.