Foreign shipping companies in Shanghai were anxiously awaiting news yesterday with regard to conditions on the Yangtze. Questioned by the "North-China Daily News," they confirmed the report that the Japanese were launching an attack on the Chinese positions on the Yangtze. One foreign company reported that three of its ships had been held up by the Japanese near Nantungchow. Many steamers came up the Whangpoo yesterday without the usual cargoes of pigs, etc. from Nantung.
According to a Chinese report, approximately 4,000 Japanese were landed from five transports. The operations started at dawn, when two Japanese gunboats opened fire on Tiensengkong, where the boom had been closed a few days, Batavia, Mar. 17.
Some anxiety has been aroused regarding Mr. H. F. Broadbent, the Australian airman, who took off from here at 8 am. (GMT.) yesterday on the final leg of his flight to Autralia.
The airman is several hours overdue at Port Darwin, which he should have reached at about 3.30, C.M.T, this morning.
Mr. Broadbent took off from Lympne on March 12 in an attempt to reach Australia in under four days.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.