A branch office of the anti-British publicity campaign recently launched by the "Reformed Government" in Nanking has been established in Shanghai, according to a Chinese report, If the report is true then it would appear that leaders of the movement have enlarged the scope of their activities as it is stated that the purpose of the branch office is to force the Chinese in occupied areas to boycott British goods and to buy Japanese goods. It is termed economic aggression.'
The branch office was established in Pootung at a meeting held on Tuesday. It is stated that Mayor Fu Hsiao-en, of the new Greater Shanghai City- Government, was elected "honorary" chairman of the Anti-British League in Shanghai. Mr. Chu Din, president of the Anti-Communist Society, was elected chairman of the Shanghai league while Mr. Hu Sı chang, president of the Labourers' Welfare Society is vice-chairman. The Japanese adviser to the mayor was elected also adviser to the mayor in league affairs.
The Shanghai league has started a membership campaign and is planning to establish other branch offices in all other occupied areas in and around Shanghai. Previous Chinese reports indicated that a similar movement was started in Nantao at a meeting. It would appear therefore that while at the Pootung meeting the head office has been established, branch offices might be or have been established in other Greater Shanghai areas.
Japanese goods are flooding the market in the occupied interior, according to other Chinese reports quoting Customs figures to support their argument. This was especially so between January and March of this year when imported Japanese goods were reported by the Customs to be worth $45,857,000 occupying the first place among all imported foreign goods. Kwantung (Manchoukuo) is said to rank third in this respect.
Machinery and agricultural implements are stated to have formed the greater part of the imported Japanese goods with books and stationery coming next in importance. Japanese artificial silk and articles made of it occupy the third place among imported Japanese goods, Grains and many kinds of oil are imported from the Kwantung leased area and hongs dealing in such oil have sprung up in Shanghai like "spring bamboo shoots after rain," the reports state.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.