Japan has acted promptly and appreciately in giving effect to the demands for the return of American property made in the note presented to Tokyo on Wednesday. The State Department now announces that Japan has agreed to most of the demands and has restored Shanghai school properties to the Southern Baptist Mission while American missionaries will be permitted to return to Nanking. The return of the property is taken to refer to the school in Chapei and not to the University of Shanghai, near Point Island, which is still in Japanese control, A committee will visit Central China to investigate the situation regarding American property in order to find means for adjusting the situation. With this set plan in mind it is to be hoped that the near future will see much progress in the re-opening of these cities and the approach te more normal conditions so vitally necessary for the rehabilitation of this war-torn area. The permission to return to Nanking is particularly important end suggests that even greater access of foreigners to this city will be possible and efforts made for its reconstruction and the recovery of its population. One American mis-
will be leaving for the city during the sionary has left for Nanking while others week-end. On. another page will be found a correspondent's impressions of the former capital gained during a recent visit and the picture is not a pleasant one. Nanking before the hostilities had a population of a million but this has been reduced by half and from makeshift booths constructed of material taken from the ruins. and from burnt-out and charred buildings shopkeepers are tenaciously striving to carry on business and supply the populace with the sparse and simple stocks available. Little or no building is being undertaken but there is no doubt that once the city is opened up and confidence restored by the appearance of foreigners and operation of foreign institutions there should be rapid recovery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.