Japanese Military Watch Jumpy Polic Undesirable Women in Residential Area By W. Lewsoie Peiping, Feb. 3.
'The police have been very jumpy these Inst few days. For "some months now, every single person coming into or' going out of the city Is carefully searched at each gate by police under the supervision of the Tapanese military. They have even special women police for this purpose. And in recent weeks, of an evening, pedestrians have been held tup and searched on the streets inside the elly self. On the days previous to the China New Year these pre cautions were tightened up, Ings of persons and cars on main streets at all hours were the order of the day.
Tatge bodies of police were posted at "street corners and Important points. A last-minute order was sent Found to householders forbidding the Tetting-of of firecrackers. But s0 ingrained fs this passion for noise—presumably this year it was more essential than ever to frighten away the devils—that the order was only partially obeyed. And though the Volume of noise was much Yess the Usual, a few bolder spirits still ven~ tured to let off crackers. On the hight of New Year's day the electric Tight suddenly failed, without any warning, all over the city for two hours. it was at once rumoured that this was an air raid precaution by the authorities, because Paotingfu had een bombed by Chinese planes. That fan air attack on Peiping is no longer Tegarded by the authorities as an abstird dream, Dut Is now envisaged unpleasant possibility, would seem to be indicated by the fact that the Japanese military authorities have been very busy with air defence measures In recent weeks.
T took the opportunity recently to go for a car trip to the Ming Tombs' which Iie about 25 miles north of the elly close to the Nankow Pass. The countryside was strangely deserted, very diferent from ordinary times; one met scarcely anybody on the roads and only a few people in the villages. Otherwise everything was perfectly peaceful, as It may well be, seeing that the Japanese have garrisons of their own fu all the small towns, and of Manchoukuo troops in the jarger villages. The Tombs themselves were quite unharmed, neither side having touched them or come near them during the Aghting summer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.