London, Feb, 18. question of the decree modify. brought up the House of Commons Ar. Patrick Willian' Donner, Conservative member for the Basingstoke division of Hampshire. asked Mr. to the British protest decree.
The British Government, Mi Peiping "Provisional Go 'A reply, he added, was awaited to the protest which had h~-~ ~Adressed to the Japanese authorities in North China and by Sir Robert Craigie, the British Ambassador in Tokyo, to the great Naval Base, hitherto one of the most closely' guarded areas. the British Empire, But those pre-Jsent were not chosen indiseriminately. The crowd, in spite of its size. was specially' selected. Admission was by invitation only, but the composition of the crowd ave some idea of the cosmopolitan character of Singapore, The most colourful Agures were the rulers of the Malay. States their bright but dignified, costumes and with their breasts shining. with decorations. The most striking of them was the G2-year-old white= haired Sultan of Johore, whose joe werest the Straits of Johore jconmands a view of the Naval Also present was the Sulla wok, who has always taken the Sultan of was the man who originally gested the gift of the battle HALS. Malaya, to the Royal Navy.
'A pleasant tottch to the proceed= ings was added by the fact that th Admiralty had Issued 4,600 special invitations to the workers who had 1 built the Base. Most of them were Chinese but among them were many Tamils from. southern India, and Malays in bright sarongs. The wide~ brimmed coolie sun hats of the Chinese contrasted strangely with colourful Malay robes, and the gold braided white uniforms of those on the official platform.
When Sir Shenton Thomas sailed round the palm-fringed cast coast Jof Singapore Island in his yacht, /Sea Belle Il, escorted by: two des-woyers, the tropical sun was drop: ping behind the Naval Base. 'The [Sultan of Johore came in his yacht from Johore Bahru, through the Jdrawbridge in the causeway which [separates 'Singapore' Island from the southernmost tip of Asia. When his yacht met the Sea Belle LI in the Straits, the two vessels slowed down and the Sultan came on board the Sea Belle 11 in order to enter the Liberately, "Every syllable" was plain to the millions of listeners. throughout, the country and the Empire, "The speech occupied ten minutes, and among those present at the Guildhall to hear it was the Qui
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.