2 Tokyo, Oct. 28. Colossal economic losses have been sustained by the Chiang Kai-shek regime as a result of the fall of Hankow and Canton, the "Asahi Shimbun" declared in an editorial today.
With the capture by Japan of these two important ports, the paper declared, exports from the area under the control of the Chiang regime are not expected to exceed the sum of $90,000,000 annually, which represents only 12 per cent. of the total exports aggregating $706,000,000 in 1936.
The import trade of the Chiang regime likewise will be reduced to a negligible amount with the Customs revenue dwindling to about $20,000,- 000 annually after the loss of Canton and Hankow.
This amount, the paper went on, represents only 6 per cent. of the total Customs revenue of $342,000,000 in 1937.
Moreover, the "Asahi" continued, products amounting in value to $30, 000,000 from Szechuen province, and about $70,000,000 worth of goods from Hupeh and Hunan provinces will find no outgoing routes with Hankow in Japanese hands.
The export trade of South China under the. Chiang Kai-shek regime totalled $135,000,000 in 1936, $226,000,- 000 in 1937, and $113,000,000 from January to August in 1938, the paper claimed. Of these amounts, between 53 and 60 per cent. passed through the Customs of Amoy, Canton, Lappa and Samshui, all of which are now cupied by Japan, the paper stated.
Therefore, the Chiang Kai-shek regime now loses all of its export trade which previously passed through those South China ports, the paper stated.—Domel.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.