Questioned at the press conference yesterday, spokesmen said that the navy would afford transportation for the evacuees to Shanghai, at such a time as was convenient; for the moment nothing had been done to facilitate their removal from Kuling, inasmuch as there had been no reply from the interested Consul-Generals and because no modus operandi had been provided for their trip down the hill. By indirect means word would be sent them later regarding methods of evacuation; in all probability the Japanese would meet them at the end of the motor road. Ambulances would be provided for the party.
A British correspondent inquired whether—because many had been living there for a long span of years—they would be allowed to return after peace and order had been: established.
The reply intimated that the same situation would prevail as elsewhere, but no specific date would be set. The inference was that when military necessity allowed.
Another asked if they would be allowed to bring down their furniture of many years' accumulation, principally valuable curios, objets d'art and personal items of value to the owners, the reply indicated that baggage, as on the previous evacuation, might be brought along.
The Japanese had had no indication if bed-ridden persons could be brought out, but believed that arrangements could be made. Several hypothetical questions remained unanswered by the spokesmen.
What guarantee would the evacuees have that their property which wns marked with foreign flags would remain undamaged, asked another correspondent. The spokesmen had no knowledge what the guerillas—there were four or 5,000 Chinese troops halfway up the hill—would do, but the Japanese would try to avoid damaging such property, even when bombing. They had information that the guerillas had used untenanted foreign property as barracks. At least the foreigners' lives would be spared if they evacuated, he concluded. year.
Imports during the year totalled Rin. 5,449,000,000 and exports Rin. 5,287,000,000, the latter showing a drop of an. $31,000,000 over the previous year's figures.
Exports to Great Britain decreased by Rin. 81,000,000, to Soviet Russia by Rin. 85000,0000, or 75 per cent, China by nearly Rin. 49,000,000, r 33 per cent, to Japan by Rin. 24,- 000, or 21 per cent., and to India more than Rin. 37,000,000.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.