The Southern Presbytarian Mission in China is gradually taking stock of the damage caused to its various stations in the interior, and workers are actually returning to their former places of activity to do a great deal in relieving the hardships and difficulties which are now being faced by the populations of the various cities according to officials of the mission yesterday. All stations belonging to the Mission are situated in Japanese occupied territory and many of them have been destroyed, whilst others are still being occupied by the Japanese military who decline to vacate the various premises Thus for instance at Kashing the Japanese refuse to vacate the premises belonging to~the mission on the grounds that they cannot transfer their headquarters elsewhere.
In Kiangyin the station is nearly completely burned whilst the property 2 to the mission. at Tsing-pu has been bombed by Japanese nes.
The most recent attack on any of the mission's property occurred at Sutien on November 6, where the hospital maintained there was machine-gunned by Japanese planes, one patient being killed. Since then, however, the Japanese troops have occupied the city and it has been possible to ascertain the full extent of {he damage. In Kiangyin nearly all of the mission's station has been destroyed by fire. Amongst the premises thus ruined are two schools, the hospital and all the residences. As a matter of fact the only buildings comparatively unharmed are iniaer constructions such as servants' quarters.
The Presbytarian Mission has workers of which 69 are actuall their stations whilst the remai are either in Shanghai or else on furlough, whilst still others lend a helping hand in the various refugee camps.
Nearly all the stations are again being manned. Thus for instance the hospital at Chinkiang was opened on November 1, and is now caring for some 300 patients. In Hangchow nearly all of the mission's property is re-occupied by the workers and reports from the lake-city indicate that everything is peaceful there now. The stations at Tsingkiangpu and Haichow have also resumed their activities although due to existing circumstances, in a minor way.
Considerable religious activity from the mission's station in Nanking is reported, though in pathetic contrast to pre-war conditions whilst at Siaogyi, seven miles south of Kiangyin, a second clinic has been opened to cater to those in need of medical attention there. In Sutsien the hospital has been re-opened and work has been resumed on a scale hitherto unknown, due.to various ordeals vhich the populations of most occupied territories have undergone during the past year.
Reports from Hai-yin, Kashing, Soochow and Changshu indicate that Chinese guerrillas have destroyed most of the bridges and nearly all the roads, whilst the Japanese seem to have made rapid progress in repairing the highway linking Shanghai with Changéhu.
As a whole, the work which it has taken so many years of devoted duty to accomplish, has been destroyed in most places within a few months and the Southern Presbytarian Mission, according to an officio of the organization, is now faced with attempting to go ahead in their work for the betterment of conditions for the rural populace, notwithstanding the great odds. It was also declared that a great step would be accomplished if the Japanese authorities would at last decide to return to the missions the various stations which are now being occupied, ju many cases being used as barracks and headquarters. Negotiations are now going on and it is presumed that they will be brought lo a successful conclusion in the near tutu Suez Canal Not Being Discussed in Cairo Cairo, Dec, 10.
A spokesman for the Egyptian Government stated that there is no ques-ion of the Suez Canal being discussed in the forthcoming Italo-Egyptian talks.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.