Wing On's Cotton Mill in Seventeen Strikes During Seoul Road Believed Used Month; Twelve Raids Made As Collecting Station By Narcotic Section The Japenese press gangs continue to operate in the Japanese-controlled areas North of the Creek, it was learned yesterday from reliable sources, who stated thet the Japanese were using the Wing On's Cotton Mill in Seoul Ro-s, confiscated by them during the Sino-Japanese hostilities here, as a collecting station Starting out to operate under the cover of darkness, during the night and in the early hours of the morning, the Japanese, it is reported. sometimes even operate as late a 730 a.m. It was also learned that operations had begun, not last Saturday as it was reported. but that these press gangs were about their business on February 14.
Further information is being collected on the activities of these gangs, but the majority of the esceped coolies are so afraid of reprisals that they are reluctant of tell of their experiences while in the hands of the Japenese Military.
Another aspect to these operations also revealed by the fact that in many cases, the conscripted men turn out to be the sole supporters of large families. With the present high cost of living greduallv increas. ing and with only one of the family earning the daily bread, some of these families are in misery, being left without means of existence.
The police report for the month of January showed a total of 2,417 cases of crime, of which 240 had been brought to light by izvestigation. This number, it is pointed out. showed a slight decrease in comparison with December whea 2,753 cases were recorded. Arrests for crimes committed during the month showed an increase, 2,024 persons having been apprehended during the morth as against 1,868 in December. In addition, 166 persons were taken into custody for crimes committed in previous months, whilst 41 persons were arrested on behalf of other authorities.
Included in the arrests effected in January for offences committed within the jurisdiction of the Sharghai Municipal Police are 157 for complicity in armed crime; 28 firearms together with a quantity of ammunition were seized.
The Headquarters Narcotic Section carried out twelve raids and arrested 4l persons. Police station staffs dealt with 36 narcotic cases and arrested 95 persons. Narcotics seized included 213 ounces of opium and 99 ounces Of heroin—29 pipes were confiscated Property valued at $971.947.69 was alleged to have been stolen as against property valued at $940,944.13 in
246.52 of the stolen property.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.