"The Times" today commented editorially on the Tiertsin situation. Referring to the statement made by the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, that should negotiations with regard to Tientsin fail, the Government would consider what further steps they should take, the journal says "The public would welcome an assurance that retaliatory measures to meet this eventuality have, in fact, already been studied during the nine days that have elapsed since the blockade began."—Reuter. just did not take off my trousers and when sentries saw that my refusal originated from a feeling of modesty rather than from wishing to conceal something, they did not force the issue," a British missionary, whose identity cannot be divulged for obvious reasons, told a "North-China Daily News" reporter on his arrival here from Tientsin on Thursday. On entering and leaving the blockaded British Concession, he was forced to strip to the waist but refused to take off his trousers when asked to do so by Japanese soldiers.
He was asked to undress notwithstanding the act that he was wearing clerical garb at the time.
"There are several means of acc to the Concession", he went on to say, "but the International Bridge is by far the most popular with Britons because, unlike other passing-points, they do not have to stand at the end of the queue of Chinese coolies awaiting permission to enter. I came io Tientsin from Peiping on the morning of June 16 and the only luggage I had with me, consisted of a small suit-case containing a pair of pyjamas, a few shirts and toilet necessities,"
"The first sentry I passed," he continued, "motioned me to go ahead to the next soldier who, on hearing that I was a Briton, gleamed with joy and accompanied me to small examination hut. Here a Chinese police constable went through my things in a more or less civil manner and as soon as he had finished a Japanese in plain-clothes, asked to see my passport and questioned me with regard to my destination, purpose of the trip and other details which he id not even write down but presumably wanted for his own information only. He thereupon took my suit-case, which he had seen being examined a few minutes previously, and overturned the entire contents on a bamboo-mat, through each item with the utmost care. My safety razor set was closely examined. The velvet lining was felt and each blade was unpacked, Thereupon I was asked to undress. I took off my shirt, shoes and socks and when the officer saw that I objected to taking of my trousers unless I was permitted to do so in the adjoining room which, I understood later, is used for searching ladies. he realized that my refusal was rather due to my modesty and rot in an effort to conceal something. He therefore did not insist."
"The linings of my clothes were carefully zone through as was every scrap of paper that I had on my person and, had it not been for my calmness, I dare say that a major incident may have resulted it being my opinion that these various an-agonizing formalities to. which Britons and Britons only, have to submit, have been formulated in an effort to find someone who would lose his temper and hit back, whereupon he would be arrested for resisting an officer."
Asked whether he had been manhandled, the traveller said that the only incident which would come under this heading and in which he was involved occurred when the contents of his suit-case was thrown on the filthy foot and when he tried to shake the dust out of a shirt. A plain-clothes officer walked up to him and hit him on the shoulder with his fist, whereupon Japanese sentries closed in on him, with fixed bayonets. Not wishing to become involved in any incident, he did nothing further and a Japanese N. C. O. who had seen the commotion from some distance, walked up and asked him in English what the trouble was. The Briton told him, whereupon the N.C.O. assisted him in packing his suit-case again and apologizing on behalf of the passport officer.
The latter however insisted that the missionary should wait until he returned about one hour later, this being presumably meant to serve as punishment for having dusted off the garments which had been thrown onto the filthy floor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.