The following communique was issued by Mr. Frank P. Lockhart, U.S. Consul-General in Shanghai, to special shipping facilities were being made available. The Department of State in a recent telegram stated that it has the greatest sympathy for the hardships which many " Americans will necessarily meet in withdrawing from the Far East but points out nevertheless that accommodations are being provided at regular conference retes with a reduction if emergency accommodations are used. To make the vessels arriving here available the Department of State found it neces. sary to guarantee the shipping com: panies against loss and the arrangements made will involve a loss to the Government of several hundred thousand dollars inasmuch as the fares paid will be insufficient to pay more than half the cost of the/transportation provided.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.