The 2,000 striking mechanics, conductors, drivers and doorman of the China General Omnibus Ca. will resume their duties beginning at 8 o'clock this morning, pending negotiations with the management, it was announced last night. It is expected by the heads of the company that a full service will be restored.
A truce was arrived at 6 o'clock yesterday evening through mediation by the Settlement Police, after the workers had consulted Mr. Vu Ya-ching, veteran Chinese member of the Shanghai Municipal Council. Mr. J. D. E. Shotter, general manager, said that negotiations with the personnel would start tomorrow.
The strike began early on Thursday morning, following unrest among the mechanics on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, the employees having both refused to work and "o leave the depot in Connaught Road, Italian Marines were called upon to shift them from the premises, which was speedily done. Since then only a skeleton service has been operated, under police guard, with the aid of Russian employees.
Prospects of the striking employees returning to work were brightened already yesterday afternoon when it was learned from reliable Chinese sources that they would resume today it nothing unexpected happened, having accepted the good offices of Mr. Vu Ya-ching, doyen of Chinese members of the Shanghai Municipal Council.
It was stated that delegates of the strikers went to see Mr. Vu yesterday to seek advice and they were persuaded to return to work at soon as possible in order to maintain their important public service. The dclegates asked Mr. Vu to write a letter to their company offering mediation, which Mr. Vu did. It was also learned that Mr. Vu would undertake negotiate with the company on behalf of the strikers, As on Friday, 25 buses were operated yesterday as an emergency servi, with Russian drivers and inspectors taking the place of strikers. No trouble was reported and the buses were run on Routes 1 and 9, the two most important lines of the service.
Paying-off at the Wing On Textile Mill No. 3 in Markham Road continued yesterday when some remaining 300 workers were receiving wages due them. At the same time registration of employees is starting to take place, and possibly the factory will reopen tomorrow, reorganization having been completed.
No Trace of Missing Air-Liner Hannibal New Delhi, Mar. 2.
Despite a widespread hunt, no trace of the overdue Imperial Airways liner Hannibal could be found. The machine, which carried four pas. sengers and a crew of four, may have made a forced descent into the seas. The air-liner left Jiwani, Arabia, at 5.30 am. yesterday, and should have reached Sharjah at 1030 am. Two machines of the Royal Air Force and a flying-boat participated in the search for the missing air-liner today.—Reuter. positions.—United Press.
Russian attacks continued yesterday in the west of the Karelian Isthmus, stated a communique issued here last night., Finnish troops, it was claimed, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, rana destroyed several tanks. An attack at Taipale was repulsed. Finnish planes bombed an air base, a transport centre and a Soviet military train, and several fierce air battles occurred.
Many Soviet planes flew over the country and bombed a number of places including Abo and Rovaniemi, causing many fires, Fourteen civilians were reported killed and ten wounded, the communique said. Soviet planes dropped several parachutists, all of whom were immediately shot down. It was definitely established, the communique added, that fourteen Soviet planes were brought down while the Finns lost four planes.
Attempting to encircle Viipuri (Viborg) from three points, the Russians have been throwing fresh masses of troops and mechanized units into battle all day. On the main front on the Karelian Isthmus, Soviet forces have advanced, causing the Finns to retreat, The defenders, however, are Sighting tooth and nail for every inch of ground, inflicting enormous losses on the Russians.
The Finns are making superhuman efforts to hold their line until spring weather makes a Russian advance more difficult. It has now been accepted that Viipuri will fall, and all interest is concentrated on the Isthmus.
It is officially stated that during February, 251 Russian planes were shot down, while the fate of a further 53 is uncertain, The Russians, the statement adds, have hitherto lost 539 vlanes.—Reuter.
Russian Losses "Enormous"
Helsinki, Mar. 2.
Finnish troops moved backward be. fore the crushing weight of the Russian advance yesterday and abandoned "forward positions" on the Karelion Isthmus, an official statement said last night. The retirement "was not of decisive significance to our defence system," the statement said. The Russian losses on the Isthmus have been "enormous" and the Finns "have every reason to ask whether the success the Russians have achieved compensates for the sacrifices of men and material."
A dispatch from Svanvik, on the Finnish-Norwegian border in the morth, said reliable sources had confirmed that the Finns on the Petsamo front had retired an unknown tance southwards from Nautsi in a "practical manoeuvre," It was reported that the Red forces were following up their recent advance by establishing themselves in new positions.
The Finns were busy consolidating their new positions in the Petsamo which, it was reported, they had constructed some time ago.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.