§ 11. Commander BELLAIRSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make a statement as to the state of affairs in China; whether the Japanese Government has now released the rolling stock belonging to Chinese railways; and, if so, on what date it was released and on what date it was first seized?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Austen Chamberlain)On 26th March a mandate amounting to a declaration of war against the Wuhan authorities was issued by the National Government. Owing to the defection of a considerable portion of the Wuhan forces, the ensuing hostilities involved very little fighting and resulted in an almost bloodless victory for the National Government, whose troops entered Hankow on 5th April. The turnover was effected peacefully, and so far as I know no harm was suffered by British persons or property. At the same time the Kwangsi troops were peacefully evacuated from Canton and the province of Kwangtung. Chefoo was captured by General Chang Tsungchang on 27th March, the city remaining quiet. Reputed Communists from the province of Kiangsi made an incursion into south-western Fukien in the latter part of March. They captured the town of Tingchow and destroyed part of the property of the London Missionary Society; the missionaries themselves escaped. His Majesty's Consul at Foochow has advised the missionary societies to recall their members from outlying parts of the province.
In a report dated 30th January, His Majesty's Consul-General at Tsinan stated that the removal of the rolling stock of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway had been proceeding steadily since 17th January, 17 locomotives and 67 passenger and goods cars having been sent south, leaving 31 locomotives and 242 cars still to be removed. The British engineer considered that, owing to the necessity of effecting repairs, it would take at least a month to complete removal. The Japanese Embassy have informed me that freight traffic on the line was resumed on 12th February. This rolling stock has been immobilised since 3rd May last, but it would be misleading to say that it has been detained since that date, 11 as it was impossible to remove it until certain bridges had been repaired, and this work was not completed until the end of 1928.