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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENTEVENTS Japanese Disaster Probably Is Unequalcd in Loss of Life and Property. TOKYO, YOKOHAMA, IN RUINS America Leads In Relief for the Stricken Strick-en Nation British Fleet Ready to Back League of Nations Against Italy Ruhr Passive Resistance Resist-ance Collapses. By EDWARD W. PlCKARD HISTORY Cnea not record a disaster disas-ter equaling that which has overtaken over-taken Japan, unless present reports and estimates are greatly exaggerated. Shaken to pieces by violent earth-qunkes earth-qunkes and set ahluze by resulting conflagrations, con-flagrations, Tokyo, the capital, Is three-fourths destroyed J Yokohama, the chief sciiport. Is wiped out; numerous nu-merous smaller cities and towns are In ruins, aud the entire eastern half of Hondo, Japan's mala lsand, Is devastated. Latest estimates of the casualties, received by the Japanese legation lu Peking, put the dead at 300,000 or more, of aom 100,000 perished In Yokohama. More thuu a million persons per-sons are homeless, and the hunger and suffering In the aflllcted region are lutense. It Is not yet possible to estimate esti-mate the monetary losses, but those In Tokyo alone are put at about S10,000,000,(XM). Many Ainu-lcans and other foreign-era foreign-era ofllciul. business men and tour- that part of the world were ordered to co-operate, and Admiral Anderson, In command of the Pacific fleet, hastened to Yokohama on his flagship the Huron Hu-ron and took temporary charge of the relief work. Later Brig. Gen. F. R. McCoy was made director general of American relief. President Ooolldge directed the State, War and Navy departments to "go the limit" in extending aid, and he announced that this was the business busi-ness of first importance before the government. In accordance with the recommendation In his proclamation, contributions from municipalities, organizations or-ganizations and Individuals are being sent to the American Ked Cross, which has offered all Its resources to the Japanese government. The Red Cross has called on the American people peo-ple to give $5,000,000. The Salvation Army Is undertaking to raise a like sum, and It got busy promptly In Japan, Ja-pan, where It has a large uumber of stations and workers. Along our Pacific const, where the Japanese have not been popular, racial autagonlsm was forgotten. San Francisco, remembering the assistance given by the Japanese when the city was destroyed by quake and fire In 1000, was swift and generous In response re-sponse to the call for relief. The Ulce Growers' Association of California Califor-nia held practically the entire available avail-able supply of rice In the state for Japanese relief mid Its head announced there would be no advance In price and none would be sold to brokers. AH the available fir and ceilur lumber lum-ber on the northwest coust also Is held to supply the Japanese demands for rebuilding and shipping men said most of the freight steamers on the Pacific Pa-cific would be pressed Into service to handle the lumber traffic. Forty-five million feet of the lumber Is to be donated do-nated by the mills. Some Japanese authorities, dismayed dis-mayed and discouraged, said their Is that the council of ambassadors Is competent to deal with the murder of General Telllnl and his staff but that the League of Nations Is the only proper body to deal with the seizure of Corfu. Greece takes the same position posi-tion and has offered to post a sufficient suffi-cient sura to cover whatever Indemnities Indemni-ties shall be fixed by the ambassador. Italy has presented to Greece a formal claim for 20,000,000 lire for the cost of the military occupation of Corfu, Paxos and Antlpaxos. PASSIVE resistance in the Ruhr Is admittedly at its last gasp, and the German government is moving toward an agreement with France which shall make possible the restoration restora-tion of commercial relations and the resumption of negotiations concerning reparations payments. Chancellor Stressemann Is acting with caution for his position Is precarious, but be does not pretend that passive resistance has not collnpsed, and be practically has paved the way to Its abandonment. This may not be a formal abandonment abandon-ment by the government, for It Is already al-ready going on In the Huhr, where the workers and the other Inhabitants find they hove reached the limit Strese-mann Strese-mann says that only a France-German industrial union will solve the reparations repara-tions problem, and France, it Is said, recognizes that an economic accord with Germany Is Indispensable and will be the best form of guarantee against German aggression. For the present the negotiations for such an agreement are limited to private conversations con-versations between the German and French Industrialist magnates. Perl In was startled Wednesday by the statement that the chancellor had decided on the arrest and prosecution of Dr. Andreas Hermes, finance minister min-ister tinder Cuno, on a charge of manipulating ma-nipulating a huge financial swindle. It was believed the case would Involve) Hiiro Stlnnes. Ists were caught In the dlsuster, and of course some of them were killed. However, the number of American fatalities fa-talities was rather small. Among them were Consul Max D. Klrjassotf and Mrs. Klrjassoff, Vice Consul Paul E. Jenks at Yokohama, and Commissioner Commis-sioner and Mrs. William Eadle In command com-mand of the Salvation Army forces In Tokyo. The Japanese emperor and the prince regent escaped death but several members of the royal family and of the nobility were killed. United States Ambassador Cyrus E. Weods notified Washington Tuesday that he, Mrs. Woods and the entire personnel per-sonnel of the embassy were uninjured, but that the embassy buildings were destroyed. It will be many day before complete com-plete detail! of the disaster are received, re-ceived, for one feeble radio station baa been the sole means of communication communi-cation between Tokyo and the outside world. It la known that the temblors, tem-blors, which continued several hours oa September 1, not only shook down Innumerable buildings, but also broke all the water and gas mains, and that Area started simultaneously all over the cities and raged for days. Bridges upon which thousands of refugees had gathered collapsed, and other thousands were trapped by flames In the parks, and there perished. Tremendous tidal waves followed the earthquakes and wept over the water fronts, and many vessels went down. It Is reported that a considerable part of the Japanese navy was thus destroyed. The better residence section of Tokyo probably was saved, but Yokohama simply no longer exists. The entire city was burned to the ground, and the corpses lay piled In the streets. Kobe has be-become be-become Japan's chief seaport, and will remain such for a long time. Along the eastern edge of the Island the coast line Is altered and the bottom of the sea has risen. NO SOONER had the first reports of the catastrophe been received than steps for the quick relief of the stricken strick-en Japanese were taken in allrtvltUed lands. Out of Its great abundance the United States took the lead In this work of mercy, Inspired by the prompt proclamation of President Ooolldge and the equally prompt measures of our navy, army and state ffldals. Within a few hours flotillas f transports and destroyers laden with food and medical supplies, doctors doc-tors and nurse, were steaming toward to-ward Japan from Manila and (ftilneso wr.Wrs ; all shipping board vessels In country had been set back a full generation; gen-eration; but the more optimistic assert as-sert that Its recovery will be comparable com-parable to Its emergence from obscurity ob-scurity Into a first-class world power within a century. This view Is taken by Baron Watannba of Osaka, prominent prom-inent financier and president of fifteen fif-teen of the largest public utility corporations cor-porations In Japan. Interviewed In New York, he said he thought the reports re-ports of material loss had been exaggerated ex-aggerated and that the total damage might not exceed three billion dollars. He believes reconstruction In Tokyo and Yokohama cannot be accomplished lu less than three years, and continued con-tinued : "The Japanese government has sufficient suf-ficient funds to undertake this by Itself. In all probability an appeal will be made for Internal loans, followed fol-lowed by external loans. There Is no doubt that American capital and brains will be asked to assist In rebuilding re-building the stricken area. It Is too formidable a task for Japan to tackle single handed." PREMIER MUSSOLINI one day last week declared to his cabinet, and to the world, that if the League of Nations Insisted on considering and deciding the Italo-Greek embroglio, Italy would withdraw from the league and refuse to recognize Its decision. He also asserted the seizure of Corfu was not a war measure, but that the Greek Island would be held until Italy's demands had been satisfied. How-ever, How-ever, Greece's appeal to the league was taken up by the council lu Geneva, and Slgnor Snlandra, the Italian de'e gate, read a statement from Rome that Indicated Mussolini was cooling down considerably. It was merely that "the Italian government Irrevocably expresses the opinion that the council should not proceed to take the action requested by Greece." Th general belief was that the French and British representatives hnd Induced the Fascist premier to go alow. The council, however, postponed post-poned action on the matter until the council of ambassadors should decide what It could do, and the latter body also delayed, tending further accord between London and Paris. Lord Itohert Cecil Is Insistent 'that the league shall handle the affair, and it was said in Indon that the government govern-ment had determined to back up the league with all the power of the British Brit-ish fleet, acting as the league's fleet, which might mean forcibly ejecting the Italians from Corfu The British view GOVERNOR PINCHOT was still working hard last week to bring about a settlement of the unthraclte coal strike, and seemingly was making mak-ing some progress.. Each side was said to be moderating Its demands In some degree. It seemed likely the operators would abandon their demand for arbitration, and that the miners would accept the 10 rer cent wage Increase In-crease for contract miners and would modify tbe check-off demand. ONCE more tbe soldiers of tha Grand Army of the Republic, survivors of the Civil war, have met In annual reunion, this time in Milwaukee Mil-waukee where on Wednesday tome ten thousand of them trudged bravely If haltingly In parade between solid walls of cheering, weeping spectators. Not one of these marchers was less than seventy years of age and many were forced to drop out of the line of march. Gaylord M. Saltzgaber of Van Wert, O., was elected commander In chief. The Woman's Relief corps also held Its yearly meeting, and Mrs. Belle W. Bliss of Baraboo, W'Ul, was elected president. AIR sendee experts who witnessed the trial flight of ZR-1, the navy'a new rigid dirigible, at Lakehurst, N1. J., eirpressed great satisfaction with the test. The huge ship was In the air for an hour and Its working was closely otMerved from two airplanes that accompanied t. The dirigible will be taken to St Louis for the International In-ternational air races October 1 to 3. PROHIBITION COMMISSIONER HAYNES asks for an appropriation appropria-tion of ten million dollars for federal work In enforcing the dry law, an Increase In-crease of one million over last year. If he gets this sum, he plans an Increase In-crease In the number of field agents and In the Washington and field headquarters head-quarters staffs. Mr. Haynes had a long conference with President Cool-Idge Cool-Idge the other day and It was stated the President was Inclined to call a convention In Washington of gov. ernors to devise means for federal and state co-operation In the enforce-ment enforce-ment of the prohibition law. AMERICA'S defenders of the Dnvi cup, Tiiden, Johnston and Williams, Wil-liams, decisively defeated the Au trallaa team, and the International ten nls trophy remains in this country far another year. |
