Sunday, 3 November 1929

Germany:  

Bad economic news: government reports say unemployment is 27% higher than same week last year.  Nearly 800,000 are out of work.  Bankruptcies year-to-date are also higher, up nearly 22% from last year. 

Manchuria:  

Russian forces withdraw from Fukdin, having destroyed or scattered the Manchurian forces there.

Washington:  

In the dustup over Italy’s alleged conscription of Italian-Americans for military duty (see October 26), the Italian Embassy releases an unofficial statement which appears to indicate that Italy will stop the practice.  Actually, it’s hard to tell what it says.  “The royal Italian government, upon examining the proportion between the results of the compulsory conscription and the actual military contingent approved by the financial laws, would have no interest to impose military duties in time of peace to citizens residing in far away countries, for instance, transoceanic countries, in place of citizen residents of nearer countries if not altogether residents of Italy, and therefore, under all circumstances which are not of war, Italian citizens residing on the other side of the ocean, notwithstanding the kind of passport which they might present in Italy, whether issued by Italian authorities or by the authorities of the foreign country where they were born, can not but be considered in excess of the necessity of Italian military service in time of peace, and therefore free from being molested in any way, as far as military service duties are concerned, even past duties, provided they have no reference to time of war.”

Elsewhere: 

Russia:  The soviet government sentences still more of its citizens to die.  Today, 24 people get the sentence, allegedly for agitating against the government’s attempts to impose a new grain tax.  That brings the total killed or to be killed by the government in the past two weeks or so, to 130. 

New York:  10,000 communists rally at Madison Square Garden observing the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and supporting American communist political candidates.

 

Paris:  Andre Tardieu is named Prime Minister of France.

China:  Heavy fighting and a decisive rebel victory are reported in Hupeh and Honan in China’s northwest.  Ten thousand government troops reportedly desert, and casualties are high.