'Page 12
THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 2, 1940
Finland Makes
Makes Offer
Of
Peace, But Not Surrender READY TO END HOSTILITIES
ON HONOURABLE TERMS
HELSINKI, TO-DAY.
A DECLARATION THAT FINLAND IS READY FOR AN HONOURABLE PEACE WAS MADE BY PRESIDENT KALLIO, SPEAKING IN THE FINNISH PARLIAMENT YESTERDAY.
PROMISES
OF AID
TO FINLAND
LONDON, TO-DAY.
THE FOREIGN UNDER
SECRE-
President Kallio said the aggressor "has shamelessly exposed his imperialistic designs and shown that he wants to destroy us.”.
He claimed that the Soviet had lost several of their best divisions, and that the Finnish troops had already thrown back part of the enemy forces beyond the eastern frontier.
He added: "The Soviets are forcing TARY, IN A PARLIAMENTARY RE- us to fight men who have no respon- PLY, STATED THAT THE FOLLOW-sibility for the war and whom ING NATIONS HAD SPECIALLY IN- have no reason to hate. FORMED THE SECRETARY-GEN-
NA-
ERAL OF THE LEAGUE OF
ΤΟ TIONS OF THEIR READINESS ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESOLUTION CON- ASSEMBLY
ΤΟ FIN- CERNING ASSISTANCE LAND:~~
Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Colom- bia, Dominien, Ecuador, Egypt, France, India, Liberia, Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay,
Mr. Butler pointed out, however,
aro
"That is why we consider this
and senseless aggression ready to negotiate an honourable peace, but the Rusalan authori. Finnish of the tles know little people if they think we are cap. able of submitting to their dio. tates."
we
President Kallio concluded that the Finnish people had shown its great- its ress before the whole world by
JAPANESE
MAKING A "CONCESSION"
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
Tientsin, To-day. Agreement In principle has been reached between the British Consul-General and the Japanese authorities under which five lor. | ryloads of provisions for the Bri- tish Concession will be allowed through the barriers daily.
The new system will come in- to force after several minor de- talls have been settled. Havas,
EXTENSIVE FIGHTING ON CENTRAL FRONT AND SOUTH PETSAMO
Helsinki, To-day.
that all the states which voted for the moral force and spirit of sacrifice with EXTENSIVE FIGHTING is now going on along the Central
League resolution thereby undertook
to act in accordance with it,
which it was defending its rights and preventing Bolsheviem from extend-
Referring to the nature of the as-ing to the West.--Reuter. sistance Mr. Butler said the Secretary- Appeal For More Help General of the League had been in- President Kallio coupled his peace formed that the Government of South offer, which he made clear was made Africa were releasing certain aircraft to avoid senseless slaughter and not for Finland and that the Australian because Finland was weakening in Government had given ten thousand Australian pounds to the Finnish Government for Red Cross purposes. Bri- Mr. Bulter recalled that the tish Government were giving "very substantial assistance by facilitating the export of war material from Bri- tain.
assistance Further substantial
is, it is understood, also being given by the French Government."-British Wireless.
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THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH
6th BIG HITI
STONE ROONEY
CECILIA MAPAY
PARKER HOLDEN
· Scroon Pay by
Agnes Christine)
Directed by George B. Seitz
TO-MORROW
QUEEN'S & ALHAMBRA
her spirit or resolution, with a re- newed appeal to outside Powers to send more help.
He revealed that Swedish volun- tears were still arriving and had on the done magnificent work Central Front, but said that the chief Immediate need was a means to combat air raids.
On
Finnish Front and also in the Far North, where the Soviets have again bombed hospitals.
the Central Front, the main centre of activity is the Rasti sector, where the Finns are reported to be slowly advancing. This battle has been going on since Mon- day and the area is so extensive that no decisive result is expected for several days. Most of the Finnish, troops are still on their own side of the border, but ski patrols cross over daily into Rus- sia.
Further North, Rovaniemi, near the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, was at tacked by three waves of Soviet bom- bers. The Russlans dropped 150 Munitions were required on a grow- ing scale and shortly food "supplies | bombs, killing 12-people-some of whom were in hospitals-and injur- would be necessary.
In his peace offer, President Kallioing 60 others. sald that Finland had nothing to ask of the invader except respect for Fin- land's rights.--Reuter.
BOMBING OF RED AIR BASES
In the far north, a Soviet attack was beaten off after a night-long battle of Petsamo. some 550 miles south The attack was preceded by an aerial offensive, but the Finns counter-at- tacked and drove the Russians back to their original positions.-Reuter.
Official Communique
Helsinki, To-day.
A communique dealing with Wed- nesday's activities records that Rus sian attacks north-east of Lake Ladoga were repulsed with heavy losses to
the enemy.
Attacks at Salla and in the direction of Petsamo were also repelled.
The enemy bombed Rovaniemi and flew over other towns.
Casualties amounted to "some dozens of civilians killed and about 40 wounded."
"Alcazar” Holds
Helsinki, To-day. The Russians lost 800 of their crack ski troops, from the Third Siberian the Ski Battalion, in a battle with Finns yesterday in the Rasti sector. It is reported that much of the batta- lion has been dispersed.
The stand of the Finns in a for- tress on an island dominating the milltary road to the north of Lake Ladoga is now being compared by noutral military observers with the stand put up in the Alcazar, Toledo, during the Spanish war. (Except that, of course, the Finns do not have any of the wives of the opposing side in the fort with them to distract the enemy aim).
SOVIET BAULKED
its
cannot
So long as this fort holds out, guns prevent the military road from being used, and the Soviets get reinforcements or supplies up the road. Lying right on the edge Lake Ladoga, next to Soviet-occupied Finland, the fortress is virtually cut off from outside aid.
of
at-
re- is
Helsinki, To-day. Details of the recent bombing of the Russian air base at Baltiski by the Finns are given in the newspaper "Uusisuomi.”
The paper states that the Finnish bombers destroyedted for the first time that foreign air- The fortress is still holding out, some Russian machines and craft from an unnamed country have and while it is in action not a Soviet started fires which could be repeatedly bombed the Soviet air column can use the military road.-
bases in Estonia in the last few weeks. Reuter. seen for miles.
the
The newspaper declares that Russian commander of the airport was subsequently summoned to Leningrad and has not returned.
The Soviet authorities, it added, have ordered a nightly black-out on the Russian-occupied islands of Oesel and Dagoe.
The newspaper says it now seems certain that not only Baltiskt but the airports on Oesel; Dagoe and elsewhere have been successfully raided by the
Reuter. Finnis.
Esthonlan Admission
Helsinki, To-day. According to reports from Talinn
Nevertheless, repeated Soviet tacks across the ice have been pelled. Each Soviet detachment driven back by intense machine- gun fire, ice-sleds are destroyed
while turned back by artillery fire,
tanks is each succeeding wave of the Estonian authorities have admit-put out of action.
Two enemy planes were brought down. Reuter.
The last occasion was on Wednes- day this week, when Baltiski. was heavily bombed and flames were visible for many miles.
Д
The first raid on this base was complete surprise for the Russians, and many planes and hangars were destroyed,-
Almost all the Soviet, air bases Estonia have been raided.
SIR WALTER CITRINE
· ·BACK' FROM FRONT Helsinki, To-day.
or
Sir Walter. Citrine and other mem- bers of the British Trade Union group visiting Finland, have returned into Helsinki from the Karelian Isthmus frontier, which has been fairly quiet now for several daya--Reuter.
The commander of the Baltiski base was long ago recalled to Leningrad and has never returned. Many He Chi-chiu, six-year-old boy, died officers at other Soviet bases in yesterday from a Estonia" have also failed to return | celved when after being recalled. They are thought | bamboo-pale
He died on the to have been abot-Reuter,
skull re-
O'Brian Woad.
to hospital.