THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 9, 1940.
Mr. Mackenzie King Opens Election Campaign
FIGHTING
TRANSFORMATION INTO COUNTRY AT WAR
Ottawa, To-day.
“IT WOULD BE a miracle if the transformation of a were not peaceful country Into a nation at war marked by some shortcomings, some unprepared- ness, somie shortage of supplies," declared the Premier, Mr. Mackenzie King, in his first General Election campaign speech last night.
He continued: "Those, however, are minor matters and shrink into insignificance when placed in their appro- priate perspective beside the true magnitude of our war effort."
CANADIAN THIRD CONTINGENT ARRIVES
London, To-day.
Calling for the maintenance of Canadian unity and continued effec- tive prosecution of the war, Mr. King declared that the Government's record would be fully presented to them in the course of the election campaign, and criticisms thereof would be met fearlessly.
Defending his decision to dissolve Parliament. Mr. King pointed out that the Government had almost reached the end of its legal tenure of office.
He added that a Spring offensive overseas, and if the was expected
Gill 'the voting had been delayed time when our men were facing all
The third contingent of Canadian troops arrived at a the horrors of concentrated warfare, West Coast port yesterday, I would have been told, and rightly being greeted by cheering crowds.
in They came across the Atlantic famous liners, and were escorted by units of the Royal Navy.
The voyage was without incident, and as one Canadian soldier said: - "We saw neither a Nazi submarine nor 'plane."
Among them were a number of men who completed their training under the Empire training scheme.
There were also a number of Cana- da's Red Indians, and as one of their officers remarked, their great patience fully qualifies them for their jobs they are snipers.
Major-General
-
so, that I was not fit to be the leader
of the Government for allowing mat- ters to drift that way."
MANDATE FOR WAR
He therefore desired a mandate from the people to carry on through the war,
He emphasised that in the opinion of those best able to judge, the war might continue several years, and i Parliament was not dissolved the cur-
SPEECH
NEW POST
FOR MR. VEREKER
London, To-day.
Mr. George Gordon Vereker, British Minister-designate at La Paz (Bolivia) has been appoint. ed Minister to Finland,
The announcement recalls the fact that Mr. Vereker, who la a former Councillor of the British Embassy in Moscow, was cap- tured by the Germans In De- cember and detained for weeks.- Reuter.
NAZI CLAIM AND FACTS
ter
London, To-day.
KING'S TOUR
OF THE WEST COUNTRY
LONDON, TO-DAY.
HIS MAJESTY THE KING HAD A ROUSING RECEPTION FROM CIVI- LIANS AND SOLDIERS WHEN HE COUNTRY WEST TOURED THE YESTERDAY AND INSPECTED SE- VERAL DETACHMENTS, AMONG THEM THE MEN OF THE VARIOUS MAKE UP UNITS WHICH GO TO
MECHANISED DIVI-
A MODERN SION.
He chatted with officers and men. In all, he toured for about 100 miles, visiting, among other 'places, a wes- tern aircraft factory, where he watch- ed the construction of a general ser- vice 'plane used chiefly for co-opera- tion work.
This is the Lysander, which is al- most crash-proof and is being made in a number of factories In England as well as in Canada,
Later, he watched a Lysander being In answer to German claims, Reu-put through its paces in a test flight.--
is authoritatively informed that Reuter, Allied and neutral merchant ships sunk by German naval action since the war began total 274 up to mid- night on February 4.
Britain had lost 143, Allied 14, and neutrals 117. The Germans officially claim a total of 409.
SECOND CANADIAN
DIVISION
Ottawa, To-day.
The Second Canadian Division
is
In tonnage the Germans claim ready to leave as soon as the First 1,493,431. The real figure is 925,044 | Canadian Division leaves England for
Reuter,
France.-Reuter. lons. -
rent session would be endangered by A a bitter political controversy which would not end before the anticipated Spring offensive, leading inevitably to eventual dissolution under conditions which would not be understood abroad.
REAL ISSUE
McNaughton, the Canadian Commander-in-Chief, was
The Premier declared the two real down to welcome them, accompanied issues of the election were the main- by the Duke of Devonshire.
An American was among the first to land.
He joined the Canadian Army be- cause he "thought it would be fun."
Scots and Mixing with
French Canadians were the full-blooded In- dians, who were described by an officer as "of infinite patience and excellent snipers."
Some of the Canadians spoke Gaelic, -Reuter.
12-HOUR PROGRAMME FOR THE TROOPS
London, To-day.
The Director-General of the BBC, who returned from France on Wednes- day night, announces that special pro- the grammes will be broadcast for forces in France 12 hours a day.
At present, there is an experimental 6-hour broadcast, but the full service. will go into operation
Monday
week.-Reuter.
on
NO · CENSORSHIP OF
SPEECHES
Ottawa, To-day.
The censorship committee in charge
of radio has decided that political speeches broadcast in connexion with
tenance of national unity and the whole policy of the Government in the prosecution of war.
The second issue depended on the first and both rose superior to per- sonalities.
Canada must plan for a long war and yet never lose sight of the fact that preparations must be made for
the aftermath of war.
CHURCHMEN MEET TO DISCUSS WAR AND PEACE
London, To-day. MEETING OF BRITISH and Scandinavian church lead- ers is reported in a letter to "The Times" by the Arch- bishop of York, who says that he, the Bishop of Chiches- ter and prominent members of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches were invited to a meeting of Scan- dinavian church leaders to explain the spirit of Chris- tian opinion in Britain towards the war.
to
The British representatives were not official spokesmen, but some of them expressed their views as follows:-
They cordially recognised as mem- bers of the church all Germans who
tried believed in Christ. They make no prayers in which German Christians could not join. Britain and France have no desire to destroy Germany but want a peace based on reconciliation.
PEACE PROSPECTS Negotiations for peace could only be started on the two following con-
"Every thoughtful Canadian has be- fore him a vision of a new and juster world in which humble men and wo- men may be allowed to live in free-ditions:- dom."
1. The Czechs, Slovaks and Poles The Government must be ready to must be recognised as independent,
of face unfinchingly the necessities and guarantees must be given for
war and with a sense of national unity this. to be prepared to face the problems of peace.-Reuter.
VISITS TO BADLY
WOUNDED
-London, To-day. The British Red Cross has made ar- rangements for near relatives of dan- gerously wounded men to visit them❘
in France.--Reuter.
LAUSANNE "ARRESTS
Berne, To-day.
A man and woman have been ar- the General Election will not in fu-rested in connexion with the explosion ture have to be submitted to the cen- in the Lausanne police laboratory.
Reuter. sor.-Reuter.
2. The final peace must be nego tiated at a Congress which must in- clude at least the European nations and at which the Czechs and Slovaks would be full partners.
While hatred of war is shared by all, the British and French Govern- ments were morally bound to enter
Reuter. this war as they did.
-
JEWS PROCLAIM DAY OF EAST IN KAUNAS
ACCUSATION DENIED
an
Defence
Kingston (Ontario), To-day. Mr. Norman Rogers, the Minister, in election campaign speech here yesterday, denied the al- Op- legations of Mr. Mannion, the position leader, that Canadian soldiers had been inadequately equipped.
of
Speaking of the First Division the Expeditionary Force, he said no contingent of soldlers had ever left the Canadian shores with better outfit of clothing and personal equipment. Reuter.
SOVIET OFFICIAL INVITED TO LEAVE
Berne, To-day. The Government of Switzerland has ordered a Soviet League of Nations official to leave Geneva within a fort- night.
He was dismissed when Soviet Rus- sla was expelled from the League and has been trying to stay on as 'a liaison officer for the International Red Cross. - -Reuter.
1
Kaunas, To-day. The Council of Rabbis has pro- claimed a Day of Fast for all Lithu- anian Jews as a mark of sympathy for na, nearly 40,000 Jews have died of Jews suffering under Nazi rule. hunger, cold and hardships in Ger-
According to a report reaching Vil-man-occupied Poland-Beuter.