HONGKONG DAILY PRESS
TROOPS
80,000 RUSSIAN FIGHTING IN THE Stubborn Resistance By Finns Continued
HELSINKI, DEC. 7 (REUTER) — IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE THROWN THEIR SEVENTH ARMY "UNDER GENERAL MERESKOV, INTO THE RE- GION COMPRISED OF THE KARELIAN ISTHMUS AND LAKE LADOGA. THIS CONSISTS OF SEVEN INFANTRY AND FOUR TANK DIVISIONS AND OVER HALF OF THIS ARMY IS BELIEVED TO BE IN THE KARELIAN AREA, WHERE A SERIES OF SPEAR-THRUSTS WERE PUSHED INTO THE FINNISH ADVANCED DEFENCES, WITH THE
·INTENTION OF REACHING THE RAILWAY LINE START- AND ING FROM OULU, IN THE BOTHNIAN GULF,
THE RUSSIAN RUNNING
TOWARDS SOUTH-EAST FRONTIER.
"Eighty-thousand Russians and 40,000 Finns are said to be fighting in the Karellan Isthmus.
The Finnish Army numbers, nearly half a million and is stated to include several Russian Commissars who fought in the Civil War in 1917.
The Russian troops are re- ported to be poorly shod, wearing rubber goloshes in- stead of boots, which are un- comfortable for marching..
ATTACKS HELD ON
ALL FRONTS
77
HELSINKI, Dec. (Reuter) Soviet attacks are being held on all fronts.
CABLE
ENGAGED IN KARELIAN ISTHMUS
EVACUATION CONTINUED The evacuation of towns con- During the past few days over tinues and, only a few residents re-sixty Soviet tanks have been des- main in Helsinki.
troyed on the Southern Front and many mote have been put out of action front north of Lake Ladoga, where there is fierce night- ing in heavy snow.
A journalist yesterday visited a "hospital twenty-miles from Hel- sinki and saw victims of the air raids. There were some hundred adults and twenty-five children. Many of the children were terribly injured.
It is reported that the Swedish armaments frm at Bofors is passing to Finland twenty-five anti-aircraft guns, which were ordered by the Polish Government, but which could not be delivered in time.
Three sples who are alleged to have been discovered send- ing radio messages to Moscow were shot yesterday.
1
On the Arctic Front, the Finns are holding up the advance of the Russians, who are being constantly reinforced.
A Moscow message states that the Moscow Wireless denied the Finnish claims, but made no claims on behalf of the Soviets. It is announced that Lenin- grad's anti-aircraft guns have been in action against Finnish planes.
PUPPET CAPITAL EVACUATED
ALLEGED BRITISH DECISION TO AVOID DEPRIVINGTM JAPAN OF ARMS SHIPMENTS DENIED
LONDON, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-It is authoritatively. stated here that the United Press message allegedly originating from London "and published in Shanghai on Dec. 5, and repeated by the Chungking Radio, that the British Government had decided to avoid depriving Japan of shipments of arms and munitions is entirely without foundation.
No such decision has been taken.
PRACTICAL HELP FOR FINLAND
HELSINKI, Dec. 7 (Reuter)- Practical help is coming to Finland from countries outside Scandina-,
to
ot
In addition to the suggested American action in returning Finland the next instalment her war debt, Italy is supplying Fifty or the Finns with planes. sixty Italian planes have already arrived in Helsinki.
The disgust felt over the Russian action was shown in the Danish and Swedish Parliaments yester- day when all members, except the Communists, walked out when the Communist leader rose to speak.
CHINESE EXECUTIVE FLIES TO MOSCOW
CHUNGKING, Dec 7 (Reuter -Gen. Yo ¥20-tsu, Director of the Executive Office of the Generalissimo's Headquarters, yesterday
left Chungklnk morning for Moscow on board the Chinese Ministry of Com- munication" aleliner "Chang- king." which inaugurated the through air-traffic between the two capitals, according to an official announcement made here today.
ARRIVAL AT LANCHOW He arrived safely yesterday evening at Lanchow. capital of Kansu, according to a telegram received here," and is scheduled to Great Britain, Italy and the Unit- continue his fight to Moscow this ed States are either assisting Fin-morning.
HELP FOR FINNS LONDON. Dec. 7 (Reuter)
air
land with war materials or mak- Gen. Ho Yao-tsu. it is under- ing arrangements to do so.
stood, originally planned to leave It was officially announced in on Sept. 25, but on hearing that London that British firms are to arrangements on the new supply considerable amounts of route had not yet been completed, war supplies, including automatic postponed his departure untu yes- arms, Bren Guns and about twen-terday. ty fighting planes.
MANY NOTABLES The Government will not make
Among the notables gathered at use of its priority rights to pre- the airfield yesterday to see
him vent immediate delivery..
Italy has already sent about Af-off were Gen. Ho Ying-ching and
STUBBORN RESISTANCE HELSINKI, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-The
ROME, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-Terijoki, stubborn Finnish resistance to the
seat of the puppet Finnish Govern- Red Invasion continues and, ac- cording to a communique issued by ment, was evacuated following a ty planes to Helsinkl. General Headquarters, eighty Rus-bombardment by Finnish planes, stan tanks have been destroyed or according to reports from. Helsinki. The reports add that the Russlan damaged since the war started.
Air operations yesterday were forces advancing to Petsamo were confined to a few reconnaissance being machine-gunned from the air Nights by Red planes over Petsamo by the Finns.
Parliament The Finnish
met
U.S. AID President Roosevelt has been in
with consultation
Mr. Norman
methods by which the United Davis and Mr. Jesse Jones as to States can lend assistance, finan-
Owing to bad weather, Finnish. planes again only went up on re-twice yesterday at a place which clai, etc.. to Finland with diploma-
connaissance flights.
SUCCESSFUL AIR
RAID
|| BY FINNS HELSINKI, Dec. 7 (Reater) -The Finnish Air Force yesterday carri- ed out another swift rald on the Soviet aerodrome hear Murmansk.
was not revealed.
tic immunity and domestic appro-
י.
Some speculation is voiced in London as to how long Ger-
The Budget Commission sub-bation, mitted proposals for a long-term loan of 700,000,000 Finnish marks and a short-term loan of 1,000,000,- Q00 Finnish marks.
SOVIET DENIAL Moscow, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-Soviet
The aerodrome WILS liberally headquarters in the Leningrad mi- strewn with incendiary bombs, but itary area, denies the report that the elect could not be observed sixty Soviet planes were destroyed owing to extremely poor visibility, in a Finnish air raid on Murmansk.
The raid is regarded as high- fy important by the Finnish Command in the Arctic Zone, because of persistent reports of increasing concentrations of the Red Army for a crush- ing offensive.
It is stated that no ralds were carried out by the Finnish or any other air force in the Murmansk
area
FINNISH COMMUNIQUE
Gen. Chang Chih-chung. Chief Ald-de-Camp to the Generalissimo. and representatives of the Foreign Office and the Soviet Embassy.
It is announced" that apon his arrival at Moscow. Gen. Ho Yao-tsu will call on Soviet leaders.
GOODWILL MISSION CHUNGKING, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-- Gen. Ho Yao-tsu, Director of the
Executive Office of the Generis
simo's Headquarters, who is on his
many will allow the transport way to Moscow, is leaving Hami,
of war materials through the Baltic to Finland.
KING GUSTAV’S "SYMPATHY · STOCKHOLM. Dec. 7 (Reuter) King Gustav of Sweden telegraphed President Kailio en the occasion of
in Chinese Turkestan, today for Alamutu.
Gen. Ho left Lanchow yesterday morning and arrived at Hami yes- terday afternoon.}}
In a statement today, the For- eign Ofice explained that Gen. Ho..was going to Moscow on goodwill mission,
B
Rumours of the resignation of
Finland's Independence. Day ex-Gen Yang-chieh, Chinese Ambas pressing Sweden: unanimous sym-sador to Russia and of his replace LONDON, Dec. 7 (Reuter)--Eight pathy and understanding for the ment by Gen. Ho. It was added,
are entirely without foundation. more Russian tanks were destroyed hard-tried people of Finland.
.
There were a large number of in the Karelian Isthmus yesterday,
planes grounded at Murmanski
says a Finnish communique, mak- ing a total of eighty destroyed in
waiting until the infantry forma-this region since hostilities began. tions were ready for attack.
Two big enemy planes were shot down north of Lake Ladoga.
Nazi Planes Resume Raids On East Coast
LONDON, Dec. 7 (Reuter) There was some aerial activity оп the East Coast O Tuesday and Wednesday night.
A German plane was brought down in the sea off Norfolk and two others were picked up the by search-lights OVCK Thames Estuary, but they dis appeared in a north-easterly direction.
morning. 2
TIENTSIN SILVER RESERVES
BRITISH POSITION
UNCHANGED.
ii
Britain's War At Sea Reviewed By First Lord
+
LONDON, Dec. 7 (Reuter)-In the House of Commons yesterday, Mr. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admir- alty, said that the destruction of U-Boats was proceeding in accordance with the estimate previously given, namely, two to four weekly, or faster than the Germans can replace them. "Last week, I am inclined to think, certainly five met their fate from our flotillas or with co-operation of the R.AF.
14
"These results are independent of those by the French
Navy.
LONDON, Dec, 7: (Reuter)-In the House of Commons yesterday, In reply to Mr. Noel Baker (Lab.),
The Navy has lost so far 50,000 tons in warships and Mr. R. A. Butler said that during recent conversations between Sir, we are building, nearly one-million tons of warships, much | Robert Craigle and the Japanese of them in an advanced stage."
"Over 1,000 merchantmen are armed for defence and before long there will be over 2,000 armed.
SILVER RESERVES
ordeal to which the U-Boat would be subjected would be- come even more severe.
CONVOY SYSTEM
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Churchill added that whom they are at peace rather An enemy plane flew over the an informal exchange of views the efficacy of the "Asdic than those with whom they are at Orkneys, while another was heard, took place on the issues arising Method" for detection was war. The figures were remarkable.
British merchant ships sunk 07er Northern Scotland during the out of the position in Tientsin and increasingly proved and the
in October were half what they other outstanding questions. ́ ́
were in September and tn. November only two-thirds. of what they were in October. Quite the contrary had been the case of neutrals. They lost half as much again in the second month as in the first and double as much in the third month as in the second.
The plane which crashed was a Heinkel reconnaissance inachine believed to have been engaged in mine-laying.
Ja
Con-
Mr. Noel Baker asked whether Mr. Betler could say whether the question of the silver reserves in The convoy system was now in Tientsin was raised and whether full operation and very few ships BAD. WEATHER
the Government adhered to the were attacked in, convoy, less thari RAF. ighter planes went up. principles they had previously anone in 750 were sunk..
voys involved certain definite loss but owing to the darkness and nounced? extreme bad weather they did not Mr Butler 'replied: "The ques of carrying power, but this loss was tion of the allver presumably being steadily reduced by the in-. contact the Nazi machine.
The German plane, however, arose when various questions arts stitution of slow and fast convoys apparently got out of control in ing out of the position in Tientsin and appropriate measures, but cer- the bad weather and, after nar- were discussed. I can assure himtain delays must always remain. ?
A REMARKABLE FIGURES rowly missing a gasometer, and that His Majesty's Government
to the principles they U-Boats preferred increasingly to several buildings, it crashed into adhered
attack ships of countries with previously enunciated.” the ses
Wounded Of China Need
Aid Now
AN APPEAL TO FOREIGN FRIENDS
An extract from a letter written on November 20 by Dr. Rolf Bec- ker, of the Chinese Red Cross the Medical Rellet Corps, from North-West Klangsi Front, tells of the desperate conditions there.
"I am now for the second time in the front sector of North-West Kiangsi, I left Liling In Human with two Red Cross Ambulance Units and fifty coolles, carrying medical supplies. We left one Unit for the time being working at Tungku on the. Hunan border.
"Our arrival here was welcomed like rain, in a very dry summer: in fact the military commander tells üs that everybody has malaria ex- cept himself and here is no medi- cine to treat hem. The condition of these Boldlers is deplorable and I estimate that in this area alone there must be 15.000 soldiers with malaria, 20 per cent of the army has dysentery and 90 per cent are, affected by scables. Somehow we have to care for them all, but we have with us only enough quinine to treat 600 and although most of the cases of dysentery are amoebic We have very little emetine with
115.
Within the next few days I am going with the Group Leader-fur- ther up to the front line, to see what help we can give with our very limited resources."
URGENT REQUEST »
the The Foreign Auxiliary to National Red Cross Society of China urgently begs friends of China in Hongkong to give money quinine. for the purchase of emetine and other basic drugs to help these soldiers who are fight- ing and dying in the service of their country.
quinine Surgical Instruments, and drugs can be got through to the North-West Klangs if only funds are available for the pur- chase of increased supplies. Those of us who are living in the com- fort and security of Hongkong can
the Red Cross Units who are pre surely make every effort to supply
pared to go to the Front and treat"
the sick and wounded under des- perately hard conditions.
0
Send your donations earmarked for the North-West Klangs! Front or bring them to the Office of the Foreign Auxiliary, Sample Room No.3, Arst floor, Gloucester Build- Ing.
KING'S TOUR OF WESTERN
FRONT
INSPECTION OF TROOPS
LONDON, Dec. 7 (Reuter). His Majesty the King, on the second day of his tour of the Western Front met men who been in action against the enemy. Among those intro- duced to him were several R.A.F. pilots, one of whom downed a Heinkel bomber.
Later. His Majesty inspected mass formations of troops
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1939. -PAGE
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Growing Effect Of Allied
over which circled HAF. Economic Measures On Nazis
fighters and reconnaissance, planes as a precaution against possible German attacks.
been ordered to enforce the confiscation of German exports, political The King was again accom- | circles believe that they may expect the Governments behind neu- panied by Viscount Gort, the tral shipping will no longer be content with "paper protests,” bat Duke of Gloucester and Gen. will organise self-help to protect their trade. Brook
BERLIN. Dec. 1 (Reuter)—An officially inspired statement, issued yesterday, states that now that British and French warships have
n.wil
Astonishment is expressed that some other kind of business,” the Holland does not present armed writer concludes," merchantmen to organise their own convoys.
The article may reflect disagree-.. ment between "Field-Marshal Goer-
..
faid that they were about the lowest form of warfare that could.
The growing effect of the Allieding and the Reichsbank, which has be Imagined. The magnetic minė
economic measures on German refused to subsidies Germany's ex-' might, perhaps, be Herr Hitler's trade, especially on exports, is em- port trade. much-vaunted szeret weapon.
HOLLAND'S REPLY Referring to the German claims phasised in a warning to neutral
THE HAGUE, Dec. 7 (Reuter)—A to the mastery of the seas, Mr. countries given by Berlin yesterday.
In what is called an "authorita-semi-ocial statement, replying to Churchill said that Britain had
tive statement to the foreign the German statement," expressÇK- begun the war with twenty-one presa," neutral countries are told surprise that Holland alone is million tons of merchant shipping, that they can no longer make mere specially mentioned out of which they had lost during
the seizure of German 'exports.
The statement says that Holland's
three months about 340,000 tons, "paper protests" to the Ailles. They For every thousand tons of British must take active measures against neutrality does not impose any obligation to resist. by force the shipping sunk, 110,000 entered
Anglo-French measures and more ANOTHER ASPECT British ports.
than the action of U-Boats or the Another aspect of the difficulties unreasonably long detention by the The losses on protecting warships is given in an article over the German authorities of numerous the Navy were necessarily signature of one of the Reich's Dutch timber vessels from the heavier in proportion to those pro- leading economic experts, in Field-Baltic)
of
NAVAL LOSSES
tecting the Mercantile Marine, as Marshal Goering's paper for a they ran greater, risks, because "Four-Year Plan." they had to seek enemy destroyers and submarines. In all they were STRANGE WARFARE
about 50,000 tons.
Nearly one-million tons of war It was a strange kind of warfare for the German Navy to engage in. ships of all classes were being built When driven off the shipping of at present, much of which was in their declared enemy, they consoled an advanced stage, themselves by running
Concluding, Mr. Churchill said among the shipping of neutrals. that their watchword 'should be
Referring to mines, Mr. Churchill 'carry on and dread nought."
amok
Join British Navy
The article admits the strangu» · lation of German trade by British contraband control as in 1914-18 LONDON) Dec, 7 (Regter)-Two and that England's power on the Polish submarines, the Wi and seas has brought Germany's over the Orzel, have escaped from Bal sea trade to a standstill. German tie waters and joined the Britian ships are laid up in a hundred Navy. The Orzel had been in Gdy harbours and some have alreadynia when Poland was invaded and sought refuge in Tallinn fram been confiscated,
"The authorities must provide where she escaped later,