Thursday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
MAGAZINE
May 16, 1940.
PAGE
GERMANY'S BACK DOOR IS STILL OPEN
ERMANY'S front door has been shut and locked by our blockade of the North Sea. Her back door to the Balken States standa wide open, The Black Sea and Danube now free from fre, Germany has plans for transport- Ing Balkan goods by water, Ger- many as commissioned anything and everything that can be used un the river. But the Danube route In very slow, All perisible goods reach Germany by rail.
Ramonio has two malų ilnes, one going north via Cernauli, the other going west via Arad, to take goods into Germany. Three hundred truckloads of various goods passed over the Cernaut line each
at the beginning of this year. Rumanin supplies wheat, maize, fats and pork apart from her petrol and heavy oil quota. The Rumanian exports to Germany
fumped from 480 million el for
_the_whole of 1939 to 750 million.
Jel for the first quarter of 1940.
Rumanian exports to Great Bri- tal amount to 484 million let for 1039. und 719 million lei for the first quarter of 1048, Germany is using every means to frighten the Rumanions into increasing their
export Agure.
Bulgaria's position is far more acutely affected by German de- mands. Of the total halpurian exports for 1030 over two-thirds went to Germany. In return for heavy machinery and cars, she sends to the Nazis all her surplus
tobacco, eggs, grapes and pork, The goods travel either
via the
Danube or overland through Yugo- Slavia. Britain's share of Bul- garian export trade in 1939 was 3.1 per cent. of the total, compared with 13.8 per cent. of the total for
1037
Yugo-Slavia offers foodstuffs, minerals and livestock and takes payment-b-machinery, chemicals. and dyestuffs, Her trade with Germany has trebled in the past two years. Much of the Yugo- Stav material
up Dre and reaches Ger- many via Italy. The deposits of copper and bauxite now being ex- ploited in Yugo-Slavia muke her an object of particular attention in the German Inde drive.
Adriatic COAST & PARTES
Greece has a surplus of olive oil, tobacco, currants and raisins. These products can reach Germany either vlo the sen routes of the
and Adriatic
thence
Overland through Yuge-Slavia Greck_exr ports to Germany in 1939 amount- ed to £4,000,000, To Great Bri- teln she supplied about £2,000,000 worth of Hoods. Somehow this hackdoor supply will have to be checked if the blockade is going he, of any real effectiveness.
to
We must buy first, before the Germans get `n chance. Mean- while, the blockade will have to be extended to the Black Sen. Egean, and Mediterranean ports if the Germans are to be made to feel that they are going to lose the struggle.
GRIN AND BEAR IT
156
By Lichty
"I can only concentrate on one thing at a time, Elmor! Can't you propose after I finish this chicken?"*
Europeans must unite
Emu writes Count Cou-
UROPE MUST UNITE
denhove-Kalergi, and his book cannot be too strongly re- commended.
- It is challenge to all who realise that this war will mark the breakdown or the resurrection of Europe. The author's argument is that the unification of Europe is the only way
to ensure lasting peace.
He is prepared for criticism of every kind and his answers cer- tainly seem adequate. Switzerland Is his main example of how peoples of different tongue and origin can live side by side in peace and prosperity if only the good will there as a beginning.
He ends this very impressivo argument for a Federation of Euro-
3d.). The method here employed
be
of writing "backwards" can very Ircitating, but in this instance It is a complete success.
We first meet Caley Thatcher os an old man awaiting death. Then we get brief but telling scenes down the years until his portrait is complete.
It is exceptionally well done. On quite another plane is J. E. SEA-WIFE'S SON Pile's THE (Heinemann, 8. 3d.). a masterly tale of the sea of coffin-ships and the trials of insurance brokers.
For that rapscallion Pedro Ven- tura alone we should feel supreme- ly grateful-but all the characters "Live" in quite a remarkable way.
Gina Kdus has taken jealously and what brings in Its train for the subject of her novel DEVIL'IN GREEN (Nicholson and Watson, Bs. 6d). The influence wielded by
pean States-with-the-plea-Euro-----middle-aged woman over a
young and weak: character is not- a pretty ing to see. But there are light momenta.
Europe." (Martin peans Becker and Warburg, 85. ed)
THE FOUNDATION OF LAN- QUAGE. E. Shrowsbury,' MiA., has written a remarkable little book on the origin of language. Examples from pur daily speech are taken to show its evolution from earliest days when, as he says, "Babylon, Egypt and China were growing children,"
It should be particularly useful to students of foreign languages. (The Epworth Press, is. (d.)
THERE is: n welcome freshness about two newly published books. Guy Pollock has again achieved Buccess--In-THEN THEY PULLED DOWN, THE BLINDS (Dent, 85,
DAT
In ARAIAT, by Elgin Gooseclose (Harrap, fa. Gd.), we read of the persecutions of the Armenians and the founding of small community of homeless refugees beneath the shadow of that mountain. It is 2 amazing late of courage and endurance, somewhat leisurely told but always interesting.
AUNTIE BEARDIE Joseph Shearing has based this "should- be" exciting story on a legend of French Revolution days, but after an interesting start the book loses
HUNGAR
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TN Rumania I had talks with M. Gafencu, King Carol's energetic, English-speaking Foreign Minister: Sir Re- ginald Hoare, the British Minister; the Rumanian Pro- paganda Minister and other influential people.
The Rumanians are by nature rather easy-going and optimistic. During centuries of Turkish op- pression they managed to secure for themselves privileges which were denied other Balkan States under Turkish rule and to relain a certain measure of indepen- .dence.
Compromise is the lettmotiv of Rumanian diplomacy,
und the Rumanians. consider themselves elever enough to be able to steer a middle course between conflicting Nazi and Allied Interests,
The people are, of course, over- whelmingly pro- Allied, as in Yugo- Slavin, Greece and. Turkey, They want
us to win the war and think we shall win.. In the mean- _time_Bukarest_ré-
DEVIL
and
IMANIA:
U.S.S.R.
the BLACK SEA
tains its reputation as the "Paris of South-Eastern Europe."
The half-hearted black-out at- tempts made last autumn when Russia pushed the Red Army to the Rumanian frontier with for- mer Poland have been abandoned.
Bukarest is blaze of lights. Fashion and food shops are well stocked. Taxis, with ridiculously low tariffs, circulate
un- restricted frequenty.
with
First of all, Germany has no com-exchange between-the-Reichsmark
mon frontier with Rumania.
to
Germun troops could enter Rumanla only through Hungariun or Russlan-controlled territory,
Hungary is too tied up with Italy permit the Germans to use her territory for attacking Rumantu.
in Italy has large interests Rumation all, and there is a pro- Atable, trade between Italy and
Why Flumeelo.
should she lose ull this by permitting her ally. Hun- gary, to give passage to German troops against Rumeniu?
Secondly, Rumanians do not be- lleve that Russia is at all anxious
Germany to have
ulong her southern fron- tiers. Did Stalin grab the Polish oll wells and the Polish
By
KING CAROL has reduced the centre of the caplint to architec- tural chaos while extensions are made to his palace, and all Bukarest-pretty women, officinis in gay-coloured uniforms, artists, Jews and stu- dents-flock be- tween the walls of boards which concesi the the secrets of new administru tive buildings now going up.
One should say, perhaps. nearly
for in Bukarest, the Ministries
lights burn until
late in the night,
while
HARRY GREGSON
Who recently returned from a of S.E. Europe's sora
spots.
tour
some 1,250,000 men-pes- eants dragged front their felds and professional men from their desks have been mobilised for the past nine months to help in the con- struction of King Carol's moats nt the frontiers.
doca Bukarest talk WHAT about? The people smileTMWhen they hear that the first preoccupa- tion of the Nazi trade emissaries when they arrive in Bukarest is to stroll round the food shops and. send parcels of food to their folk in the Fatherland,
They wonder whether Rumania will noe ration cards, because Di, Clodius is alleged to have sakl that to eat Icas Rumanians were there would be more food for ex- port to Germany. Cost of living constant preoccupation, for *prices are soaring. There are some grumbles about the continued mobilisation, and Rumanians ask:
its hold, for towards the end no-fé It necessary?"! body seems quite real (Hutchin- 2011, 91.)
:་་་
7
Ruman-
ian frontier to have the Nazis in the Rumanian oil Acids and alon nk the Dolester? In the place, the Ger- Ket-
mons
are
third
Ling, un paper, all they want from Rumania without in་བ slo0.
Rumanian
peasants are planting huge areas of 1978: beans and sunflower seeds, capital for which is provided by. Nazi cor. porations.
The Nazis con have as much oil. as they can transport, which may mean 2,000,000 tons this year. But the Rumanians leamed the art of guile under the Turks, and there's many a slip between the, Rumanian oil wells and Goering's storage tankr
ALLIED Interests have lensed and lald-up hundreds of Danube lighters For the few which re main the Nazis are paying fantas te prices King Carol builds his lortlications and taxes the oll companies to pay for them. This sends up the price of oil.
France, Britain and Italy are making large purchases. The price Boars again, until to-day Rumanlan oil fetches twice the world-marke! price.
and the lei. Rumanian vil is coal- ing the Nazis dear,
Rumanians Are S0 confident there will be no German øggres- slon that they have not even made arrangements to destroy the ol wells. Sixty square miles of oil- fields will need a lot of explosives 10 en emergency. One hopes Rumanian optimism is justißed.
If the Nazis took over Rumanian 'transport they might gei all the off they need for the war os it h being fought at present. But the chaos resulting from Nazt aggres- sjort would Luke months lo eliminate. Germony cannot niet in Rumania without Moscow's con- Bent. Hitler, at the moment, must- dance to the tune that Stalin pipes,
SINCE Finland's heroic stund the Rumanians are not afraid of Rusala. They think that the Dniester and Carol's moat along the Dniester would keep the Ilus- alans busy for a long time. For- eign military experts are not su confident. One of them told me that the moat was an expensive luxury.
Then there is the Allied guarant- tee. Rumanians amlle when the Briton talks to them of the guaran- tes. Nazi propagandista point out that the British troops in Palestino and Egypt are much farther away than the Russian troops on the jalt bank of the Dniester, or Germon Troops just beyond the Polish oil- folds,
M. -Gafencu
toki ma
that -Rumania-valued-the-guaranted, as an expression of British interest and friendship.
I would rather have heard him kay that Rumania valued the guarantee for its promise of speedy and effective support.
-If-Rumania-wero-invaded.lt would take three days steaming lo Let from the Near East to.. Rumania, even if the Dardanelits were opened right away. But it will not be a simple question of steaming. There may be mines, submarines, and other complien ilors, involving lengthy proper- idry operations, before the trans-
Rumanians do not think Ger-"--" "No wonder De Clodlur tr pressport of troops-can-be-safolscundaren- many will invade their country.ing for a more favourable rate of taken.
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