1939-05-26 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 26, 1989.

LITVINOFF APPEARS

SOVIET CONGRESS In Front Row With Vice-Commissar, Potemkin

AT

Soviet Defence Expenditure Nearly Doubled

Moscow, To-day.

M. Maxim Litvinoff, whose recent resignation from the post of Foreign Commissar caused a sensa- tion, was present when the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union, which is one of the Houses of Parliament, voted the agenda for the bud- get for 1939 yesterday.

M. Litvinoff was in the front row with M. Potemkin, Vice-Foreign Commissar, and chatted

cheerfully with the Deputies.

The British Ambassador, Sir William Seeds, and other diplomats listened to the proceedings.

The delegates cheered for five minutes when M. Zverev, Commis- sar for Finance, announced that military expenditure would be 40,- 885,000,000 roubles for 1939, com- pared with 27,000,000,000 last year, and amounting to over a quarter of the national Budget.

M. Zverev, to whom Stalin, Mar- shal Voroshiloff (War Commissar) and other members of the Cabinet

were "now ready to answer with

SOVIET AND

AALAND ISLAND

FORTIFICATION

Moscow, To-day.

listened, said the army and navy An article in the newspaper three-fold blows at the warmongers. "Pravda," a semi-official publica- "As the Changkufeng hostilities tion, criticises the agreement be- demonstrated, the Red Army is pre-tween Sweden and Finland соп- pared" to crush decisively those

daring to violate our borders." cerning fortification of the Aaland

Islands.

The paper

Reuter.

AGENDA OF CONGRESS

says the Soviet op-

The third session of Union of the posed at Geneva any discussion of Soviet Congress which consists of the question before Finland had the Council of Union and the Coun-given the requested information cil of Nationalities was opened in regarding the character and signi- the Kremlin by the President of the ficance of the move. Council.of Union, M. Andreiev. The Congress is the supreme governing body of the Soviet Union and most of the People's Commissars includ- ing Molotov, Voroshilov and Kagano- vitch were present at the opening ceremony.

The information asked was what guarantees Finland could give the Soviet that the fortifications would not be used against the Soviet.

The paper says: "Although the Soviet was excluded from the Aaland Islands Convention in 1923, Russia is more interested in the Stalin, however, was absent. The agenda comprises the follow-status of the islands than Ger-

many, Britain and Italy. ing items:

of

(1) Approval of the budget

the Soviet Union for 1939, (2) Creation of a new People's Commissariat for industrial plant,

(3) Creation of Commissariats for motor transport in the individual Republics of the Soviet Union,

(4) Confirmation of the decrees

issued by the Central Ex- ecutive Committee of Union since the last session.-Trans- Ocean.

LORD MACMILLAN RESIGNS

London, To-day.

"There is no reason why Sweden should have greater rights in the Aalands than the Soviet."-Trans- Ocean.

NEW CHINESE AIR BASE IN CHEKIANG

Shanghai, To-day. Reliable Chinese reports state

that some 100 new planes have

flown to a base in Chekiang Pro- vince which has been under con- struction for almost six months,

The aircraft include several bombers and will be operated along the eastern front against the Japanese.

A cleavage of opinion on current political issues has brought about the resignation of Lord Macmillan as chairman of the International Among the Chinese aviators Lawyers Union, according to the are several foreign experts it is "Daily Telegraph.”

added. Our Own Correspon

Differences are said to have dent.

arlsen owing to the action of a

section of its members in refusing of the German group to hold next to abide by a decision of the year's meeting in Munich, executive to accept the Invitation Ocean.

Miss Dora Chow, who will appear in one of the Oriental Dances specially arranged by Miss Daisy O'Keefe at the "Gripps" to-night at 9 p.m. Tickets can be obtained at the reception office of the Hong Kong Hotel

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