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THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 19, 1939
SCANDINAVIAN KINGS IN CONFERENCE: PEACE DRIVE RUMOUR DISCOUNTED
Stockholm, To-day. BRITAIN
THE POSSIBILITY of peace, Russia's advance in the
Baltic and the Soviet-Finnish talks are believed SATISFIED
to be the main subjects on the agenda of the WITH TRUTH two-day conference of the Kings of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and the President of Fin- land, with their Foreign Ministers.
London, To-day.
The Prime Minister, mak- The conference opened yesterday with a formaling his weekly war statement meeting at the Palace, which was followed by a in the Commons yesterday, separate conference of Foreign Ministers.
Rumours that the conference might result in a direct move to stop the war are discounted.
The Oslo newspaper "Arbeider Bladet" says: "Any peace move must be contingent on the response of the parties concerned, otherwise it will only destroy the hopes of bringing the war to an early end on a justifiable basis.
AWAKE AND READY
"It is necessary for the North to be awake and ready to do its duty at the psychological moment."
All the Northern capitals are beflagged in honour of the con- ference, and prayers for peace were offered in all churches in Scandinavia.
Last evening a banquet was given at the Palace.
It is expected that a communique will be issued to-day, when the four rulers will broadcast statements, from, the Palace. Reuter.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S
MESSAGE
Washington, To-day. President Roosevelt has sent a mes- sage to the conference of Scandinavian powers stating that the American re- publics support the spirit of neutrality and order under law for which the Oslo countries, throughout their his- tory, have consistently stood.
Twenty other American republics have sent similar messages. — Reuter.
BLACKOUT INCREASES ROAD TOLL
London, To-day.
As a result of the black-outs, road deaths in September totalled double the figure for 1938.
1,130,
Announcing this, the Minister ot. Transport expresses deep concern, but drowe attention to the fact that a relaxation of the restrictions might mean an increase of casualties in air raids. Reuter.
Caro
Only," coming
GERMAN LABOUR HAS TOUGH TIME
London-To-day.
1
FINLAND THANKS ROOSEVELT
Washington, To-day.*
President Roosevelt has receiv. ed a message from President Kal llo, of Finland, expressing Fin- land's gratitude for the sympathy and moral support shown by him and the people of the United States in the present crials.
"Your valuable personal assis- tance and Interest in Finland's fate and. her difficult problems will never be forgotten In this country, Reuter.
said "The statement I made PARTITION
on October 12 was chiefly
concerned with the attitude OF POLES
of His Majesty's Government
to the speech of the German
Chancellor on October 6.
"Apart from comment which has appeared in the German newspapers, there has been no indication from Ber- lin of the view of the German Gov- ernment upon the issues I sought to Here are some facts about define. There is, therefore, nothing I the position of workers un-can add to my statement last week."
Turning to war events, the der the Nazis based
on mier said that on the Western Front, had statements in the German the British Expeditionary Force
now taken over their allotted sector press.
of the French Line and all divisions were in position.
Work hours have been enormously increased and dockers transferred to the western fortifications are working on a 84-hour week, with contracts to work 12 hours daily indefinitely.
Wages, already low, were further reduced last month despite the in- creased hours.
Miners' shifts have lengthened and the retiring age raised to 65.
The number
are under
Pre-
the
The British force French Commander-in-Chief while, on the other hand there are French troops serving under the British Com- mander-in-Chief.
He paid tribute to the unremitting efforts in the Navy in attack and de- fence, and to the memory of the of- ficers and men lost, whether at sea, on of accidents has in-land or in air. creased, for example in the sugar industry, from 3,865 to 5,055 in one
year.
NERVOUS EXHAUSTION Four weeks before the war, the Munich Medical Journal stated: "The Increase in nervous complaints is as- suming ever greater proportions. the two years, 1936 and 1938, every from nervous exhaustion." fourth German worker was suffering
In
German rations at beginning in this war were about the same as, the end of the last.
The German worker is allowed one egg a week, and one ounce of soap a month.
Finally, lest he might try to brighten his unrelieved gloomed, he is forbidden to listen to foreign broad- casts or even dance in public.-Reu- ter:
THE "ROYAL OAK” SURVIVORS
London, To-day. According to latest information re- ceived by the Admiralty, total sur- vivors from H.M.S. Royal Oak were
#
57 officers and 367 men out of total personnel of 1234.-British Wireless.
Mr. of
London, To-day.
Commons, In the House of
Under-Secretary R. A. Butler, State for Foreign Affairs, yesterday said that there were 17,500,000 Poles living in that part of Poland occupied that by Germany and 4,750,000 in part occupied by Soviet Russia.
the These figures were based on 1931 census, and did not take into account any possible increases since then.-Reuter.
or Repulse or any other capital ship has suffered the least damage" and he added, amid laughter, "The same is true of the Ark Royal.”
This country is resolute enough to bear bad news and the Government has not hesitated to publish the full extent of losses sustained.
"The Imaginary losses the German broadcasts have described with such unblushing impudence, may serve for Successes against U-boats have al- the time to raise spirits, but in the end ready been reported to the House by their falsity will be demonstrated and Mr. Churchill. Heavy toll has been the consequent disappointment will be taken of U-boats since the war be-only more depression. gan. The failure of this form of at- tack to interfere with British trade is shown by the estimate that the losses sustained by British shipping enter ing and leaving United Kingdom ports during the week to October 17 repre- sented only about one half of one per cent. of the total number of sailings.
"We on our side have no intention of claiming successes of which we are not convinced. It is for more important that the world should be able to be- lieve implicitly in the truth of the communiques we issue than that we should reap the short-lived, acvan- tages which distortions of truth may " bring.
Attacks by enemy aircraft on fleet
"We know that in the air battles bases which have begun is a new fea- ture of the war but one fully expect- which during the last two days have, ed. The extent of the enemy's dis- for the first time, have been fought over appointment at the failure of these at our own coasts, we have destroyed 8 tacks to inflict
any serious
injury enemy aircraft without losing a single by the fantastic | machine of our own. We believe that might be measured
may pature of the claims they felt obliged several more German bombers to invent.
have failed to reach home.
Mr. Chamberlain went on: "It is not true, and I must repeat it once again though by now the news grows stale through repetition, that the Hood
These results are a splendid tribute to the courage and determination of the officers and men of the RAF. British Wireless.
WHY BRITAIN SENT OUT SUBSTANTIAL FORCES FROM INDIA
London, To-day.
AN EXPLANATION of why external defence troops were sent some weeks ago from India to Singa- pore, Egypt and Aden, was given by Lord Zet land in the House of Lords, in a statement. The new India White Paper referred to the excep- tion taken by Congress to this measure and ex- plained that it was taken on the urgent advice of the highest naval and military authorities.
The situation - then was such that he there was the possibility of a threat wo to the safety of India both from the west and from the east, which could not be excluded and, from a military point of view, it was essential that the Wastern and Eastern approaches to India should be adequately
wouldés clearly.
of folly to
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