1940-04-09 — Page 6

1

THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 9, 1940

CONFERENCE ON BALKANS OPENS

London, To-day. The British Ministers from the Balkan States and the Ambassadors from Italy, Russia and Turkey met at the Foreign Office for over three hours yester- day afternoon under the chairmanship of the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax.

The meeting got to grips with the co-ordinated policy of counteracting Ger- many's economic pressures in south-eastern Europe and the development of Bri- tish trade.

It is understood the meeting will last at least a week and no official state-

Reuter. ment will be published until its termination.

ALLIED PATIENCE AT AN END: FURTHER ACTION MAY FOLLOW IF GERMANY MOVES

London, To-day.

FROM ALL REPORTS, German propaganda officials far outdo the Scandinavians in their indignation over the latest Allied move. Here in London, semi-official circles comment that it suits Germany to maintain that article of inter- national law regarding territorial waters. The rest of the laws-vis a vis naval warfare, for in- stance does not suit them and they have ignored it in the hope of damaging British trade with Norway.

The Allies have every sympathy with the difficult position of Sweden and Norway. The new mine- fields are not directed against neutrals and every care is being taken to ensure that Norwegian ships are not prevented from reaching their own ports or any of the small villages along the coast. The action is solely and entirely Seventy miles north-east, near directed against Germany,

Christiansund, is the second field. It It is admitted that the minefields | runs' some 10 to 11 miles out to sea represent a technical breach of neu- and is 35 square miles in area. trality, but the rules of neutrality al- ways rest on common acceptance. If one side persistently disregards them, it cannot claim that they should be complied with fully by the other.

That is what Germany is doing and has been doing for some time, semi- official London circles comment. The Allied Governments have watched Germany's brutal attacks on neutrals, The field rúns out from the Nor- attacks which have hit Norway hard-wegian coast in a north-westerly er than anyone else.

direction, so as to enable ships to

Patience At End

They have hoped that Norway herself would stop the Nazi out- rages against her, but it has been made painfully clear that Norway cannot do so, and the Aliles feel that they have been patient long enough.

German propagandists would have

Allies it that the

are threatening Scandinavia.

Nothing of the sort, and official Al- lled circles make it clear that neither Britain nor France are trying to ex- tend the war to the northern coun- tries.

A Warning

At the same time, it should' 'be clearly understood that the Al. Iles will act swiftly and decisive. ly if Germany should take any military action directed against Scandinavia.

Similarly, the Allies have inform- ed Norway and Sweden that they would not be indifferent to a Soviet advance across Scandinavia and would regard unfavourably any German pro- mise to help Scandinavia against Rus- sla.-Reuter.

Three Minefields

London, To-day; Further detalls are now available -concerning the Allied minefields off

Norway.

The most southerly: field is off Stadland, the most westerly point of Norway. The field runs out from the shore for a distance of six miles and covers an area of 45 square miles,

PITHY AMERICAN COMMENT

New York, To-day.

Only the defeat of Germany holds out any hope for any of fective rule of International law, comments the "New York Herald Tribune."

If, in ensuring that defeat, the Allies strain the law the Nazis have so frequently broken it will be unfortunate, but no defender of International law can safely raise his voice against the Allies In this respect unless he is quite certain that they can win the war without It-Reuter.

S.M.R. INVESTMENTS IN NORTH CHINA Third, biggest and most important

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") of all, is the field at the entrance to West Fiord, which contains the im-

DAIREN, TO-DAY. portant port of Narvik, through which

AN INCREASE OF 110,000,000 YEN iron-ore shipments to Germany have IS SHOWN IN THE SOUTH MAN- been passing. The field is a narrow CHURIAN RAILWAY'S 1940 BUD- strip five miles wide and extending | GET WHICH AMOUNTS TO 469,000,- for 20 miles out to sea.

000 YEN.

CRIPPLING EFFECT OF ALLIED MOVE

Berlin, To-day.

The news

of

the Allied minefields in Norwegian waters was tucked away on inside pages in the Berlin afternoon press yesterday, and the papers instead pub- lished "splashed" is the technical term on their front pages a real Dr. Goeb- bels of a story about a das- tardly British plot to block- ade the Danube.

This is only one of the many signs showing that the Nazi Government realises what a blow the new measure will be.

It will stop iron-ore shipments through Norway and Agures now available show how valuable that traffic was.

. For over six months of the year, it is the only route for Scandinavian exports to Germany, for the Baltic ports are frozen.

Before the war, over one-third of Germany's imports came from coun- tries from which she is now clearly cut off.

NARVIK CUT OFF

camo

Of the reat, three-quarters from Sweden and a small portion from Norway. Of these Scandinavian sup- plies, over 7,500,000 tons came from Narvik, Norway, in 1938 The other Baltic ports only handled 6,000,000 tona.

Germany is already short of iron- ore and the stoppage of the important shipments through Narvik means a very serious deficiency in supplies.

Also, ships with other goods have been able to evade the Allied con- traband control by coming through Norwegian territorial waters, which also provided safe passage in and out for German warships and commerce raiders.

The new mineflelds mean that at least three points ships will have to come out of Norwegian waters with- In- reach of the Royal Navy.-Reuter.

GETTING

WORSER AND

Last year the budget amounted to 359,000,000 Yen.

New appropriations will be invest-

but compelling them to pass outside Appropriation has also been made Norwegian territorial waters to do so. for the development of coal and oil

Reuter.

have a clear passage into the florded chiefly in North China, WORSER

refining.

Havas.

CRACK NAZI SQUADRON GIVEN HOT RECEPTION BY THE R.A.F.

London, To-day. EIGHTEEN OR 20 MESSERSCHMIDT fighters were involved in Sunday's furious battle with a much smaller force of Hawker Hurricanes; the Nazi planes were of the single-engined 109 type, of which the wreckage of one, which was brought down at Boulay-Moselle, within a mile or two of the Maginot Line, has been found. Another way seen to fall, appar-brother.

been located within the Allied lines porary but while it lasts the crack ently crippled, but no wreckage has The switchover may be only tem-

to confirm a definite "bag""

squadron to which the 110's are be

In recent actions, the twin-engined | lleved to have been attached will be cannon-firing Messerchmidt: 110 - had | thinking hard. been tried out.

BERGEN, TO-DAY.

A LEADING ARTICLE IN THE "MORHENAVISEN”. ENTITLED 'WORSE AND WORSE' STATES. IT APPEARS THAT THE GERMAN BEHAVIOUR TO NEUTRAL · SHIPS IS GETTING WORSE AND MUCH POINTS TO IT BEING...A. MERE CHANCE WHO IS BOMBED OR NOT. BOMBED.

The article continues:

"Again and again we have protest- but ed against such, encroachments

| it seems only to get worse, and at

the same time it is demanded that just as friendly, but the Norwegian Government ought to let the German be forced to revise the whole of our standpoint to

our attitude to Germany shall remain

Government understand that we may

·Germany, including commerce and passage, If some ar

Improves conditions.”—Reuter.

rangement is not arrived at which

PROPAGANDA WAR

(SPECIAL TO “CHINA. MAIL"}

London, To-day. Britain has decided to give wide This squadron was probably moved publication to a map setting out plans. specially to the Western Front to for German expansion (already#ra- create a big

sion and whip up vealed) which the Czech authorities the waning “enthusiasm of the other found in a search on Henlein's head- fighter squadrons. Doubtless, it was quarters in 1988. * Goering at this stage of the war expected to take th heart! out of No less than 300,000 copies can better afford to lose the mass-pilots Dying the

gine Hurr map will be placed in produced 109, of which

has canes and the

ighters."' but rants, hotels and other than- Ita' mbré, axolusiva big

it has falled

o-Reuter.

GIVEN HOT RECEPTION The change-back to the earlier and less powerful Messerschmidt 109 evidently a sequel to the hot recep- tion the 110 was givan....

Havas.