1940-05-02 — Page 15

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 2, 1940.

THE BLOCKADE AND THE NEUTRALS

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IFFICULT as it may be, let me try to Since they have not succeeded, all these aggression. Since the first has falled they sate them for trade losses by being, cut off

form an estimate of the position of the anxieties are intensified. They have now do not hold themselves bound to risk the from trade with Germany...

NEXT MOVES belligerents after seven months of the war. to discover some new road to victory after wrath of the aggressor,

We must be sparing of Tour reproaches There must be an element of guesswork in six months in which the Allies have had

It need not be supposed that they the under any illusions about what would await it, but some things are reasonably certain. the opportunity of strengthening their de- und inake the largest allowance for

The difficulties of their situation. We Ten days ago there was curious coin- fences and developing their power.

cannot them in the event of a German victory. If cidence which made an excellent piece of Blitzkrieg, as Mr. Chamberlain pointed out ride roughshod over them as the Germans Hitler's dehant and loudly advertised con- without prejudicing our claim to be tempt of his neighbours' boundaries and the undesigned propaganda. Just as a German in his speech on Thursday, is by no means do

that it was in fighting in the cause of world order. But ruthless proceedings of which they have broadcaster was congratulating the German the tempting proposition people on the fortitude with which they September, 1939, to say nothing of Septem- there are certain things, we can and must been the victims have not convinced them were standing up to the

of reprisals has eay to them. If their formula is "indepen- about that, they would not be persuaded had suffered, our. own B.B.C, was an greatly increased; the fighting and labour dent neutrality" it must also be impartial though one rose from the dead.. There is in nouncing that the British people had taken power of the Allies mounts up every week, neutrality. We cannot be expected to look fact abundant evidence, that the great ma- their Easter holidays very much as usual whereas the Germans reached their peak on indefinitely, if they give all the advan fority of them-the "New York Times" gaid and that the number of cars on the roads at the beginning of the war and are now tages of territorial waters to our enemy and the "overwhelming majority--ardently de- had been nearly normal. Some moralists compelled to draft slave-labour from Po- protest impatiently against even a technical aire the defeat of Germany. But we may endeavour, to bring home to them that there may think the contrast unfavourable to the land to till their fields. British people but the more acceptable

is a point beyond, which seeking a short- view is, I think, that they showed a thor

term safety by appeasing the Germans oughly sound instinct in seizing the oppor-

would be extremely prejudicial to the long- term security which depends on the victory tunity to refresh body and mind and brace

of the Allies. themselves for any ordeal they may have to face.

danger "miserlos" they ber, 1938. The

The comparative inactivity of the first six months has no doubt enabled them to husband their resources, but this has been off-set, by three factors: (1) the hard win- ter which has paralysed transport, (2) their own a consumption in the Polish campaign, and (3) the failure of Russia to do what was expected of her. From this point of view the Finnish campaign has been German disaster. Russia now shows every sign of sitting back until she has replen-. ished her own stocks.

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-By-

J. A. SPENDER

Our amateur strategists who are so fertile Whichever way we take it, there is no

in suggesting next moves must be content for the time being to leave themselves in the doubt that life is harder and grimmer in Germany than it is in either France or

hands of the Supreme War Council, which Britain. But it must be added that the

alone is in a position to survey the whole fleld and co-ordinate French .and British German people have now for several years been inured to their present conditions and

or accidental breach of their neutrality on efforts. The promised, secret session, of the that there is no reason to suppose that they

We may, nevertheless, assume that the our part.

House of Commons may enable the general are near the breaking-point for any purely Germans have accumulated a sufficiency of We may sympathise with them in their policy to be discussed without wounding sus- physical reasons. Their morale, however, necessary war material, including petrol enforced submission to the sinking of their ceptibilities, but we had better not indulge.

steel, Here signs and. Iron, and

to carry is a rather different matter.

them ships and other outrages which would be the idea that there is any secret plan- or multiply that they require the perpetual through a first period of active warfare. acts of war if perpetrated against a strong stroke of "imaginative strategy," as it is be called, which will be a short cut to success. stimulus of highly seasoned propaganda- But to consume this until they saw their Power, but they cannot expect, us to Hitler's shouting, Goering's promises of way to replenish their stocks would be an pleased when they balance

serious Intensifying the blockade.requires not one

assurances that victory, Goebbels's

trivial plan but many plans: all need to be care- enormous' risk. It is not, I imagine, their complaints against Germany. warships

their consequences and merchant-ships are being existing stocks but the, replenishment of complaints against us. On the other hand, fully thought out and

the bad bombed or torpedoed by the hundred and these which is their present chict anxiety. we owe them, the promise of the strongest foreseen. We must not émulate that we in consequence have been reduced Hence the agitated drive against the neu possible support when acting fairly by us chess-player who thinks any move to be to a state of shivering starvation.

trals which set in as soon as the Finnish involves them in trouble with the Germans, better than no move and so plays into the 聽

campaign was over and the reluctance or as well as every possible effort to compen hands of his opponent. inability of Russia to supply what is need- ed became known.

*

Q

INCREASED ANXIETY

our

It must be in the minds of these propa- gandists that they run considerable risks of reaction when these falsehoods are exposed. Already a change in the note may be de- tected-hints of great things coming when the Fuehrer gives the word, appeals to youth to prove themselves heroes, threats to the Western enemies who alone prevent Germany from being the "dominant" Pow- er. Even if Britain cannot be starved, the great German army stands massed on the Slegfried Hine.

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their

with

ALLSOPP'S

THE PACT THAT FAILED But at this point the Germans are faced with a serious dilemma. Any act of vio lence against the neutrals, except on the sea where they are unable to resist, de-{ feats its own object if the object is to ob

An invasion of Sweden if tain supplies. countered by Allied support would almost certainly stop the flow of iron and steel; an invasion of Holland and Belgium would doors into Germany than it close more would open doors out of Germany; an in- vasion of Rumania would almost certainly of the oll-wells. to the destruction lead Hence the great effort inaugurated at the Brenner Conference to establish a German- Italian-Russian condominium of the Balkans whereby all the smaller Powers of South- castern Europe might be shut off from the Allies and compelled by peaceful penetra- tion to supply Germany.

If we try to interpret these signs, the in- ference seems to be that Hitler and Goer- ing seriously believed that they would by means of the U-boats and bombers

and magnetic mines reduce us in a few months to a condition in which they would be able to dictate their terms. Had they succeed- ed in this, all their anxieties about their ability to sustain a long war and to keep themselves supplied with essential war ma- terial would have been removed and Hitler would have won another of his bloodless victories.

CABARET DANCE TO-NIGHT

Talented pupils of Mr. Goncharoff, Miss Lora Tesar and Miss Pat Pasco will add much to the gay spirit of the Spring Cabaret Dance of the Amateur Sporting Association to-night

in the Peninsula Hotel.

This miscarried

can

for reasons which now be pieced together. It alarmed the Balkan nations, · and especially

Rumania.

and Turkey, which protested that they in

tended, if attacked, to defend their inte- grity and Independence to the last, The double game by which Germany alternate- [ly threatened to let Russia loose on Bes- sarabia if Rumania proved recalcitrant, and to hold Russia back if Rumania was com- wrong with Russla plant, put Germany without putting her right with Rumania, Molotoff's references to Bessarabia in his speech on Tuesday, and his pointed an- nouncement

Miss Tesar will charm the public by her appearance in the Russian Boyar Dance, and Miss Pasco's "Two Guitars" will take the spectators to a gypsy camp.

The music will be supplied by Art Carneiro's band.

"

DEATH OF SIR JOHN HARRIS

that Russia” intended · · to re- main neutral. seems to write finis on this

particular intrigue. At the same time Hun-

gary made it known that she, too, had a policy which could not be ignored, and Italy appears to have agreed with her. Whatever her engagements to Germany may be, it is unlikely that Italy will go out of her way to bring her into the Adriatic.

London, To-day. Sir John Harris, whose work for the abolition of slavery Is well-known throughout the world died yesterday aged 68.

As Secretary of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society, Sir

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TIGHTENING THE BLOCKADE At the end of it all the German situation remains urgent and the neutral situation remains open. Goering and Goebbels can- not for ever go on telling the German people that they have swept us off the sea and reduced us to starvation. Nor can it long suffice them to go on saying that the Fuch- rer will act at his own chosen moment. We may take it that some move on the German side is at least a high probability before very long. What ought we to do mean- while?

The plcturesque language of Mr. Chur-

state-

chill's broadcast acted as a tonic on droop- ing spirits, if there are such, but it also raised expectations, especially in the Ameri- can Press, of some immediate splashing stroke which made the subsequent John Harris was strongly in favour of seem slightly drab. Tightening the block- ments of Mr; Chamberlain and M. Reynaud

the formation of a Permanent Slavery ade" seems a prosale phrase, but involved Commission of the League of Nations. in it are possibilities which máy before long The appointment of this Commission satisfy the most impatient. in 1933 coincided with his receipt of a knighthood-British Wireless.

EUROPEAN MISSING

A report has been made to the Police by Mr. Campbell, of But- terfield and Swire, that Mr. Cum- "mings Alexander William' Duff, 34, ship's engineer, left the-com- pany's hostel at Kowloon Dock on April 3 and has not been seen since.

NO MAY DAY HOLIDAY IN FRANCE

To-day.

The attitude of the neutrals has been a good deal misunderstood in recent weeks, In answer to the charge that Norway and Sweden defaulted from their obligations un- [der the League Covenant when they refused to grant passage to troops bringing ald toʻn victim of aggression, `a・ distinguished · neu- |tral, M. Emile Cammaerts, has pointed out that both countries made a joint declara, tion at Geneva in 1998 notifying their return to "independent neutrality," and that this |passed without objection by other members of the League. Whether or not they actual- ly made a similar declaration, „most of the smaller-neutrals, consider themselves to be in a position of "Independent neutrality" which releases them from the obligations of the Covenant to-day,

In accordance with the decision of the French Trade Unions Council, French workers continued working on “May Day Reute

ALLIES “AND NEUTRALS: The legal aspects of the matter are of little importanco. The substantial fact and it is of great importance in considering plans for the future keeping of the peace- is that the kalide keutrals have @always considered their obligations Simder the Co vegant és contingent on their being protestë a Thinling them? "Collective security!! had in their vław Śwo parts: Security for all THERINEN: War; and sucirit"; för "sach: against

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