1940-06-27 — Page 11

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THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 27, 1940

FRENCH COLONIAL EMPIRE: IMMENSE

RESOURCES

London, To-day. THE FATE OF THE FRENCH Empire is a matter of close concern to all, but many do not know very much about it, said the Professor of Imperial History of Oxford Uni- versity, in a broadcast yesterday.

Do we realise, he asked, that, like the British Empire, it is a great world-wide political and economic structure? That the French flag flies beside the British in Asia, Africa and America - in all the continents except Aus- tralasia? That the same complex of races in all quarters of the earth owe allegiance to the French Republic as they do to the British Crown?

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The French Empire covers 4,250,000 | contains the important port of Djibuti. square miles and contains nearly Further south are Madagascar, to- 65,000,000 people, he went on.

In one respect, it is different from the British Empire. Frenchmen have always been more stay-at-home-folk than Englishmen, Scotsmen and Welshmen and except for the Colony on the St. Lawrence, which for many years past now has been happily in- corporated in the Dominion of Canada, there are no large French communities

overseas.

There are no Dominions, no Com- monwealth of Nations. The nearest

gether with Reunion and the Comoro Islands. In the Indian Ocean, Mada- gascar is nearly 1,000 miles long and is the third largest island in the world. The French Empire is thus a World Empire like that of Britain, and like the British, its resources in power and raw materials mous.-Reuter,

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are enor-

NAZI LOSSES

approach to a Dominion is Algeria, IN RAID

which was occupied 100 years ago. About 1,000,000 Frenchmen live there beside some 6,000,000 Arabs. Algeria has a Governor-General and a Con- sultative Council, but it is not inde- pendent like the British Dominions.

Part Of France

On the contrary, just as its life and physical characteristics are very much the same as those of southern France, so it is treated politically as a part of France. The Government is or was, until recently-controlled from Paris. Its representatives sit in the French Parliament-three in the Senate and 10 in the Chamber of Deputies.

France has three other territories on the Mediterranean-Tunisia, between Algeria and Italian Libya, with а European population of over 220,000, of whom over half are French; Bi- zerta, where a naval base has been built; and French Morocco.

Tunisia and Morocco are not an- nexed, like Algeria, but 'are protec- torate, and their life is that of the Arab world.

At the eastern end of the Mediter ranean are Syria and Lebannon which, like Palestine, are mandated territory. A treaty was drafted to make them independent states in alliance with France, but with the outbreak of war has not been ratified.

.

Indo-China

Out in the Far East is Indo-China running from the south Chinese border along the China Sea, and which in- cludes Cochin-China, and the protec- torates of Cambodia, Annam, Tonkin and Laos. This country has an area of nearly 300,000 square miles and a population of over 24,000,000.

To the south-east, in the Pacific,

there are French Islands as well as British in the South Seas, and New Caledonia is the most important. Across the Pacific, in the Americas, we again have the French flag be- side the British in the little islands off Newfoundland, French West Indies and French Guiana.

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LONDON, TO-DAY. THE AIR MINISTRY STATES THAT OF AT LEAST FIVE ENEMY BOMBERS SHOT DOWN IN THE LAST NAZI RAID ON BRITAIN, TWO WERE BROUGHT DOWN IN THE FIRTH OF FORTH AREA AND ONE IN THE SEA OFF THE YORK- SHIRE COAST.

One of the five was shot down and another seriously damaged (and after- wards finished off by a Spitfire) by anti-aircraft guns.

Feature of the raid was the close co-operation between the fighter squadrons and the ground defences.- Reuter.

Fighter Pilots' Stories

Several pilots, on landing, reported they had been greatly helped by searchlights illuminating the enemy.

In one case a flight lieutenant flying a Spitfire who shot down a Heinkel 111 in the Firth of Forth area, first found the bomber when it was illu- minated by a cluster of searchlights. While it was held by the beams the Spitfire overhauled it.

The pilot fired a long burst from dead astern. The crippled Heinkel went into a spiral dive with sparks and smoke pouring from it. Watchers on the ground saw the enemy bomber burst into flames and dive into the sea.

A second Heinkel was brought down in the Firth of Forth area by the leader and sergeant of an- other squadron. The German ma- chine, after jettisoning its bombs, crashed into the sea.

Another Heinkel dived into the sea off the Yorkshire coast.

Also off the Yorkshire coast, а searchlight crew watched a Dornier first hit by anti-aircraft gunfire and then attacked and shot down into the sea by a Spitfire pilot. Although the pilot was wounded he succeeded flying back to his base. British Wireless..

HONOURS LIST

in

And so across to Africa again, and here the largest part of the French

Information has been received from Empire is to be found, for no less than one-third of the African continent the Secretary of State for the Colonies belongs to France. Besides the Medi- terranean territories already mentioned there are two great groups of colonies, French West Africa, which stretches across the Sahara and the plains from

the

Atlantic to the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and French Equatorial Africa, which continues those areas down to the River Congo.

on

to the effect that the Military sections of the postponed King's Birthday Honours List will be published Thursday, 11th July. It is not pro- posed to announce a list of Civil Hon- ours until

appropriate time, which will not, in any event, be before the New Year, 1941.

some more

TWO LINERS SENT TO EVACUATE AMERICANS

African Possessions Except for four British colonies and one or two Spanish colonies, practically

Washington, To-day. the whole north-western quarter of the Secretary of State Cordell Hull African continent thus belongs to announced yesterday that the liners France. There is also a small colony. Washington and Manhattan are sail- on the East Coast, French Somaliland, ing shortly for Galway and Lisbon to

Somaliland between British

and evacuate more Americans from the Italian Eritrea; French Somaliland war zone.-Reuter.

NOW....

is the time to Cold Store all your winter clothes, carpets, hangings, linen, etc. to protect them from spoilage due to the ex- cessive summer humidity and insects.

Clothes and linen may be packed in suitcases or similar containers and locked. Carpets should be rolled and tied. Valuable furs are stored on special hangers (which we supply) in a dustproof bag. Such hanging preserves their shape and cut. Insurance may be arranged at 14 % on the value of all personal effects so stored.

Just telephone us if you have any difficulties or questions and we will do our best to help you.

Remember also, that we take delivery from your house and return similarly at the end of the period!

THE

DAIRY FARM, ICE

COLD STORAGE CO., LTD.

Pure Food SPECIALISTS.

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