1961-11-16 — Page 6

How long can Finland stay on the tightrope?

HELSINKI Suddenly Kruschev switches his war of nerves to the North. Proud but vulnerable little Finland faces growing pressure to join the Russian bloc. Here a Foreign Desk reporter assesses the mood, the tensions and the fears of the notion which made its balancing act between East and West "o way of life."

I HAVE just been standing on a spray-swept quay

here gazing out over the grey Baltic sea in the direction of Soviet Russia. For just 50 miles of cold, billowy sea separates this distant European capital from Communist Estonia, now a part of the U.S.S.R.

For 15 years the Finns have been doing a remark- able tightrope act, living beside the Russian bear, constant through Only determination, wiliness, and SVING Russian toleration have they managed to keep their independence,

tep

tion.

by BRIAN GARDNER

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1961.

PRESIDENT URHO KEKKONEN.......

"Kruschev is known to have the highest respect for his skill."

between tse country across the 50 miles of

sea. would

now

It is more than likely that all The similarity

then and three lie behind the Soviet Note, crisis but if Kruschey is banking on frighten шкалу nations. Bul he last one, then I believe he not the Finns. Life in this pros- making a ve miscalcula- perous cily, with its exception- elly high standard of living. goes on as normal. I have found the Communist Party found no sign of pani, no sign How long can they keep it HQ in a side street near the

of despair. harbour in a bleak office, high above the street, I met one of Only thoughtful concern for the leading back-room Com- what Kekkonen and Finnish munists in Finland, a man called policy can do now to preserve J'amminen.

He immediately this land from the fate of that

if

'There The people hers now whe are wondering tan avoid much longer becoming ather Estonia.

revealed in discussing the Note and his fears about Germany. how he takes his line directly from Moscow,

ww Soviet Note culling for Hassian-Finnish security lks against the threat" from Wet Germany has put the Finns in their most difficult position for

50 seats the People's many years. I They agree to Democratic Union (which is the the lafks then they are ilkely to official name for the Communist have pressure pul of them to Party here) is already the join the Warsaw Pact That largest single

party in Parlia- would be a fatal step towards teht. But its chances of gain- overall

Ruslan dunimation, and this country's neutralism

DECISION

end

and the necessary majority of 101 in the election. are next to hopeless.

الله

And even Tarpminen had admit: "Not all those who vote for the Peoples Democrats are real Communists.

There is a story here about

they reply that they se threat from Gerty, at shal therefore ther is POLD holding the toke they will be radishes

-

that the

ht 1 ןן!

Finnish Communists being like Red outside and white inside. It means

munists second.

Twice in the past has Finland

Lought

old

To the Finns their brave balancing act, so much admired in the West, is a walk that has no foreseeable end. It is 5 matter of continuing to balance, or falling into the abyss.

As I was told: "To us it is not just politics or even of just somehow trying to get on with the Russians.

"It has become a way of life.”

London Express Service).

NO ENTRY

"The Commonwealth can be an example to other nations."

SAIL WITH THE

THE VOYAGE began at King- ston, Jamaica. On board the liner Ascania: the latest group of West Indian migrants sail ing to Britain. Also on board: woman reporter Anne Sharp-

that

became

trouble

tweaking the nose Kruschey they are Finns Arst and Com-

Finus have "1911216 carešully avoided doing pust.

Finland has tried to be friend. ly with both We 1.

All The Governments here since the war have in inled the neutrality is the only hope For Finland's independence. They are immensely and rightly Russian proud

This

22 years Russia. For their Russia and the Many Finns died

cily itself Country. was badly bombed by Russian planes. And nearly always in the past wars and crises with Russia have, as now. come from

Notes of mutual

I that they have succeeded. fence. When i was here last, I was told many lines that Finland could teach the West a lot about

how to live peacefully with Rus

SIG Now Jey are going to

PROSPEROUS

de-

ANNE BHARPLEY

certain

was

the

—MR, MACMILLAN, ADDRESSING THE COMMONWEALTHTM PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER DE

London, Express Service.

MIGRANTS

ley, investigating the immi- grant story from its sunny beginning to where it ends at the dockside at Southampton. She continues her report from mid-Atlantic.

The that

well-organised Bingo Federal Government had some- sessions and the film shows (not how been

the translated in coming. a triumph these, one film was minda of those Jamaicans I Perhaps the heat, the shown three times and once spoke to into terms of direct

we were given and

On the Water support of every man, woman monotony

front with a Spanish sound- and child in the Federation. And knowledge that so many track without subtitles) did it small islanders were seen

tle to abate the growing tension. abstracting 43 per cent of a be people could not

Jamaican's income from his very pocket.

confined so close for so. Teams picked

long without trouble.

Arguments over dice and poker would crackle out - but would always stop short before spreading

The teams were picked Cit was to be fight between Jamaica (318 on board) and the

It

42

The finer points of Federalism are not easy to explain to man afraid of hunger, and that "small islands" (Trinidad, Bar- night the fear exploded. White

began

with a quarrel in- bados, St Kitts, Montserrat and have to prove that boast to the Stalin and Molotov, that Russia

Antigua (total of 277). The volving

British girl from rum, which issue was last month's referen- Gulana (although it was per- will make the should share in Finnish defence

have been dum in which Jamaica had kick- sistently said that she was from --because

threat from ston--and we were exhausted on the first two ed out the Federation of the Barbados--one of Finland's answer to the Russian Nole is Germany. The Finns could not an ominous ship. It is days out, reappeared from

agree to all the demands-and

hi

The man who final decision on

In 1939 it was a demand, by

the

G1-year-old President Urho war was the result

Kekkonen,

a brilliant luwyer

and wollticlan, who has devoted much of his life as politician, Minister and President to studying the

moods of Russia.

Krushev is known to have the highest respect for his skill, and they have had many a vodka and sauna bath together.

Kekkonen has just returned from a visit to Ainerics, where no doubt, he was offered advice.

An enormous responsibility now rests with this man.

OPPONENTS

Foreign

Office

Talking to officials here I have the im- pression that Finland will play

for me.

The Finns will agree to some form of preliminary consulta-

tions, and they wil bulk for as

long as they can in the hope of finding out what really les behind the Russian Note, with- out committing themselves.

But Kekronen has political opponents who believe he has his obsession gone too far in with neutrality. They are con- vinced he should turn down the Russian suggestion.

exiletly

stan Note, But theories abound,

ST IX days out of King- (overproof)

seemed

to

difficult to say how it the migrants' luggage.

Australian newsletter

West Indies.

Jamaica's share (43 per cent -£820,000) of the cost of the

BY EMH

Country in the world's

spotlight

Lord and Lady Alexander of Tunis arrived in

Sydney this week and were met by their

daughter Lady Rose Crossman who had come from Singapore.

hit each other

Thrown

Donald Campbell on Sydney Harbour before the crashi

Field Marshal Earl Alexan- der of Tunis was Supreme the speed bost Allied Commander in the with flying spray and splintering

of woodwork, Mediterranean during World

florists have taken it up in a bla War II and he is on his way No one is certain

way, and this week a trial ship- ment was flown from Sydney to what does lie behind the Rus- New Zealand to officiate

test the market. at the opening of the new

Three men, two of them Presa

One wholesale

florist, IT COULD BE that the Note aluminium plant near Auck- photographers, were in the boat was really almed at Sweden, land.

with Mr Schmid, the crew mem- Arthur Robbins, said of the. who are supplying arms

ber was thrown into the water, flower, "We see it, but we don't West Germany. Kruschey may people who believed

He said he was one of those and, unable to board the boat believe it, it's such an unusual hope that by showing his fist in

that the again, swam ashore. Three feet looking bloom and such a size." the Scandinavian area he will existence of atomic weapons is of the plywood hull was ripped He went on to say that no one

one of the reasons why there out of the speedboat. frighten, the Swedes and end

has not been a war. their arms exports.

Mr Campbell is still undecid-

chery

to

and

un

iri his office goes near the flower on his desks, it might bite."

He plans to promote the

He said that "as a growing ed whether to use Lake Eyre for flower there and sell it first to IT COULD BE that Krus-

his fears of West country, Australia has the spot an attempt on the land speed hotels and banks where t using

light of

of the world

It" and that record. The main obstacles are go on dimlay and be thought German rearmament as all his own brokers had advised 224 patches of salt on the 19 the charge would be 8/8 a bloom excuse, will demand from the him to invest in Australia." mile stretch of the lake beds to cover the cost of air freight. Finns the return of the naval Lord Alexander with his wife which he plans to use, and some The Walalah, large deep red... base at Porkkala, 16 miles from ama daughter were the guests of of these are nearly a foot high close petal flower can keep for Helsinki, that it took from the the Governor General Lord De Finns

during the war

several weeks if cared for. L'Isis and Lady De Isle in occupied until 1950.

Canberra, for three days.

40 tons OR IT COULD BE that Kruschev intends to build up pressure on Finland before the elections here, not July. By starting on a war of nerves he may well hope to frighten many people lato voting Commumist. And then, énearer the time the elections, or just after thein, the Commbundsid fany attempty a

HIS FEARS

of

C-R-A-S-H

Donald Campbell, holder at the world water spoed te

He has already had built a special machine which can cut 'back' the salt islands, and if the decision is made to build the pood track on Lake Eyre, he will return to Australli in April,

A'strange mission to his homeland. All the mem- bers of the family of Mr

“cold” was demonstrating bringing his rating car Blue Felico Simone Bre in Aut-

jat powered bout at Rose 40 tons of equipment, and 31 Bay at the weekend when technicians. See plature.

vith a terrific crush he kit

ven by Mr.

builders

FLORAL

EMBLEM

tralia, but Mr Simone had only one regret and that was that blu father, the last ren

of hir

died 27 yours

Anwar meine Hé aporbaghed a church. Wales has sudden-thorities for help but was ag United States he would have to rank HL

GUNMAN

While 40 pupils and teachers were saying morn ing prayers in the Chapel of Sydney Church of Eng- Girls Grammar School, of Moss Valen 31-year-olid Bydney artist suddenly appeared will a Baving and shouting Pat! the iterrified girl, "ha Mice Turnbull, the bead threatened to shoot.

mistress, and other teachers grappled with the rin, the teacher whe and another had been outside the bullally called the police. **Aa he saw the police sp- prosch, he begin firing the tifle. One girl of 15 was killed instantly,

and the head mistrem suffered. wounds to both haida @POLES DELrpowered; the man, and ke wae - taken

italian

the

the

islands").

the "small A boy from Jamaica got his hand slashed by a razor blade during this quarrel and now the reprisals started.

Down in the recreation hall the

"bully-gully" (something

I can only describe as a

dance) started.

A group of

men clapping and shout-

ing, surround ed two от three solo dancers, ur- ging them on as their danc- ing became more furi- ous,

more frightening.

Chongo.

smooth, live-

tongued

men of SB

war

The

night the

knives

came out..

THE ASCANJA

who I had always thought was Jamaicans, But mother

was

PART IV

"Fight.fight, fight,

Everybody want to Fight, fight, Aght,

Don't break a chair over me I'm not a small islamier.......

I'm from B.G.

A ship's officer, in - Broken English, fried to shout for cali.

"He cant speak English" the Jamaican, nearby derided

The ship's officer angry and rashly replied; · "I am- Italien, You are Jamaican There is a very beeg difference, •rother- ber." (Lively In the crew's mind was the memory that one of their number was knocked unconscious on the brebious voyage.)

A knife was taken from a Jamaican and be showed a cut on his wist and crled: "Ldök, black man's blood, you spill-as much as you like i

The threats

Daming Denys rushed into the bar, threw a glass and, an ashtray and shouted: "Tha white people is beating up the black people

Threats we

were treat but gradually people drifted to bed, Four men spent the me the ship's "Calaboose The third purser next day tugiced a plece of timber unde

desk reatly for anyt

But that day a change camo over the sky and Gen. It grew cold Seasickness began. The quarrels that belonged to heme died with the warmth that be- longed to hornie,

Asense

of the strange world that awaited them calmed and chilled the migrants,

the urbanest man on board, bes not so lucky and was beaten, TOMORROW

came

the most possessed. As he cisims.

he broke from the circle he took In the

Recreational Hall

profes-

mé as his audience and began to Patrick Jackman, the shout in a paroxysm, his eyes sional stowaway from British quite blank. These little dunce Guiana, was challenged. He breadfruit

niggerstr

(he meant broke at once Into a calypso: the small islanders), "I voted for Federation, but since I come. on this ship Been what bare foot niggers them be. When us said no to Federation. I so hurted I couldn't eat for a day,

"But now them's so insulted

| me...all from these little islands, St. Kitts, Montserrat, Antigua them's so small that if you started running on them and develop speed you'd tand up, in *the sea.

The

London Elep

RUSTLERS STILL ROAM

AROUND TEXAS

HOUSTON, Texe

"They're going to a dream in They are still having

London, they don't know what

they're going to but when they trouble with rustlers ask them in London where

Uper comes from, these yam in the Texas cattle and breadfrunt little niggers country.

them's got to say Jamaica, com nobody heard of dem islands.""

Challenged

women sevens

out and

In fact, there has been more cattle rustling during the past

Posses hunt.

deep-freeze

beef thieves

few years than during the seized with the urge legendary days of the Old West stars One-ins In 1980 more "beeves were that approximatel

In the of the cattle

ded up

history of Texas. THE the old TEAMs and Sorithe Cate Wertern. Cattle Raisers Asso-then- ciation, which was first founded rustlets, în 1800, is still on the job of patty or pending but “posre catch divide the

the bartlaws.

Had basi

Ard

3