THE HONGKONG Telegraph, Monday, August 7, 1930.
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The
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Wyndham St., Hongkong 'Phone 26615 August 7, 1939
CENSORSHIP
IN
IN THE eyes of what is left of the democratic world Free- dom of the Press is a symbol of democracy,
The Hongkong Government now threatens to create a pre- cedent for curtailing this Free-.
T
NOTHING TO DECLARE
Russia's Military Strength-2
ARMS and the Men
the
HE Red Army of Soviet
15 Union
the largest standing army in
by Tom
the world. Its infantry Wintringham
alone is known to be over a mil- ton strong. Behind these regular divisions are more than eleven who
MOUTRIE & CO., LTD. dom by issuing new additions to have been through the army.
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-F
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"THE
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the Emergency Regulations, em- powering the Commissioner of Police to institute a censorship of newspaper posters.
In war-time some degree of control may be inevitable; but it is all-important that the control should disable as little as pos- sible the proper function of the Press, which is to inform and consolidate public opinion. So much is not in dispute; but the question that arises through Government's action is whether official control is a thing to be approved or disapproved in less exceptional times.
In the defence of civil liberty the Press, to-day holds the key position; for if the freedom of the Press disappeared, freedom of public speech would inevitably follow, as it has done in other countries. With this freedom would also disappear freedom of even private conversation which, we might add, has been respon- sible more than anything for the dissemination of evil rumours in this Colony.
No doubt, in unfettered free- dom there is a danger of abuse; but in any case the remedy is not to be found in official supervi sion; and the danger or abuse is Icau than the danger of subjection.
Медп
These figures are too big for us to grasp easily. Roughly, they
an that Russia has ava
avaliable. already trained and ready for mobilisation, two and a half times as many men as the volunteers and conscripts that Britain had to
train for battle in the Great War.
There was rumour in 1914, be- leved by many, that Russian troops were being landed in Scot- Innd, and sent through to the Western Front. If a quarter of the Russians now trained as soldiers were landed at Glasgow, and marched south in close order, in column of fours, the head of the column would reach London before. the tall of the column left Glasgow
solid river of men.
But Tsarist Russia also had -millions of men. The "Russian of 1914 grow and steam-rolier grew until the Tsar had called Yot up nineteen million men. it never rolled forward far: Russla was defeated, and the Iussian army almost destroyed. What guarantee is there that this will not happen again?
One bly change since the daya of the Great War is that the Red Army is a force with weapons. That was not true of Tsarism's
army. There were not even enough
rines for the men conscripted.. Re- eruits were taught with one old rifle among 20 men. The soldier got a rifle of his own when he reached the trenches--if he was lucky. And if he was very lucky he got two dozen cartridges.
THE Red Army to-day has not only rifles for all its men; has heavy and light machine-guns for every
of infantry unit
regulars. qr reserves. It has rather more heavy artillery per division than most armies, and moro anti-tank guna
than any.
A German general has estimated that in 1935 Russin hnd 10,000 tanks, 150,000 tractors (for pulling
Crematorium
Singapore?
In
A report on the question of a crematorium for Singapore will be drawn up by a sub-committee of the European Association of Malaya for submission to Government.
In Hongkong, na in other parts of the democracies, the relation of Press to Government should be like that of neighbours in the residential quarters of a suburb. They should not forbid an unobtrusive eye ONL each other's activities, or even a nod- ding acquaintance, but they pore Chineso Chamber of Commerce. Chinese Association and the Chinese Association, all should stop short of an intimney Strall
strongly supporting the European which would only be irksome to Association's proposal for the ea
tablishment of a crematorium, in both parties.
Singapore.
A decision to this effect was mode int a recent meeting of the committee
of the Association.
the
Letters were read from the Singa-
who is not only experienced in mufern warfare-he led the International Brigade in Spain -his military books have been lightly praised and recom. mended for study by officers,
guns, etc.), and more than 100,000 military vehicles, petrol-driven, of other sorts (General Guderian in Militar Wissenschaftliche Rund- schau, Dec. 1935.)
So the Russian soldier, if he has to go to war. will not go half- armed as in Tsarist days. And he
without the bayonet; and to have your bayonet almost always fixed 1.9 a nuisance, particularly in trenches.
A good proportion of the Im- mense stock of rifles possessed by the Soviet Union were made before the first Five Years Flan and dur
Soviet ing its first year or two. Russia was short of many things in that
period, and particularly short of seasoned timber. The ride-butts and other woodwork are therefore apt to be faulty.
THE Red Army is taking seriously the question of developing snipers among its infantry. They have even adopted the English word, which likely to go not on his feet, as in they spellsnaiper." Marksman- 1014, but in a lorry. We saw a few ship has become a national sport. of the Baviot lorries in Spain: they and Soviet marksmen carried off were not stream-lined; they were the honours at a recent interna- tlonul competition in London. To not chromium-plated: but they were tough. They could bounce make full use of this skill special rifies "have been deve- down mountains, and keep on
Snipers bouncing. They are good-material-loped. But how many of these are available for the Red Army is not for war.
WHAT of the quality of the other material? In general, the newer and more important arms are excel- lent: the older types of weapon are relatively poor. Puorest of all is the standard Soviet riile.
It is out of date; the design dates from 1808 and the minor in- then provements devised since have not made it as accurate as R modern rifle should be. It is liable to throw off the target it fred
known.
The heavy machine-guas of the Red Army are also of Tsarist de sign. But it is a good design, and there in nothing wrong with these uns except their weight. The on which they are little wheels usually mounted are not good for rocky country such as Spain, but are presumably valuable on easy going such as that batween Mos- cow and Berlin.
The Soviet light machine-guns have, I believe, few rivals. We had
GRIN AND BEAR IT
to use many types in Spain; I per- sonally had to deal with machine- guns from seven countries. None WRB SO good. for infantry in attack, as the Soviet weapon.
Compare it, for instance, with the Bren gun, which is the new stand- ard light machine-gun of the British Army. The Soviet weapon la lighter, has fewer moving parts, la simpler, and handier to learn und use. And it is six years
younger" in design,
15
It is in the newest weapons that the Soviet Union has made most progress. Its tanks proved more effective in Spain. than Franco's. German tanks, and much more effective than the Italian Flats. Its acroplanes are also better than the equivalent Corman and Italian material,
When wo saw Soviet planes In Spain (never in great numbers) in action against German machines, we rockored that they were about 10 pet
per cent. faster, and climbed better.
The
"snub-noses," Ùឆ the. Spaniards called ons sort of Boviet fighter (developed from an Ameri- can design) were able to dodge and throw themselves about in a way the German machines could not achiavo,
As for the numerical strength of the Soviet air neat, it la every- where agreed that it is more powerful than any other. Colonel von Bulow, a German, Pierre Cot. You who used to be the French Alr Minister, and Captain Liddell Hart The Times, have all stated,
of
In almost the same words, that tho Bovlet air force is the strongest in the world,
There can bo no fear now that the Red Army, like the Tsarist
my, can
can be destroyed by shortage
of weapons and ammunition. But what of the spirit and morale of the troops? War is not simply a question of shells and bombs: mon and the qualities of men still matter most in battle,
IN any Soviet institu- tion, while there is great pressure towards
uni
formity of action, there is open. and often violont discudalon. In the factories there are
wall-new- papers with biting comments on any inefficiency, of managers as
By Lichty well as workers. In the innumer-
Crực 1927 by Called Foxtaro Syndesit, Ins
"I'm going on a vacation—when I got back I expect every one to be rested up, ready for another your's work!”.
able committees and conferences that control all sides of Soviet lite the inillative of the ordinary man' nads
suggestions and criticism
tive.an who can use his initia-
without disobeying, and makes his commander's plana fully part of him, is usually the better soldier. He is always better on those many occasions when the chain of command breaks down during action, and each sergeant or corporal must act as his own colonel or general until he can get new orders through.
The Soviet Union, because it is a democracy, though differing in many ways from other democra- cles, is able to make its soldiers part of democratic army. And such an army is to-day more effec- tive for war than one which in
totalitarian. based on theirs not to reason why."
The tattered battallons of the Red Army of 1910-1920 defeated the armies of Intervention sent into Russia by fourteen Powers. 'To-day
those battalions have dis-
appeared; in their place is an army stronger in numbers, metal and
fire-power. This new Red Army ta not icas strong in spirit and con- viction.
Golf Ball Destroys
Eye
CLEVELAND, O. (UP) Joseph Mayer, 34, playing calch with a golf bali, was struck in the eye with the Iball The cyo had to be removed.
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