1940-01-03 — Page 1

NEW

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FIRST EDITION

Hongkong Telegraph.

SINGLE COPY 10 CENTI

FOUNDED 1881 EN WEN-WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1940. 日四廿月一十 $30.00 PER ANNUM

No. 10031

BATTLE

OVER N.

SEA

R.A.F. Machines Outnumbered Four To One, Accept Challenge

LONDON, JAN. 2 (REUTER).--A BIG BATTLE BETWEEN THREE R. A. F. BOMBERS AND 12 NAZI FIGHTERS WAS FOUGHT NEAR THE GERMAN COAST TO-DAY.

THE STORY IS TOLD BY THE AIR MINISTRY IN THE FOLLOWING BULLETIN:

"There has been extensive air activity over the North Sea to-day, and in the neighbouring German coast during the afternoon.

"A formation of three R.A.F. bombers encountered

Messerschmidt long-range fighters well out at sea.

a squadron of 12

"The formation, although heavily out-numbered, gave battle to the enemy. "One Messerschmidt was shot

down in flames, and two others

were driven down and are likely i

to have been lost.

"One of the three bombers returned safely.

The second

the

was shot down during encounter. The third is mise- ing."

Nazis Over Belgium? BRUSSELS, Jan. 2 (Reuter ) .-- Foreign aircraft flew over Belgium,

drawing Bre from anti-aircraft guns,

while Delgian fighters went up to

interept them.

The planes are believed to be German but official confirmation is, lacking.

Key-Men May Volunteer

Britain's Relaxed Regulations

.

LONDON, Jan. 2 (Reister)The Ministry of Labour and National; Service announces that operation of the schedule of reserved occupations have been relaxed in order to permit men of, or above, the age of reserva- vohin- tion in certain occupations,

teer for service in the forces, or in the civil defence services,

news-

news

Men in the occupations included in List 1 (numbering 42 occupations, including editorial statis of

ant periodicals papers, agencies) may volunteer for any branch of the defence services, but men in the occupations in List 2 (including masons,

boul-repairers, sentor clerks, cooks, dock and har bour workers, and 11thographers) can be accepted for service only in their trade capacity.

Further relaxatlon of the schedule also being made in order to permit recruitment, irrespective of agea at reservation, of the large number of

Has Month of Sunshine and Drought

Colony Has

LAST MONTH was the brightest December in the history of the Colony.

According to official Royal Observatory figures... Hongkong enjoyed no less than 269.2 hours of sunshine during the 31 days of December, which is 20 hours better

CRACK SOVIET TROOPS IN FINLAND

VIBORG, Jan. 2 (Reuter) -"Reuter's" special corres-

than the previous maximum. of 249 hours.

A thirty-year-old record was thus smashed.

98. Hours Above Normal

The astonishing sunshine figures can be better appreciated when Bis state:_that_the_normal sunshine....for. pondent, who has just re|December is 17 hours. Last month turned from a visit to the neighbourhood of Vuokși, on caster side of the Karelian Isthmus, confirms that crack reginunts from Central Rus- sia are now in the Soviet front lines facing the Man- nerholm Line.

exceeded this by no less than D8 hours.

These are really first-class troops, well clothed and equipped with up-to-date gas-masks on the GermIDN' muxtel.

REDS ARE REPULSED

Finns Continue To

Improve Position

HELSINGFORS, Jan. 2 (Reu- building and road-making operatives ter).-A communique issued to- required by the B.E.F. in France, and day states that while the day viso cortain classes of building was relatively quiet in the operatives for full-time duties in

Karelian isthmus, fighting A.R.P. and rescue, services.

Joccurred at several points north

of Lake Ladoga.

Reds Seek Instructors

Finnish troops are improving their position.

The communique adds that in the direction of Lake Lavajacvi, the Russians attacked all day

Soviets Have Learnt From but were repulsed. Nazis Before

Soviet Planes Active

The battleship, October Revolution, bombordet Koivisto forts with lille result, whilo aircraft bombed Abo and LONDON, Jan. 2 (Router)-Oulu. Some civilians were killed and *If Stalin receives technical ro-wounded, and some material damage: inforcements from Germany to was done to both towns.

The low record for December is 171.0 hours, which were recorded 37 {years ago,

The aggregate hours of sunshine for the whole of 1939 are not yet

available,

Rainless Month

However, another interesting fact about Hongkong's weather during tust month was that it ranks with the Decembers of 1884 and 1909 as being the only ones in which no rainfall was recorded.

We

Tomperatures Normal Curfously enough, although had no rain and registered a record number of sunshine hours, the De- cember temperature remained at nor- mal levels,

The monthly mean was 63, whlet is precisely the mean temperature for December. The normal maxi- mum reached: 60 degrees which was slightly above the average normal, namely 67.9 but was not record. The record normal maximum is 71.2. degrees.

"The normal minimum for the month registered: 57 degrees com- pared with a normal of 58.0, and a record mean high of 62.4 degrees..

However, it was three degrees bot- ter than the low record of $4,

Year Of Unusual Weather The year was noted for its vagaries of weather.. A drought gave way to some extremely heavy rainfall which allowed the aggregate figures to to well above it. Despite December's to move from well below average dryness, the aggregate rainfall for the year managed id exceed the average.

LATIN

FIRST pictures of German officer prisoners of war in the British camp which they have nick-named the "V-Bont Hotel." They are soon seated round a log-fixe' reading ...

... cooking their meals and (below) being taught to darn thele socks.

The freak typhoon in November STOCK EXCHANGE

helped to complete a year of unusual

help him in, the war in Finland, Soven Russian planes were shot weather conditions.

It will not be the first time that

the Red Army has been stiffen-

ed with German military ins-

Influenced 1937 Purge

down during, the day.

ACTIVITY

(Reuter) The LONDON (enter)

Was

Soviets Use Their Reserver

NORMAL ACTIVITY HELSINGFORS, Jan. 2 (Reutery.

PARIS, Jan. 2 tructors," anys "Routers" "mill-Latest military despatches show

that whis flerce local fighting con- following, communique" lary correspondent,

tinues, no co-ordinated

Soviet to-day: offensive is yet launched against the "There was normal activity Mannerheim Line.

contact units and some renewal of decade, the pre-tier

Russian prisoners say that part of aviation activily," thousands of German professional officers and non-commissioned the huge reserves recently brought

on this front. Soviet armles, but.. Hitler recalled "

DICTATORS EXCHANGE GREETINGS

Kindred Aspirations Emphasised

BERLIN, Jan. 2 (Reuter)-

NAZIS' BIG FOOD PROBLEMS Shortage Of Fat Becomes Acute

+

oxtond to all their customers and friends their warmest wishes. for a happy and successful New Year.

American Protest Lodged

British Consorship

-

Of Mails

SPECIAL TO THE "TELEGRAPH""

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UP). The Secretary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, an- nounces that the United States had vigorously pro- tested to Great Britain against interference of American mails on the High Seas.

The American Embassy at London was instructed to enter the protest on December, 22.

Mr. Hull elted specife instances in which British authorities had acized. mail on board American and other neutral ships originaling in the United States and addressed to Ger- many.

In addition there were "many in- dividual Instances of British censor- ship of American mails."

Mr. Hull added that the United Slates readily admits the right of the British government to consor private mails

origlusting 1 destined to

to the United Kingdom or

or

AMSTERDAM, Jan. 2 (Reu- United Kingdom for transmission to which normally pass through the ter).A comprehensive review final destination," buli, "we cannot

of Germany's food problems is ndralt the right of the British au- given in the "Nieuw Rotter thorities to interfere with American damsche" from Berlin in which on board American or other neutral ships, nor the right of the the writer assesses the German British government to censor mali self-sufficiency of foodstuffs ason ships which involuntarily entered between 70 and 80 per cent. ex-British ports." cept-fats which is 60 per cent.

The deficiency is normally made up by imports.

Sufficient stocks were accumulated In the last 12 or 18 months. Never- theless the fat problem is at n critical point.

Desperate Efforts

Desperate efforts are being made to produce fais from coal and beet. These are only usable for technical purposes with the view to releasing edible fats-for-human-consumption:

The possibilities of grapestones, beechnuts and horse chestnuts are being explored.

The meat situation difficult.

appears very Rationing is most severe and the effects of foot and month dcase are being felt.

By the importation of fodder from Russia, it is hoped to increase number of pigs in Germany.

the

Sea fishing Is reduced to ધ minimum.

Grain Situation Good

000 tons.

The situation regarding leguminous. Hitler and Mussolini exchanged plants, like peas is very unsatis- New Year greetings, according factory. The total crop in Germany to the official German News Proper last year produced only 624,- |Agency.

·In addition, the cunning Industry Hitler telegraphed: "On thes suttering from a shortage of ti

for cans. occasion of the New Year, 1 express

The Polish territories were ex-) my heartiest congratulations to you,

•

Il Duce, in sincere friendship. Under peeled to help to make up the generat your strong and tried tectership, may deficit, particularly grain, meat and Fascist inly, allled to National- eggs, but little butter can be hoped Sociollat Cermany, succeed in fulfill- from. Poland. ing its national tasks,"

The groin situation is generally good and the position regarding Mussolini's Roply

potatoes le also not unsatisfactóry as Mussolini replied:. “I recíprocate in only 25 per cent. of the total crop is

for human' the same brotherly cordiality the needed

consumption, congratulations you have expressed to though this percentage is expected, me at the turn of the year. 1 ex-to increase considerably on account press the same wishes for Nationalist of the shortage of other commodities. Socialist Germany as you have exi Therefore; a special reserve of 2,000-2)

PLEASE Turn To Pago Z. 000 tons is being fald asido.

Nazis Claim To Have Sunk More Than 1,000,000 Tons Of Allied Shipping

BUT REAL FACTS WILL

BE FOUND BELOW LONDON, Jan: 2 (Reuter).—The German boast that over a million tons of Allied and neatral shipping has been sunk is the usual exaggeration.

The average weekly loss of British tonnage in 16 weeks is 25,000. The average weekly increment by new construction and otherwise is 25,000,

He concluded with the hope that the State Department would receive early assurances," that interference with American malts has been dis- continued.

LATEST

Sen Back Pigs For Further Lato Nowen

HONGKONG ALARM

Naval Authorities. To Explain

Though intending to give a frank explanation the Naval SPECIAL TO THE “TELEGRAPHI

Authorities were not in a posi Jm On

tlon this morning to state the exact nature of the'álärm which Issued accumulations of buying orders.

motivated the precautionary. jcaused an early brisk activity, which, however, was not muntained, though

closing of the Harbourfr prices held the initial gains,

short period yester Gllebdgod i srcurillas :: and home- kriðustrials; were partictilarly, pro-

Trus Figures

12 Allled and 81 neutral merchant noon ever, it was minent on a good investerent demand. Total losses to the end of the year ships with a total grom tenziage pre-

From the rumour that a were as follows:

apsbilvely of 421,404, 70,181 mai 243,4 priamo calder, was in the vicinity almost completely paralysed operarm and there was a good trade Of the commodiiles; shellac - war

fit entirely without foundation. Seventeen Naval vessels, Indoding 222, eight warships, with a total diplace-|

i believed that the off-shots patro "The" "purge?" "ot-1937," when Binlinj the fact list many of the men killed The Russians show no incilation Liverpool.

investment demand for cotton, in ment of 58.1% tonigh

Hallett is misleading to additë.

imply considered it wird zo-givar, removed of executed many of his or taken prisoner are much younger, to mako, fresh attempts to advanco

Nine chartered Towels, namely the und displacementemolless note the alarm while it reassured itself regard. own officers aroid directly from the better dad and equipped than to the Gulf of Bothnia down the permissible advance of 20 points on drifiers with a total of 10,000 o Ceppe neutral merchant vesede,

American futures closed with tho' Rawalpindi and sizki, trawfern, and influenço exercised on their outlook | hitherto,

Noutralast of destruction of doing the Colony's defences

fro-day everything is calm and On the Tolamo front, the teme togivaly mined by the Finns Wall Street was stendy. great. Aretin Highway which is ex-general buying kan bland

Harbourallstopinjir-la norma II MAKTA

officers were employed with the up have been thrown into the basicperature is 40. below zero and has from the provinesa,, PA

them when he rose to power." || This appears to be confirmed by tlona.

-by German" training."

One hundred and seventeen nettdays this special commentary,