MORALE OF LONDON SO FAR UNTOUCHED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 220, 16 September 1940, Page 7

MORALE OF LONDON SO FAR UNTOUCHED.

CONFIDENT OUTLOOK. Signs Of Confession Of Nazi Failure. British Official Wireless. (Reed. 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 15. Both in the Press and among the general public the latest phase in the Battle for Britain—a savage attack on the people of London—is the subject of much speculation both as to its purpose and the reason it has been adopted by the German authorities. A number of conclusions are generally reached. Firstly, the new tactics of scattering bombe indiscriminately over the metropolk, which, no one can imagine to be an important target in the purely military sense, is taken to be a confession of failure on the part of tl:a Luftwaffe to do substantial damage to the main centres of Britain's war production, to •bo a confession that the attacks which, have been attempted on Britain's military targets have been too costly, and that the German Air Force i≤ beginning to feel the strain of such heavy losses.

Secondly, it Is concluded that having lamentably failed to inflict serious damage to Britain's war machine, Germany has now turned the force of her attack against what she hopes will prove Britain's weakest point, namely, civilian morale. At the sa:-ie time London ie the centre of commnnications, the centre of political life, and representative of the nation in a way which ie true of the capital of no other country!

By destroying London, the Nazis might well hope that the rest of the country would be paralysed, and the way for invasion rendered casv. But the morale of London so far "ie untouched, and everywhere the opinion ie confidently expressed that it will require bombing on a scale vastly more widespread, and more intense, before the nerve of Londoners can be crushed on a ecale which London defences will never permit the Nazis to achieve without inflicting terrible losses.

Many different weapons have been brought to the defences of London against tne constant night raiders. There are ni«ht flying fightere, of which informed correspondents suggest a euperior new type Iβ already in production, anti-aircraft gune capable of putting up a formidable barrage of fire and steel; and there are searchlights and barrage balloons of an improved new type, which already have claimed one victim.

Damage to London certainly lins 'been done, syul much suffering lias been caused. Many of her prominent buildings, which form the chief target for the Nazi bombs, have been damaged. These include some of the dozen famous old chuwlies. St. Paul's churchyard, the Howe of Lords. Buckingham Palace, three times hit, the Law Courte, Somereet three of the largest hospitals and a number of smaller ones, and two i newspaper offiocs.

Some 2000 of her civilian population have been killed, and many more injured or rendered homeless." Yet the general life of the capital proceeds uninterrupted, and the capacity of the people to adapt themselves to their new mode of life is astonishing. Confidence is widespread in the power of Britain to defeat this lust as she has defeated former method* of Nazi attacks. "ALL CHEERFUL. ,, N.Z. Firm's Headquarters Demolished. SYMPATHY FROM DOMINION. WELLINGTON, this day. The New Zealand office in Wellington of a firm of insurance brokers has received from its London office a cable which admirably expresses the spirit in which the people of London are taking the terrific hammering which is being dealt them at the present time. Last Thursday the cable from the London office of the firm advised that the building in which they were situated, only about 30 yards from the city end of London Bridge, had been totally destroyed. The manager in New Zealand immediately cabled to the managing director of the London office expressing from the whole of the organisation in New Zealand sympathy and gratitude that the whole of the London staff was safe. The cable concluded by asking: ''How can we assist you?" This morning an answerinjr cnhlc lodjred in London on Saturday advised that the London office was already reorganising. Their records were safe and they had moved to a new address. The reply concluded: '"You can only assist in the capacity of navvy work. All .cheerful." —(Press Assn.)

HOLDING FAST. Londoners Facing Ordeal Undaunted. " BEYOND LIES VICTORY." (Reed. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 15. The Battle of London as an incident, but a supreme incident, in the preliminaries of the Battle of Britain, is the subject of editorials in the Sunday newspapers. The ''Sunday Times" says: "Ever eince France went out of the >var and the British Empire was left to untie it alone two things have been evident to thinking men: first, that Britain can win; second, that on the way to victory she must face and surmount a supreme ordeal. After months, of waiting the ordeal is now on her. Beyond it lies victory if she holds fast." Over the many harrowing scenes witnessed in the past week, the paper says, them has risen the bravery of common English folk refusing to be conquered and the blossoming into flower under trial a self-sacrifice and mutual aid such as only a very great peo]ih>, indeed, can compass. Mr. J. L. Oarvln, in the "Observer," says he is quite confident then- will be no flinching at paying the unavoidable price of success and salvation. Threequarters of the huge region covered by London and its suburbs shows no serious trace of the enemy, and only a minute percentage of its millions of inhabitants have been struck. It would take more than the Nazis possess or conceive to wreck thie wonderful city, much less daunt its tool.