HUGE RESHUFFLE OF DIPLOMATS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 200, 23 August 1940, Page 7

HUGE RESHUFFLE OF DIPLOMATS.

SWEEP BY JAPAN.

Twenty-four Ambassadors Affected. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Reed. 11 a.m.) TOKYO, Aug. 22. A diplomatic reshuffle on an unprecedented scale ailects Ambassadors and also five Counsellors and 11 Consul-Generals. In addition, extensive changes will be made in the personnel of the Japanese Foreign Office. S Mr. Horinouchi, Ambassador to the United States; Mr. Kuwashima, from Brazil; Mr. Taketomi, from Turkey; Mr. Sawada, from France; and Mr. Hotta, Ambassador at large; and also the Ministers to Canada, Spain, the Argentine, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Afghanistan, Hungary, South Africa, Finland, Rumania, Latvia, Egypt, Bulgaria, Iran and Iraq, have been recalled. The Domci news agency eays the changes have been expected since Mr. Matsuoka became Foreign Minister, and are considered preparatory to a diplomatic offensive. Mr. Shintaro Ohashi, a member of the House of Peers, in a statement to the Press, said: "Japanese diplomacy is entering a new era, in which those who are able will be promoted from the ranks. "Appointments will not be confined to Foreign Office officials, and even pressmen will be eligible. Successors to those affected in the reshuffle will probably be named within a week."

PLANT EXPANSION.

Government Loans To American Aircraft Factories. DEVELOPMENTS IN CANADA. WASHINGTON, Aug. 22. The chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in the United States, Mr. Jesse Jones, announced that plant expansion loans totalling 78,500,000 dollars -were being made, to the Boeing, Bendix and Cur tiss-Wright aircraft companies in a move to break the bottle-neck impeding the production of military aircraft. The State Department announced that in July military aeroplanes valued at 048,000 dollars were shipped to Britain. Deliveries to Canada were valued at 1,227,000. dollars,- while Canada had also bought 2,583,000 dollars' worth of aircraft engines. A message from Ottawa says the Canadian Minister of Munitions, Mr. C. D. Howe, has disclosed that over 8400 employees are at present working in the Dominion's seven aircraft plants, which represents an increase of 20 per cent in the past month. Mr. Howe also announced that the Government had placed an order amounting to 600,00.0 dollars with a Torpnto company for six large rescue launches for use by the Royal Air Force on the English coast. The boats will be 60ft to 70ft long, and will be capable of a speed of 35 knots.

BELGIAN COLONIES.

RESOURCES OF CONGO. British Official Wireless. (Reed. 2 p.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 22. "The Foreign Under-Secretary, Mr. R. A. Butler, replying to a question in the House of Common-;, said:—"Since June 18, the Belgian Minister for the Colonies, who is in London, lias been exercising the full powers with which he has I>p?ii invested as the Administrator-General of the Belgian Colonies. "The local administration in the Congo under Governor-General M. Ryckmans, who declared on June 2.3 that the resolrccs of the Congo were at the entire service of the alliance, and certain economic problems arising from the Congo ae a result of the enemy occupation of Belgium, arc under discuseion with the British Government."