COURSE OF WAR SURVEYED

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22908, 3 January 1940, Page 8

COURSE OF WAR SURVEYED

; OPTIMISM OF BRITISH ; ' PRESS

early issue predicted (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (Received January 2, 11.30 a.m.) - * LpNDON, January, 1. In a leading article on; the New Year “The Times”,'surveys the war position. “The resolution of the free : peoples in Britain and France has : been, shown to be unflinching,” it ... states. “The unity of the British Empire ;; in support. of the Mother Country has been found no less unbreakable ; than ,in 1914; the, Royal. Navy; Toy'-; ,i ally assisted by the* French, mainL ,tains unimpaired its sun- cmacy over ■ the seas and the .course of the maritime,war has already been sufficient to show that even the most un- > scrupulous use of the weapons of ■ submarine" and mine 'offers ho hope, i' of loosening its snip. • f “Combats of individual or comparatively small squadrons in the ii air have proved that man for ipan i; and machine for machine the -adl vantage is decisively with Britain. I The battle On land has yet to be

i| joined, but here also as civilian | !i Britain reports class by class to the |> drill sergeants, time moves inexorj[ ably against the Germans.” • If In this connexion all the newsir paners forecast ah early issue. : The “Daily Telegraph.” which devotes a leading article to the New il. Year, looks at the picture on the ji other side of the war fronts. “Under ;i the grip of the blockade. Germany j is already striking blindly at neu--1 trals and at herself.” it states. “Proof i of theV anxiety of the Fuehrer and; i his cabal is betrayed in their exhorj tations- for 1940, 1 which are mixtures 1 of brag and bluster and whining and ; apprehension. ! “The unhappv German people are > fold -by Herr Hitler himself that his 1 leadership has brought them to the j hardest fight in their history, the j fight for existence or non-existence.”

j ARMY EXPANSION j v:':- IN U.S. .

i PEAK REACHED LAST I i ! YEAR j. . ' !-• (Received- January- 2,-8.10 p.m.) | WASHINGTON, January 1. i The annual report of the-War De;j- -.partnient says that the 'augmenta*f, tibn and acceleration of. national deil. fence reached. an all-time peak, in il 1939. : Nearly. 450,000,000' dollars' !}■■: was- spent -on" military equipment, ■{ and, expenditure pn lighting equip- . ment alone during the current fiscal ! year is "about • 373,000;000 : dollars. •' . Last year 736 aeroplanes, valued at 39,000,000 dollars, were delivered to.the ah* corps, and 983 additional four-engined bombers, pursuit, and other aeroplanes have been ordered for the expansion of the air corps to* 6000- aeroplanes by June. Percentage increases in production orders- placed for 1941 are: —Antiaircraft sound locators, 400;- three-, inch anti-aircraft: guns, 210: antiaircraft; machine-guns, 140;. semiautomatic rifles, • 153’; - anti-aircraft fire-control directors, 130,

MRS CHAMBERLAIN ~ BROADCASTS

I ‘.MESSAGE TO WOMEN 1 t OF FRANCE (BBITISB OFntrlAX. WTSSUSSS.) RUGBY; December 30. In a• broadcast in' French ’ to-day to the- women of - France, Mrs Neville -'Chamberlain, said , she was • ■ convinced that the feelings of friendship, which . already bound ' together the peoples of France and Britain had gained ; new ■ depth, and new force by - the sacrifices which they were both being"called upon to make on-behalf of; a. cause which was; in effect, that of sdT humanity. Remarking- that many, of her listeners- would "have made the acquaintance of the British soldiers who were in France under, the French' Command and: who, would be employed wherever the French ' General Staff ' thought * best, Mrs Chamberlain.; added:., “Those who have so -far crossed he Channel form only the. advance guard of the great army which- is how being assembled in this country and which will.- follow.”' f ' ’ : Mrsv Chamberlain, concluding her broadcast with an affirmation of the confidence -with I .' -which; the French and British could .look forwardto the triumph of' their cause, said: - 45 And in that* day,-when victory is ours and we have won .through to an- enduring.• peace, .it will be our 1 Common aim- to work together for the happiness ,and, well-being- of mankind.”- - . ..

“NO COMPETITION IN ATROCITIES’*

WARNING BY ARCHBISHOP - OF CANTERBURY . •- * LONDON', January 1. , The- Archbishop; of * .Canterbury (Dr/Cosmo Gordon Lang), in a New Year's Eve; broadcast, -warned his ■ , Steteners: that .“though -there must? be some‘ reprisals against 1 some methods of the-enemy.-no provocation must tempt ns ; into unrestricted .Competi-tion-in - atrocities/ . ~ • .“Temptation' might also .be ■ ex- » pected when the time came tor pegce. ; Self-restramt. will be necessary, but i. owe must see that the.highideals for 4 " - which we fought -are. not forgotten.”