PEACE PACT FOR JAPAN

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26394, 12 April 1951, Page 3

PEACE PACT FOR JAPAN

Security of N.Z., Australia (N.Z Press Association— Copunaht) (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 10. The State Department is draftin’ a Far Eastern security plan—short of a Pacific Military Pact—to induce New Zealand and Australia to sign the proposed Javanese peace treaty, Mr John Foster Dulles said to-day. Mr Dulles told a closed session of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Far Erst that the security plan was necessary because New Zealand and Australia feared Japanese militarism, might rebound under the treaty, which, as drawn up by Mr Dulles, would put no restricticns on Japanese rearmament. New Zealand and Australia have urged a Pacific Pact modelled along the 1 nes of the Atlant c Pact to gu rd against possible Japanese aggression and the menace of Communism. Mr Dulles, however, was reported to have told the sub-committee that the State Department was not yet re.-dy to consider the adoption of a Pacific pact.

Congressional sources said that Mr Dulles told Senators that the State Department wou'd rather evolve some half-way measures to give New Zealand and Australia security without a fo r mal alliance. Mr Dull ’ indicated that he was thinking of seme type of bilateral arrangement between the United States and each of the two countries concerned.

Mr Dulles gave the impression that such bilateral agreements could be expended later into a collective security pact, including the Philipnines and perhaps other Far Eastern countries. State Department officials have indicated that they would like to work out half-way security proposals quickly, to remove the possibility of Japanese aggression becoming more of an issue in the forthcoming Australian elections.

FOOD CRISIS IN INDIA

“U.S. FAST LOSING FRIENDS ” LONDON, April 6. The food crisis in India and the growing threat of famine are commented upon to-day by the New Delhi correspondents of “The Times" and the New York “Herald-Tribune.” “On the eve of the Indian Parliamentary debate on Budget grants for the Ministry of Food it is clear that India faces a crisis which, while it is not likely to bring down the Government on April 6, will certainly shake the credit of the Congress Party if mishandled and it may make all the difference to its chances of success at the General Elections next November and December,” says “The Times.” “Politics apart, the crisis spells life or death for some 20,000,000 people in the famine-threatened areas—North Bihar, Central Madras, and certain pockets of Bombay and Rajasthan—in the coming four or five months. “Because the scarcity is so widespread. and because the present rate of food imports into India (about 350,000 tons a month) cannot keep pace with the growing shortage of food grains, the situation is potentially worse than it was in the last great famine year of 1943, when more than 1,000,000 people died in Bengal. To avert disaster India needs to import an extra 1,000,000 tons of food grains between now and July, thus raising her total imports for the current year to nearly 6,000,000 tons.

Offers by Soviet and China “In these grim circumstances, India is anxiously seeking additional supplies from abroad, and two offers recently made by China and the Soviet Union have aroused much interest. Mean-, while the United States is fast losing friends and influence because of the inordinate delay in legislating upon the Administration’s bill for giving 2,000,000 tons of food grains to India. This procrastination has played into the hands of the Communist countries.” The New York “Herald-Tribune” says: “India’s food position is now so desperate that only the desire to avoid a panic has prevented the Government from declaring Madras and Bihar official *famine areas,’ it is now admitted in Government circles. In wide areas of both these States the rationing system has collapsed simply- because there are no grains available to ration. In Bihar, where the present standing crops are 25 per cent, of normal because of a long series of natural disasters, some 7,500,000 people are facing the prospect of starvation in the next three months. In Madras about the same number are affected.

“In times past the institution of public works by the Government has tided the peasants over the crisis seasons by providing extra money with which to buy food. This year it is considered useless to create public projects, since the grain is not available for the villagers to purchase at any price.”

TERRORISM IN MALAYA

SOLDIERS KILLED IN AMBUSH

SINGAPORE, April 9. Six Malay soldiers were killed, and • British officer and nine other Malays were wounded yesterday when Communist guerrillas ambushed a heavily armed convoy in Negri Sembilan. An official announcement to-day. in reporting this, added that the terror- • ists lost two killed, one believed killed, and tliree wounded. The patrol, travelling in a fourvehicle convoy, was ambushed when rounding an acute road bend. The terrorists were spread over a length of 230 yards with shallow trenches prepared. Two Malays were killed when clambering up an almost vertical bank to get at the terrorists, who were estimated to number 50. The battle lasted for 20 minutes before the guerrillas called off the action. Two members of the security forces were killed and another wounded tn an ambush in the Raub area of Pahang to-day.

FIGHTING IN INDO-CHINA

HANOI, April 9. French troops flown to Indo-China’s northern frontier to fight the Chinese irregulars, who were reported to have invaded the country from Yunan, have advanced to within 25 miles of the border without finding the Chinese. Latest reports pro-French partisans in the area state that the irregulars have occupied a third village inside Indo-China. in addition to the two reported on Sunday. This is Tsinho, 25 miles north of Lai Chau. The other two were Bannamchoon. on the border, and Phong Tho, 50 miles west of Lao-kai. The French Air Force commander •General Andre Hartmann) flew over the area yesterday in search of the

Some French sources think that the irregulars belong to bands which are always active in the area during the opium season, and that they may have returned to China. More than 200 miles to the southwest, French Union counter-guerrilla forces continued mopping-up operations in the Tonking Delta area. Vietminh rebels, firing American bazookas, last night blew up a Vietnamese lookout tower on Hanoi’s north-western defence ring, about 18 miles northwest of the Tonking capital. French aeroplanes strafed and bombed Vietminh concentrations, destroying one Vietminh camp near Phupen, •bout 27 miles north of Hanoi.

ROYAL VISIT TO ROME

AUDIENCE ARRANGED WITH POPE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) ROME, April 11. Princess Elizabeth, dressed entirely in black, and accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will make a controversial visit to Pope Pius XII at the Vatican to-day. AH women received in audience by the Pope must wear black. A special protocol has been prepared or the visit, from the precedent of a Papal audience granted more than 70 years ago to King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.

The security guard around the British Embassy, where the couple will stay as guests of the British Ambassador (Sir Victor Mallet) and Lady Mallet was doubled last night. Earlier a bomb exploded in the courtyard of the Quirinal (Government) Palace.

On arrival, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will go straight to the Quirinal Palace for lunch v r ith the Italian President (Mr Luigi Einaudi) and his wife. They plan to spend much time sightseeing.

The Duke will caotain the Malta Services polo team in a tournament against four Italian sides.

They will also spend a few days visiting the Duke's aunt, the former Queen Helen of Rumania, at Florence.

“FALSE LIFE” OF PRINCESS

Newspaper Calls For

New Advisers

LONDON. April 7. The Sunday newspaper, “Reynolds News” says in a front-page article that Princess Elizabeth’s advisers should be dismissed. “They plan for her a completely false life and should be replaced by people more in touch with the realities of life in Britain in 1951.’’ The article described Princess Elizabeth's visits to Malta as an affront to a nation fighting for its survival. British mothers wondered who it was thought it a good idea for Princess Elizabeth to spend 11 weeks away from her children while she went the social rounds of Malta. The article continued: “Britons, waiting on a Budget demanding of them new sacrifices are not soothed by the news that five pipers were flown from Tripoli to demonstrate Scottish dances and play for the guests at the Malta garrison ball.” The article urged the end of “the notion that Royal princesses, must move only in stultified circles of stuffed shirts. Princess Elizabeth must be allowed to mix with people who wear overalls most of the day, not surrounded by a circle of touchjme-not fawning hangers-on, but face to face with the people whose titular head she will one day become.”

EXECUTIONS IN CHINA

PRIEST’S REPORT OF KILLINGS

HONG KONG, April 6. Chinese Communists in Hengyang, in the Hunan province, are daily shooting political enemies, according to a Belgian Roman Catholic priest who has just been expelled from China. The priest said that he believed that about 200 persons were executed in that city recently.

He added that many Chinese he knew had disappeared and city residents were terrified. A newspaper, the “Hong Kong Standard,” quoting Communist sources, said to-day that 124 Chinese in districts near Canton had been executed in the last four months.

They were accused of being counterrevolutionaries bandits, or racketeers. The pro-Nationalist newspaper, “Hong Kong Times” alleged to-day that the Communist authorities in Canton rounded up 3boo persons in the city during the latter half of March on suspicion of being Nationalist agents.

POPULATION OF BRITAIN

TOTAL MAY BE MORE THAN ESTIMATED

LONDON, April 9. Census officials believe the population of Britain and Northern Ireland may be greater than the estimated 50,000,000 because of the last-minute demand for extra census forms on' Saturday on the eve of Britain's first census since 1931. The population then was nearly 55,000,000. The census takers had a difficult job distributing the forms because many homes were empty during the day with women working to supplement the family income. One official found a caravan colony, the existence of which was previously unknown in the district. Another was told by old people in Bristol, who did not read newspapers or listen to the radio, that they had never heard abput the census.

1956 OLYMPIC GAMES

PROBLEM OF FINANCE MELBOURNE, April 6. Amateur athletes will themselves run the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne if the State Government withdraws its financial support. The Victorian Olympic Council announced this to-day. The Victorian Premier (Mr J. G. McDonald) said to-day that there would be no conference on Tuesday between the Leader of the Opposition (Mr T. T. Hollway), the leader of the Labour Party (Mr J. Cain), and himself. Earlier, it was reported that the three shared the belief that the decision to hold the Games in Melbourne should be reviewed in the light of the building material shortage. and that a conference would be he’d on Tuesday. The chairman of the Australian Olympic Federation (Mr H. Alderson) said in Sydney that the withdrawal of the Victorian Government’s sunport would be a direct repudiation of the promise made to the International Olympic Committee in 1949.

BASIC WAGE IN SYDNEY

SYDNEY, April 9. Officials of the Commonwealth Bureau of Statistics believe that the basic wage may reach £lO a week by the end of the year. The present basic wage in Sydney is £8 13s a week. If the basic wage reaches £lO a week it will cost the Federal Government an extra £18.000,000 a year in wages and materials, and the New South Wales Government about £8.100,000. The quarterly adjustments, one of which will be made next month, are determined by the Arbitration Court after the Commonwealth Statistician has recorded movements in retail prices of about 40 basic foods and in the prices of clothing, fares, rents, fuel, tobacco and amusements.

22 PERSONS DEAD IN CRASH

SAN FRANCISCO, April 7. All 22 occupants of a South-west Airways DC3 plane were killed when it crashed in rugged mountain country north-west of Santa Barbara, California, last night and burst into flames. The airliner was on a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Most of the passengers were servicemen.