HIGHER PAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1942, Page 5

HIGHER PAY

British Civil Defence Workers

LONDON, February 26,

Full-time civil defence workers in Britain are to receive higher pay.

Mr. Herbert Morrison, Home Secretary, announcing this in the House of Commons, said that the rates would start next Tuesday. Men will get 4s a week more and women of 20 years and over will have an increase of ss.

included the escort of nine convoys into Singapore.

He then took occasion to pay a tribxzte to the courageous and able work done against the enemy by the Dutch naval forces. THE CHANNEL ACTION. Regarding the passage of the German warships through the Channel, Mr. Alexander said it would be wrong to make any comment while the secret inquiry was in progress, but "the inference which German statements are designed to convey—that these vessels arrived in Germany scathless —is not true. "Reliable reports have been received that both of the German battle-cruisers received severe damage when on the passage from Brest. Photographs show that one battlecruiser was in dry dock at Kiel, while the other has been located in the dockyard at Wilhelmshaven." Criticism had been, uttered in the House this week of the fact that only six Swordfish attacked the enemy during the recent Channel battle. "I would remind the House," he said, "that this was not the oniy airborne torpedo attack which was launched; there was a much larger number of torpedo bombers of the Coastal Command which had also attacked the enemy. "Since September, 1939," he added, "our comparatively small fleet of submarines has sunk or damaged no less than 326 ships, 64 of which were warships of one kind or another, whilst the Fleet Air Arm has also, since the beginning of the war, carried out 120 attacks on warships arid convoys at sea, 200 attacks on warships and ships in harbour, 260 raids on shore objectives, and 600 air combats. They have shot down or severely damaged 270 aircraft over the sea. They have sunk or seriously damaged 45 enemy warships of all kinds, and 335,000 tons of enemy shipping."

Mr. Alexander concluded by emphasising the vital question of shipping, which was essential to the maintenance of every side of war activity.— 8.0. W.