DOMINION MINISTERS

Evening Star, Issue 23422, 13 November 1939, Page 4

DOMINION MINISTERS

VISIT TO FRENCH HEADQUARTERS TOUR OF BRITISH ZONE PARIS, November 11. Five dominion Ministers have arrived in Paris, accompanied by Mr. Anthony Eden and by army leaders. They conferred with M. Daladier ami General Gamelin at the latter s headquarters in a famous old chateau. General Gamelin, bending over maps showing tho strength of opposing armies, explained the military situation frankly and lucidly. luo party visited the underground warrobin below headquarters, where work can be carried on despite any attacks. M. Daladier pointed out that the French army was manning tho defences in tlie neighbourhood of towns which wore devasted in the last war, and might be again devasted. M. Daladier said he expected the enemy s attack to come soon. " Mr R. G. Casey, interviewed by tno Australian Associated Press, said ho was deeply impressed by M. Daladier s and General Gamelin’s confidence, calm determination and absence of flamboyance. He was grateful for their appreciation of the dominions part in the war. . The party dined at the British Embassy as the gusts of Sir Ronald Campbell, and met members of the French Cabinet. .. Mr P. Fraser; rosnonding to a speech at lunch, said: “ The youngest democracy sends a message of loyalty, unity, and' willing support. New Zealand stands with everv member of the common front alongside France in the fight against oppression and barbarism. 13 The New Zealand. Australian, Indian. Canadian. ami South African politicians later arrived at General Headquarters preparatory to a tour of the British zone. GERMAN MINE FIELDS DANCER TO NEUTRAL SHIPPING NEW FORM OF WARFARE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. Naval circles here point out that the ''failure of the Germaip U-boats against British merchant shipping—not one British merchantman has been lost this month—and their reluctance to deliver a direct attack in tho face of British anti-submarine measures, the most successful of which is tho Navy’s secret weapon which seeks out and destroys tho unseen submarine and has become the terror of the U-boats and one of the major worries of the German High Command, has led to the adoption by Germany of a new form of warfare against merchant shipping. This has taken the form of the sowing of mines in defiance of the rules of warfare, which state that the position of any mined area on the high seas must be announced. These mines have already claimed many neutral victims. There is, in fact, ample evidence that Germany is failing to observe the rights (of neutral shipping. In the first two months of the war 30 neutral ships were lost, through German action, and while the British anti-submarine measures have made a great decrease in British losses—99.7 per cent, of British convoyed ships have arrived in port safely—neutral losses appear to he on the increase. DISTINGUISHING DOLOURS NEUTRAL CIVIL AIRCRAFT TYPICAL NAZI DISTORTION (British Oflicial Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. 'the Air Ministry announces that approval lias been granted for neutral civil aircraft, which will shortly lly between Britain, Sweden, and Norway, to bo painted orange to distinguish them from military aircraft. The service will be operated by Swedish and Norwegian companies. The proposal to paint the neutral aircraft orange originally came from tho Netherlands. The national Dutch .colours arc red, white, and blue, and it was felt that there was a danger of Netherlands aircraft being mistaken for British or French. The Netherlands request was made through representatives, who were informed that there would be no objection, provided three days’ prior notice was given of the change. Five days later a Nazi broadcast in English from Zeesen declared that, though Germany and Franco had consented to the Netherlands request, Great Britain had refused, because its Government hoped that the similar colouring might produce incidents for . exploiting tho Netherlands into the war. It is obvious that this story was a complete fabrication. WARM TRIBUTE TD POLAND INDIAN COUNCIL’S MESSAGE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. The British Ambassador to - Poland has been asked to convey to tho President of the Polish Republic tho following message of encouragement, which was unanimously passed by the Indian Council of State: “That this House sends to Poland tho unanimous expression of its profound admiration at its heroic struggle against wanton German aggression, and its complete confidence that the undaunted spirit of its people and the unflinching determination of its allies will ultimately lead them to victory.” POLISH PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED BY PRESIDENT PARIS, November 11. A Presidential decree has dissolved tho Polish Parliament, which contained no representatives of the Opposition. A Polish Embassy communique states that Parliament had not expressed the national feeling and had not eon--lilerod the modification of the electoral 1 law.

NEUTRAL SLOG

SIX NATIONS PARTICIPATING ITALY BEHIND AGREEMENT LONDON, November 12. Tho Bucharest correspondent of the Associated Press of America says it is reliably reported that six nations in tho south-east of Europe have agreed to refrain from mutual hostilities and not to press their territorial claims. The correspondent saye that Italy is reported to be actively behind the agreement, which involves Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey. Hungary and Bulgaria are not relinquishing any territorial claims, which are merely held in abeyance.

FLIGHTS OVER BERLIN PILOTS ENCOUNTER " FLYING ONIONS ” (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. Details beyond the terse account given in official reports concerning Royal Air Force flights over Berlin are now revealed. When the first pilot to make a flight returned ho said that he was over the German capital, and came down and chocked his position and found he had made no mistake in his calculations. A searchlight picked him up, but there was no active opposition. The aim-aft crows wore using oxygen, and their special work exposed them to icy blasts. Their hands and feet became numbed, and when they had to come down into the warmer atmosphere below there was a warm reception. The Berlin defence plastered the aircraft with every gun it could bring to bear on them, but the defence organisation must have been badly shaken, for not one shot went home. During the flight over Germany pilots reported the appearance of “ flying onions.” A string of material of tho size and appearance of a string of onions is shot into tho air, where it is left in the presumed course of aircraft with the intention of setting it on fire, SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE RESERVE UNIT FORMED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. The South African Defence Department announces that a reserve unit has been established for recruits over the age of 45. The purpose is to relieve the permanent force units from guard and other duties. ARCHBISHOP OF PRAGUE ROUGHLY HANDLED BY GESTAPO LONDON, November 12. The Paris correspondent of the Associated Press of America says the Czech radio in Paris states that Cardinal Kaspar, Archbishop of Prague, had three ribs broken when the Gestapo broke into his palace and 1 arrested him. EMPIRE UNITY COMPLETE ANSWER TO HITLER (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. Manifestations of unforced co-opera-tion in all parts of the Empire , with tho effort of the Mother' Country is making, give cause for gratification, but not for surprise, in Britain, and affords a complete answer to Hitler’s familiar denunciation of the British Empire as a conspiracy to reduce weaker people to servitude under the name of liberty or protection. In a broad review of war progress in the various parts of tho Empire—in the colonies no less than in the great self-governing dominions —' The Times ’ says: “ The role of the dominions and tho colonies is at present auxiliary rather than primary. This is due not to any subordinate stati&n; but to the geographical accident that places the British Isles in immediate juxtaposition with the evil forces wth which all are at war. If Nazi aggression were to show its sinister head in another continent, no doubt one of the dominions would take the lead in resistance, and Britain would secure rearward positions. Day after day the news is always that the subject peoples of the Empire offer of their own accord their various contributions to assist the ‘ exploiter.’ That this should bo done in their own right and judgment by free nations, without tho aid of Gestapo or Black Guards, must be an outrage upon the very axioms of Nazi philosophy. If Hitler should ever read history of a little earlier dato than 1919, he may some day discover that his conception of the Empire as a collection of enslaved peoples, all fretting to throw off their chains, contains the fallacy that has led other rulers of Germany to their destruction.” ROYAL NAVAL PERSONNEL BIG EXPANSION (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 11. A considerable expansion of the Royal Navy personnel has taken place since tho outbreak of the war. This was partly necessitated by tho commissioning of _ ships in the reserve fleet, for which normally no peacetime complement existed, and the large number of auxiliaries joining her fleet. Prior to rearmament the British Navy personnel was 92,000, but by April, 1940. it is estimated that it will have risen to 131,000, excluding emergency war expansion. It is expected that tho expansion during tho next 12 months will be at least 58,000 men. STOCK MARKETS NERVOUS GILT-EDGED SECURITIES IRREGULAR LONDON, November 10. The stock markets have not maintained tbeir early firmness, owing to increasing nervousness as to the Belgian and Dutch developments. War loan came down to £9L7s (id before making a recovery. Dominion issues, however, did not slum 1 the irregularities of giltedged securities.