CANADIAN ELECTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23496, 9 February 1940, Page 7

CANADIAN ELECTIONS

CAMPAIGN OPENED ADDRESS BY PRIME MINISTER OTTAWA, February 8. The Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, opened the election campaign with a broadcast address. He declared that the real issues were the maintenance of national unity and the Government’s war policy. He issued a warning against vague suggestions of a national Government, and urged electors to demand particulars of the personnel of any new Administration. On the people’s decision depended not only Canada’s contribution to the war, but the maintenance of integrity and unity as a nation. ' 'Unity bad not come from committing Canada to war before Parliament decided or from pledges to extend the life of Parliament in wartime without reference to the people, nr from a so-called National Government that might enforce conscription or disfranchise many classes of Canadians. Parliament indefinitely extended could easily become a dictatorship.

WAR PLANES FOR SWEDEN ORDER PLACED IN AMERICA NEW YORK, February 8. A Swedish aircraft order has been accepted. It involves 9,000,000 dollars for 144 Vultee Vanguards with a speed of 360 miles an hour. They are attack planes with a wide range. Britain is reported to be negotiating for the purchase of. 100 of these planes. RUSSIAN GOLD SHIPMENT REACHES MEXICO SAN FRANCISCO, February 8. Speculation as to whether Manzanillo, Mexico, is the point of transhipment for American copper destined for Germany via the trans-Siberian railway, was renewed to-day when the Soviet freighter Kim landed 6,600,000 dollars' worth of bar gold. It was announced that she would sail from Manzanillo to-morrow with a load of copper for Vladivostock. Gold was the Kim’s sole cargo. had a secret passage across the Pacific* The gold was consigned to the Chase National Bank, local officers of which, state they knew nothing of the shipment nor what-it is to buy. The Russian Consulate arranged for the guns of a United States coastguard patrol boat to be turned on the gangways, and scores of armed police and coastguardsmen to surround the- pier during the four hours required to transfer the gold to armoured cars. AN ORDINARY TRANSACTION WASHINGTON, February- 8. (Received February 9, at 10.5 a.m.)' Mr Morgenthau told the United Press of America that the Russian gold shipment was an “ ordinary everyday transaction. I understand the gold,!* for the Treasury:” EARLY PAYMENT OF TAXES QUICK RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC (British Official Wireless.) ■< RUGBY, February 7. So large was the response to the Chancellor’s‘request for early payment of taxes that there is now a slackening of the rate at which revenue is coming in. Nevertheless last week the , total ordinary revenue amounted to £47,759,985, and the total expenditure to £32,882,932, compared with £46,799,469 and £18,009,847 respectively iu 1939. Income tax realised £34,763,000, against £32,590,000. In the eight remaining weeks £211,028,721 has to tie collected, so that the weekly average can fall considerably before there is a danger of the estimates not being realised. ir- '