ITALIAN SUSPICIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23501, 15 February 1940, Page 11

ITALIAN SUSPICIONS

ALLIED ARMY IN NEAR EAST INCREASING CONCERN j LONDON, February-14, (Received February 15,. at noon.); The Rome correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that the Italians are becom- t ing increasingly concerned over the presence of the Allied Army in th% ' Near East and the possible significance of the arrival of the Anzacs, ‘La Tribuna’ says: “The so-called defensive aims of General Weygand’e Army are not convincing. It is difficult! to see how the lack of balance in .tha Mediterranean thus caused is reconciU able with the agreements with Italy.”* ‘ La Tribuna ’ accuses Britain of desiring to complicate matters and suggests that one of its projects concerns the advisability of seizing Russian oil supplies. DETERMINED BRITAIN STRUGGLE FDR SURVIVAL OF CIVILISATION SPEECH BY MR C. R. ATTLEE {British Official Wireless.)' RUGBY, February 14. (Received February 15, at noon.)’ Speaking in London, Mr C. R. Atfi* lee (Leader of the Opposition) said ha .found neither a spirit of light-hearted adventure nor of the false glamour of glory amongst the British people, but rather a mood of endurance and fixed determination on ’the part of tha people, who felt themselves to be engaged in a struggle for the survival of European civilisation. “If we cannot say trhat civilisation is, we know well what it is not,” he said, “ and tha country which denies all rights to an individual country, which murders its people - for no other reason than that they belong to a particular race, and a country which hates mercy, truth, and freedom is no civilised country.” The present German rulers, he continued, had deliberately chosen to say, “Evil, be thou ray god.” Mr Attlee warned his hearers, against undue optimism, and said that, though all hoped there would he no tremendous slaughter from air attacks, it was necessary ~to be amply prepared. ' Peace must be followed by building a world free from aggression and constraint. Although a difficult time would undoubtedly follow the war, Mr Attlee said, he sa*E no reason for an era of great distress. _ JEWS IN GERMANY FORCED TO MIGRATE Tl POLAND AMSTERDAM, February 14. (Received February 15, at 10.30 a.m’.)] Nine hundred Jews from Stettin have been forced to migrate ’to Poland. Similar deportations from other German, towns are expected, in accordance with the plan to settle all German Jew* beyond the frontiers v of the Reich. ' NATIONAL FINANCES INCOME TAX YIELDS (British Official .Wireless.) RUGBY, February 13. Income tax, which is estimated te yield £390,000,000 for this financial year, has so far produced £281,351,000, and the surtax to date is returnable at' £48,700,000 against the estimate of £70,000,000, ' Last week £40,741,000 was collected in income tax and surtax!,; The total of ordinary revenue to date is £836,396,888, compared : with £743,648,977 at the corresponding date last year. The total of ordinary expenditure amounts to £1,028,032,833, including for supply service £799,984,032. This sum does not, however, take into account issues out of borrowed under the Defence Loans Acts, which' are to amount to £427j162,000 in th# current year. i BELGIUM AND ALLIES NEW TRADE AGREEMENT BRUSSELS, February 14. • After several weeks of negotiation* a new trade agreement with Britain and France has been signed, embrao* ing all textiles, leathers, chemical** and non-ferrous metals. BRITISH CIVIL SERVANTS CAMPAIGN FOR WAGE INCREASE LONDON, February. 14. , . (Received February 15, at 12.30 p.m.)! Civil servants will launch a national campaign to-morrow in an attempt to reverse the Government’s decision tha* the time is. inopportune to increase wages. It is stated that of the total of 1,400.000 Civil servants, about 320,000 earned under £5 weekly. 290.000 under £4, 200,000 under £3, and 85,000 under £2. The rise in the cost of living sine* the outbreak of war is. equivalent to a wages tax o| 12 per cent.