ALLIED SUPPORT

Evening Star, Issue 23527, 16 March 1940, Page 13

ALLIED SUPPORT

SECRET PLEDGES TO NORWAY MD SWEDEN? INTERESTING REVELATIONS EXPECTED ■ HAMIERLAIN TO RARE STATEMENT Vnm Awoeistioii— By Telegraph— l Copyright LONDON, March 15. Unusual interest is being taken in Mr Chamberlain’s war review in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The * Daily Mail ’ says that Mr Chamberlain will reveal secret pledges given to Sweden and Norway over two ■oaths ago. * Both wore told, the * Daily Mail ’ gji ( they could depend on Allied support if, as a consequence of helping Vialand, they became involved in war with Germany or Russia. Britain and France made it clear that they regarded the integrity of Finland as an iasue pf European Importance, but the Scandinaviancountries did nothing. ALLIES’ AID EFFORTS STATEMENT OF FACTS SECVEL MW PART IF NISTDIV (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 15. (Received March 16, at 10 a.m.) Many confusing accounts are circulating regarding the aid given: by the Allies to Finland. The following information on the development of assistance by Britain- and France is derived from reliable, sources : Britain and France, in common with •ther members of the .League of Nations, undertook, following the Finnish appeal at Geneva, to afford the victim of Soviet aggression whatever material and humanitarian* assistance it was in their power to give. From then until the end of 1939, it is understood, Field-Marshal Mannerheim desired help in. material and not in men. French and British material in' con■derable quantities and on an increasing scale aa each week went by began to leave for Finland, but difficulties of transport were euch that much of it has not even how, resched its destination. It included, however, fighting and bombing aeroplanes. ‘ Later, as the Russian attack; developed, the Finnish Jfrunmandetylet it 0 J» lnj.own that he would need at least 40,000 men. The organisation of assistance in men on ‘this- -scale immediately ■ raised those problems pf transit and their political concomitants which eventually-caused the Finnish Government to decide that - It must ; reach its decision on - the Soviet terms without counting on further aid. ' It had been impossible to despatch troops and equipment in the form of 44 volunteers,” and to the passage of organised bodies of soldiers < Sweden •nd Norway were opposed. The interpretation which they placed on the re-, qnirementa of neutrality were well known to have been decisively influenced by Berlin. The only procedure which might have- afforded • way round these difficulties was a renewed appeal by Finland under the League Covenant and substantial assurances to Bwsdsn and Norway of support if they decided to act upon a wider view of the obligations of Article 11. The v Allies gave Finland the opportunity to put that procedure to the teat, hut the Finnish Government reloctsntly reached the conclusion that even it gave insufficient scope of effectively overcoming the difficulties.- The sequel is now a part of history. AN AHEMGAN NEPORT ALLIED DIFFERENCES IYER AID TI FINLANI LONDON, March 15. A New York message reports that in connection with allegations that the British and French leaders differed over the question of aid by Britain and France to Finland and that o plan was discussed and abandoned on March 6, the Washington 'correspondent of the ‘ New York Times ’ states that the French, according to reports, had one Polwh and one French division ready to. depart for Finland at a moment’s notice. ® It was proposed at a conference in Paris which the British Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain) attended, that Britain should supply a Canadian division, and the French urged that these Hoops, with full equipment, should be odnt to Finland through Sweden, if possible, or otherwise by a British convoy expedition to Northern Finland or Russia in .order to create a diversion. Mr Chamberlain asked for several days to consider the matter. After consultations with London, Mr Chamberlain informed the French that ho was opposed to such direct intervention. Hereupon he agreed to encourage British and French volunteers to aid Finland and also to send additional planes and military supplies to Finland as rapidly as possible. Meanwhile the French continued to hold a division in readiness. Official circles in London view with a certain surprise the passage in the broadcast speech of the Norwegian Foreign Secretary (Professor Koht), ■ la which he declared that the Allies

had only asked Norway whether she was prepared to allow their troops through when the Soviet-Finnish peace talks were already under way. At that time, therefore, the matter had censed to be topical. It is pointed out in London that the Allies’ inquiry concerning transit facilities was made before the Finnish delegation left for Moscow and before there were any indications that Russia’s peace terms would be accepted by Finland. That the matter had ceased to be topical, therefore, is a contention which cannot for one moment be admitted , here. POLES WERE READY PREPARED TO JOIN AILED E.F. PARIS, March 15. The Polish Government announces that a large Polish Expeditionary,Force had assembled somewhere in France for co-operation with Anglo-French troops in aiding Finland. FINNISH TROOPS WITHDRAWAL COMMENCED LONDON, March 14. Three hours ago the withdrawal of the Finnish troops to the new frontier established under the Russian-Finnish agreement was commenced. When the Finns have withdrawn four miles and a-half the Russians will commence their advance, and one of the first places they will occupy will be Viipuri. On the eastern end of the Mannerheim Line the Finns will be required to withdraw as much as 65 miles.-

EVACUATION OF CIVILIANS

SOVIET FIRMED OCCUPY VIIPURI HELSINKI, March 15. (Received March 16 at 9.15 a.m.) The Soviet forces occupied Viipuri, from which civilians under, the leadership of town councillors have been three days, moving furniture from homes and supplies from shops, leaving only a shell-scarred, empty city. It is estimated that 15,000 cattle, horses, and pigs have been evacuated from the area west of Lake Ladoga. Villagers, as far as possible, are being kept together and evacuated-from one village to another across the new border. J A column of lorries a mile long is transporting 8,000 people and their possessions from Hanko into the interior of Finland. Evacuation proceeded all last night. RUSSIA'S LOST SYMPATHY LABOUR LEADER'S VIEWS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 15. (Received March 16, at 11.55 a.m.) Mr Herbert Morrison, Labour member. in a speech in London, said: “ While the Soviet enjoys the congratulations of Nazi Germany it has lost the sympathy of plogressive-minded men and women throughout the world. The Soviet Government will be wise to reconsider the drift of its policy,” Mr Morrison said Sweden and Norway carried the share of responsibilities for the peace "which had been forced on Finland, for “ they would not sufficiently dare in the cause of their neighbour’s freedom.” Their own security had been thereby weakened and moral prestige lowered. ‘‘The sooner neutrals learn that their own future as well as ours is bound up with the result of this war the better,” he said. He made a plea for greater liveliness in the conduct of the war. “ Nazi Germany in its rules of war is acting as a perfect blackguard. We are acting .as a perfect gentleman.. It is a matter for consideration whether in the circumstances to-day perfect gentlemanliness can win victory,” he concluded. RAILWAY EQUIPMENT MIMIBTRY DF SUPPLY PLACES ORDERS LONDON, March 15. (Received March 16, at 2 a.m.) The Ministry of Supply has placed orders to the value of £10,000,000 for locomotives, goods wagons, permanent v/ay equipment, etc. required by the British Expeditionary Force in France. The Ministry is responsible for such equipment.

IMMEHSE COMMITMENTS

SUPPLY MINISTRY'S ACTIVITIES GREATER PRODUCTION STILL POSSIBLE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 15. (Received March 16, at noon.) The Opposition raised questions dealing with the Supply Ministry in the debate on the Vote of Credit in the House of Commons to-day. Mr E. L. Burgin spoke of the magnitude of the work. The commitments since last September had already exceeded £500,000,000, while at present the commitment for munitions and stores alone reached something like £16,000,000 a week. Mr Burgin said that, speaking as the head of the greatest business organisations in the country, ho could assure the House with absolute sincerity that he had not seen a single case in which a specific allegation had been made that a servant of the Crown had been bribed in connection with Government work. He felt that the House possibly did not realise the immense amount. bought by the Ministry ,on behalf of other departments. There was far, more co-operation between' the services than was generally thought. Jhe requirements of all the fighting services in respect to every controlled commodity were made known to the central priority organisation of the Supply Ministry by the different fighting services.

Mr Burgin made it plan that the war effort at present was far from reaching anything like its highest point when he said that there had not been sufficient time yet since the outbreak of war for the new factories which had been planned or completed to have come to full production. Mr Burgin said there was no lack of wool entering the country, although it .would be necessary to restrict the supply of wool for home consumption. BRITAIN’S MAN POWER TWO MORE AGE GROUPS TO REGISTER (British Official Wireless.)’ x RUGBY, March 16. (Received March 16, at 11.47 a.m.) The Minister of Labour announces that two further dates have now been fixed for registration of men under the National Service Armed Forces Act, 1939. The first is April 6, for men reaching the age of 20 between March 10 and April 6, 1940, and men who have reached the age of 25 during 1939. The second date is April 27, for men reaching- the age of 20 between April 7 and April 27, 1940, and men who have reached thei age of 26 during 1939. So far as at present foreseen, it is not anticipated that’ the 1912 class—men who have reached the age of 27 during 1939—wi1l be called upon to register before June.

It is anticipated that each of the two age groups comprising men of 25, and 26, which will be required to register during April, will produce some 300,000 men. Owing to the fact that 25 is the minimum age limit for a number of trades placed on the list of reserved occupations, it is evident that the percentage of reserved men in this group will be much higher than hitherto. Some 1,250,000 men have been registered between last June and March 9. AMERICAN MUNITIONS EXTENSION OF PLANTS ALLIED LOANS TO COMPANIES WASHINGTON, March 15. It is authoritatively stated that the Allied purchasing mission intends spending over 100,000,000 dollars in the United States for munitions and for the expanding of munitions plants. In addition to the 1,427,000-dollar loan to the Atlas Powder Company to enable the construction of a T.N.T. plant, the French are negotiating for the construction of a 25,000,000-dollar powder factory. United States officials welcome the expansion because the United States’ munitions producing capacity has declined" since the war. BRITISH WAR LOAN AVALANCHE OF APPLICATIONS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 15.' (Received March 16, at 10 a.m.) The ‘ Financial News ’ says: “The avalanche of applications which descended on banks and stockbrokers’ offices this week leaves no doubt that the response to the £300,000,000 war loan has come well up to expectations, though there, has not been time yet for the actual result to be announced.” COST OF LIVING i COMPARISONS WITH 1914 (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 15. (Received March 16, at noon.) The Labour Ministry announces that on March 1, the official cost of living index figure was 79 per cent, above the level of July, 1914, compared with 77 per cent, on February 1. The index figure for food was the same, namely, 61 per cent, above the level of July, 1914, but there were increases during the month in the prices of clothing and coal.