NAURU SHELLED

Evening Star, Issue 23770, 28 December 1940, Page 9

NAURU SHELLED

ELUSIVE RAIDER AGAIN ATTACKED UMBER JAPANESE FLAG BUILDINGS AND PLANT DAMAGED MLLBDUBNK, December 27. The Prime Minister, Mr R. G. Menzies, has announced that an enemy raider heavily shelled the island of Nauru shortly after daybreak to-day. Buildings and plant were severely damaged, but there were no casualties. The raider attacked under a Japanese name and was flying the Japanese colours. Mr Menzies added that -Nauru is entirely undefended against such an attack and must be so under the terms of tho League of Nations mandate, by which it is administered. “ This fact is well known to the enemy,” -Mr Menzies said, “ and in itself removes any justification whatsoever for this action. Tho crime is aggravated by the fact that he used neutral colours —those of a country with whom we arc at peace.” A message from Sydney says the Government has asked for a report from tho Japanese Government on tho shelling of the island. [An attack was recently made on seven British ships which had concentrated near tho island of Nauru owing to stress of weather, and it was later announced by tho Australian Naval Board that five of those vessels must now bo presumed to have fallen victims to the raider. Included in the equipment which has been installed on the island by the British Phosphate Commission is a great cantilever wharf which cost about £200,000. Tho phosphate is carried out to the end of the cantilever by an endless chain of buckets, and is tipped automatically into tlie hold of the vessel moored below. The destruction of this wharf would, no doubt, ho the object of the bombardment to which Mr Menzies referred.] MINISTERS DEDUCTIONS SUPPLY SHIP NOT VERY FAR AWAY SYDNEY, December 28. (ILecoived December 28, at 10.25 a.m.) Tho Minister of the Navy, supplementing Mr Menzics’s announcement, emphasised that it was typical of tho enemy raider that she never approached British merchant shipping under her own colours, but always under the colours of a neutral or friendly Power. It was also apparent that her supply ship was not very far away, and it could further be presumed that the raider was getting her supplies from one of the many isles of the Pacific, whose watchful eye was ‘‘conveniently turned the other way.” IRREPARABLE DAMAGE SHELLED AT POINT BLANK RANGE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF GERMAN DUPLICITY

MELBOURNE, December 28. (Received December 28, at noon.) The sea raider which shelled Nauru is believed to have done nearly £1,000,000 worth of damage to the Phosphate Commission’s plant and buildings. The raider sailed in and at point blank range hurled shells into the , plant, which is concentrated on the foreshore. The general manager of the Phosphate Commission, Mr A. H. Gaze, said the damage done would probably be irreparable. The buildings and plant were valued at £2,000,000. He believes that the raider’s purpose was to destroy the huge cantilever loader, powerhouse, administrative buildings, wireless station, and any ships loading at the island. It is not yet ' known how far the enemy succeeded in his purpose. The Prime Minister, Mr Menzics, said the public could rest assured that the Navy was doing everything to destroy the enemy ship. He had communicated the facts of the shelling to the Japanese Government. “In this latest manifestation of German methods of w,aging war the peoples of the world have yet another example of German duplicity and lack of regard for any common decencies which exist among civilised nations,” ho said. “ Among such nations this action will only deepen, if that is possible, the disgust with which Nazi Germany is regarded.” REACTION IN JAPAN

NO OFFICIAL INFORMATION " SERIOUS MATTER IF fiEPORT SUBSTANTIATED " TOKIO, December 27. (Received December 28, at 11 a.m.) ■ Navy and other official sources have no information regarding the raider which shelled Nauru, but said it would bo regarded as a serious matter if the report were substantiated. USING JAPANESE COLOURS ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 11 a.m.) Observers in London, noting that the Nazi forces have now added an attack on the undefended island of Nauru to their record of attacks on unarmed ships and open towns, wonder if the

AIR RAIDS ON BRITAIN SOUTH-EAST TOWN BOMBED FEW CASUALTIES RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 10.55 a.m.) It is officially stated that an enemy aircraft dropped bombs this morning on a town in south-east England, causing some damage and a few minor casualties. LONDON'S RESPITE ENDED LONDON, December 27. (Received December 28, at noon.) Sirens sounded in London to-night after a spell of 89h ISmin—a record since the blitz started. KO CONFIRMATION

GERMAN TROOP MOVEMENTS RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 10 a.m.) There is no confirmation of any kind in London of the report that transport has been requisitioned for carrying a large number of German troops—variously stated between 300,000 and 350,000—across Hungary to Rumania. Equally without confirmation in London is the report that there is considerable German troop movement over the Brenner Pass into Italy. R.A.F. BOMBERS HO RAIDS ON BOXING DAY LONDON, December 27. (Received December 28, at 10.25 a.m.) It is authoritatively announced that the R.A.F. carried out no operations over Europe on the whole of December 26. It is learned that a small number of R.A.F. bombers carried out a raid on enemy-occupied territory in the early hours of to-day, BDMBER VANQUISHES FIGHTERS

BLENHEIM'S DECISIVE VICTORY (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 11 a.m.) A story made public by the Air Ministry News Service describes how a running light just above the sea to-day between a Bleiihoim bomber of the Coastal Command and two Messerschmitt 109’s, ended with one of the German aircraft banking into the sea off the French coast and breaking up and the other, severely damaged, making for home. ENEMY AERODROMES RAIDED

ATTACK ON SUBMARINE BASE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 10.55 a.m.) An Air Ministry communique states: Aircraft of the Coastal Command yesterday attacked several aerodromes in Brittany and shipping at Le Treport. A small force of bombers last night attacked, the aerodrome at Bordeaux. One of our planes is missing. Coastal Command aircraft to-day bombed the submarine base at Loricnt and aerodromes in Brittany. An enemy lighter ivas shot down into the sea off the French Coast. All our planes returned from to-day’s raids. HOMES FOR EVACUEES

CHURCH LEADERS’ APPEAL LONDON, December 27. (Received December 28, at 10.30 a.m.) The Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Hinsley, and the Rev. Walter Armstrong (Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council) jointly appeal for more country homes for evacuees and admit that the many responses suggest that more homes are available. “ This is clearly a matter in which Christmas may be expected to give a lead and help wholeheartedly in a Christian duty.” EVACUATED CHILDREN CHRISTMAS IN SOUTH AFRICA (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 27. (Received December 28, at 11.17 a.m.) A message received to-day by the Children’s Overseas Reception Board in London states that children officially evacuated to South Africa are enjoying a sunny holiday, and that Father Christmas is very active.

choice by the German raider of Japanese colours, under which it masqueraded in this attack, may have been prompted by the rather crude idea of creating an incident involving Japan.

MR ROOSEVELT’S PLAN ARMAMENTS FDR BRITAIN NATIONAL LEADERS EXPRESS APPROVAL Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright WASHINGTON, December 26. Over 150 prominent people havo jointly telegraphed complete approval of Mr Roosevelt’s plan to lend or lease armaments to Britain, and have asked Mr Roosevelt to inform the nation “ clearly and boldly of the possibilities of an English failure and the consequences for us, our children, and our children’s children should Britain fail* We ask you to make it a settled policy, of the United State to do everything necessary to ensure the defeat of the Axis, and thus encourage here and everywhere resistance to the plausible but fatal arguments for appeasement. “ We also ask you to tell us what we believe to be the truth, that the war materials and military and naval strength we now have, and the implements we are able to produce will be enough to make an Axis defeat certain while Britain is on her feet fighting, but that with Britain down they would not "be enough, and may not in the future be increased enough to hold the whole world at bay.” The signatories comprised editors, lawyers, authors, actors, educational, religious, and Labour leaders. FOREIGN SHIPS IN PORTS QUESTION OF SEIZURE UNDER CONSIDERATION WASHINGTON, December 26. The Washington correspondent of the ‘ New York Times ’ says official sources said that the possible seizure of foreign ships in American ports, including Danish, Nazi, and Italian vessels, has cleared the legal, and financial hurdles. Only a policy statement by President Roosevelt and the State Department is necessary. Whether President Roosevelt will announce the decision by radio is a matter of conjecture, but informed quarters are of the opinion that a-policy decision has been delayed. Senator A. H. Vandcnberg, predicting an ultimate negotiated peace, urged America to address inquiries to all concerned, “ which would be particularly effective if the obvious price of refusal was just a realistic formula of our own powerfully-enlarged activity.” Senator Rush' Holt, in a broadcast* asked President Roosevelt to bring Britain and Germany to the peaca table. “ You may call this appeasement, but I calll it coffimon sense,” ha said. STRUGGLE TO THE DEATH. President Roosevelt, in a message to the International Student Service Conference at New Brunswick, declared; “ The prolonged conflict between two ideologies of life is becoming a struggle to the death between power and'might* on the .one hand and the freedom of man on the other. The outcome cannot be doubted if youth put their minds and hearts to the task. Victory calls for every bit of courage and self-sacrifice this generation possesses.” WAR ON SHIPPING

BRITAIN FACING DIRE CONSEQUENCES WASHINGTON, December 27. (Received December 28, at 11 a.m.)] President Roosevelt told a Press conference that the proposal of the Committee for Industrial Organisation, designed eventually to produce 500 pursuit planes daily, was being seriously studied. Writing in the ‘ Military Review/' the editor, Captain M. 11. Kammerer, said: “If the British can withstand the air raids until the R.A.F. obtains something resembling parity the Navy, can save the Empire.” He issued a warning that*Britain faces more dire consequences from German submarines and pocket battleships than during the darkest days of 1917. He conceded that the British blockade' was less decisive than in the World War, although veryimportant, but the submarine and pocket battleship campaign in 1941; would be more difficult to combat than submarines in 1917; nevertheless the problem should be capable of solution in 1941. Aerial warfare against Britain was intended to crush morale, but English bravery and doggedness stood up well. MEDIATION TALK. Mr Cordell Hull, asked the possibility of American mediation for a negotiated peace, for which isolationists at present are plugging, replied that he would make no comment for the present. Previously Mr Roosevelt replied to a similarly identical question. It is anticipated that President Roosevelt may answer this mediation talk during his broadcast on Sunday. RECORD RECOVERY MANCHESTER'S BLITZ RAID SERVICES NEARLY NORMAL LONDON, December 27. (Received December 28, at 8 a.m.) Manchester is establisihng a record for recovery from the blitz raid last Sunday. The streets have almost been cleared of glass and debris, the essential services are nearly normal, and food supplies are adequate. A mass funeral of the victims is being held on December 28,