NOTES on the WAR NEWS Contraband By Mail

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 19 March 1940, Page 9

NOTES on the WAR NEWS Contraband By Mail

“GRUSS AND KUSS” PARCELS Early hi February, when the question of Britain’s right to examine certain classes of mail destined for Europe was raised by the United States, it was stated iu New York that one American packing firm was sending foodstuffs to Germany by mail at the rate of 3,000,000 dollars worth a year. The head of tills firm, Mr. It. T. Kesseuieier, admitted that orders were accepted both from Germany and from German sympathizers iu the United States and elsewhere. Fuller details of this system to hand in the most recent mail, show that its ramifications arc wide. Indeed the operations of the Fortra Corporation (Mr. Kessemeir s firm) appear to be on a scale which alone justifies anti-contraband action by the Allies. The idea of using the mails for the transport of food to Germany was exploited with some success in the Great War. It was found in those years that who rears the Allied blockade cheeked food cargoes, mailed packages—small, but in great numbers —had a better chance of reaching their destination. Enormous Cost

The disadvantage of the system, then as now, is on the score of expense. The cost of sending a ton of food by mail in packages of up to I.olb. is comparatively enormous, specially so because the agencies and firms undertaking the work charge fancy prices for both the goods and the service. The packages are popularly known in the German colonies of neutral countries as “Gruss and Kuss” (Greetings and Kisses) parcels. The work of forwarding, or attempting to forward, them is undertaken by scores of erstwhile German travel agencies as well as private firms. Each Ptrkete, or parcel, is not, of course, addressed direct to Germany. It goes to a European neutral state bordering the Reich and is supposed to be readdressed on. The most popular Pakete contains sausage, chocolate, coffee aud soap—the mast scarce items in German households today. Butter, cheese, condensed milk and lard are also much sought after.

Tlie cost of sending eight pounds of butter from the United States to Germany in December was about £l/10/- (including the price of the butter). A Pakete containing two pounds of cheese, two pounds of condensed milk, one pound of lard, half a pound of coffee and half a pound of cocoa costs approximately £l/5/-.

Before the Allies began to clamp down on the mails—in the first three ■mouths of the war—the Fortra Corporation had dispatched to Germany, via neutral States, 30,000 food packages. Assuming Uie average package to be eight pounds, this comes to something like 35 tons a month from one firm—a leakage well worth plugging. Of 25,000 packages examined by Brittish contraband control officers, 17,000 were found to contain supplies of the “Gruss and Kuss” sort, as well as cash in Argentine pesos, Swedish kroner and many other currencies. The object of sending money to Germany is to increase her store of foreign exchange. A Nazi citizen receiving privately a few pesos has no difficulty in having them exchanged by his bank for marks. Bombs On Scapa Flow

To judge from the description of Saturday’s enemy air raid on Scapa Flow and the north-west area of the Orkney Islands, most of the bombs dropped on land were Well clear of their objectives. Reference to the map on page 5 will show that the Scapa Flow fleet anchorage lies to the east of the district attacked.

In the Great War the majority of the vessels in Scapa Flow lay to the south-east of the island of Hoy, and no doubt these anchorages are again being used by whatever ships are stationed there.

The village of Stenness, in or near which the civilian casualties occurred, is some little distance south of Loch Stenness, famous for antiquarian relics, similar to Stonehenge. The “Standing Stones of Stenness” are believed to have been erected by the early Celtic inhabitants of the group and used for sacrificial purposes. Iron Guard In Rumania

The pro-German, anti-Semitic All-for-tlie-Fatherland party in Rumania, known as the Iron Guard, members of which have been pardoned conditional on them announcing their allegiance to King Carol, was banned in 1938, following a wave of terrorism. M. Codreanu, leader of the party, and many of his supporters, were imprisoned after the revelation of a “coup d’etat.” Later he and 13 other leaders were shot when attempting to escape.

Shortly after the outbreak of war, members of the party assassinated the Prime Minister, M. Armand Calinescu, near Bucharest, in another attempt to overthrow the regime. They drove to the Bucharest wireless station, forced their way into the studio and announced what had happened, but were overpowered, arrested and publicly executed. It was subsequently announced in Bucharest that 292 members of the Iron Guard had been shot for their association with the outlawed organization. Futher efforts were made by the German Propaganda Ministry to create the impression that the murder of M. Calinescu was done at the instigation of Great Britain. If Hitler Wins . . .

Cabled references to a new Nazi peace offensive lend particular interest to reports current in London a month ago that Hitler and his Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop. bad drawn up a sevenpoint peace treaty to be presented iu the event of Germany winning the war. How the document came into British hands has not been disclosed, but the diplomatic correspondent of tlie “Sunday Chronicle” vouches for it. The terms are:— 1. All British and French territories in Africa to be surrendered to Germany. 2. France to surrender to Germany the whole of Alsace and Lorraine. 3. Britain and France to pay to Germany a war indemnity, in gold, sufficiently large to “rehabilitate the financial position of the Reich.” 4. Britain to enter into commercial treaties giving Germany preferential treatment for her goods in all parts of the British Empire, including the Dominions and India. 5. Special financial and economic concessions to be granted by Britain and France so as to establish German political and economic leadership in Europe. 6. British world leadership to be brought to an end. 7. France to be compelled to sign a treaty allying herself with Germany for a period of twenty-five years.