LOSSES AT SEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23542, 30 December 1939, Page 7

LOSSES AT SEA

CLAIM BY BERLIN REFUTATION IN LONDON AUTHORITATIVE FIGURES By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received December 20, 5.17 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 28 It is officially stated in Berlin that losses of enemy and neutral merchant ships in the war total 279 vessels, aggregating 1,030,000 tons, and that Germany has lost 18 ships, totalling 120,000 tons, of which only one was sunk by the enemy. "After the sinking of the Admiral Graf Spee numerous contributions toward the cost of building another such ship were received by the High Command from at home and abroad," states the communique. In reply to the Berlin claims it is authoritatively stated in London that sinkings of ships up to December 27 were:—British, 111 ships, totalling 422,000 tons; French, 12 ships, 56,000' tons; Polish, one ship, of 14,000 tons; neutral countries, 81 ships, totalling 252,000 tons; German, 23 ships, totalling 139,000 tons. Also, 20 German ships, totalling 89,000 tons, have been captured. NEUTRALS' REFUSAL CARRY GERMAN EXPORTS APPLICATIONS TO BRITAIN (Received December 20, 5.17 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 2S The Ministry of Economic Warfare stated to-day that neutral shipowners were refusing to carry German goods and attempts by Nazi exporters to induce them to run the British blockade had failed. Neutral shipowners were first asking Britain whether she would allow cargoes to pass. Many applications were refused, and the applicant in each case declined to load German goods. No German exports have yet been seized. The Ministry of Economic Warfare announces that 48 neutral ships were detained on December 26. The cargoes of 152 ships were examined last week. No entire cargo was seized, and 89 cargoes were released. SWISS DEFENCES ANOTHER ARMY CORrS FORMATION ORDERED BLIND MEN AS LISTENERS (Received December 29, 5.5 p.m.) BJSRNE, Dec. 28 The Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Army, Colonel Guisan, has ordered the creation of a fourth Army Corps between 80,000 and 100,000 strong. The object is to build up the defences before the spring thaw. Thousands of men hitherto exempted are being again examined for service. Blind men are being incorporated as anti-aircraft listeners. The Swiss General Staff, unanimously supported by the Newspaper Publishers' Committee, has banned the leading pro-Nazi daily paper Neue Basle Zeitung and the Communist journal Freiheit. INDIA'S CO-OPERATION VARIOUS BODIES APPROVE ALLAHABAD, Dec. !28 An All-India Conference of Indian Christians passed a resolution appealing for full and unconditional support for the war effort. The All-India Hindu Mabasabha, which is avowedly militantly communal, is to consider the draft of a resolution to-day declaring that there is ample room for wholehearted cooperation between England and India in fighting the war. DEFENCE MEASURES IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN CALCUTTA, Dec. 28 Reports from Peshawar state that Afghanistan is mobilising troops for defence against Russia, and Iran (Persia) is concentrating troops on the Russian frontier.