PEACEFUL ERA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23617, 29 March 1940, Page 8

PEACEFUL ERA

THE MIDDLE EAST IMPROVED CONDITIONS OPPOSITION TO GERMANY K.v 'lVlcirrnph—Press Association —Copyriprhl (Received March 28, fi.lo p.m.) I)rifi<h Wireless LOXDOX, "March -< In tho course of a broadcast speech this evening, Lord Samuel •Vive some of the impressions lie gathered on !iis recent visit to tlie .Middle Mast, lie described the countries visited as being more at peace now than in peacc-lime. In .ill of them—Turkey. Greece. Egypt, Palestine, Cyprus, Syria. Irak and the Ilejaz—every section of the community was of one mind in the determination that no aggressive totalitarian State should obtain a controlling influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Rulers and ruled alike were against Germany and were anxious not to do anything to hinder the French and British war efforts. Allies' Assembled Armies Speaking of the armies assembled by the Allies in tho Middle East, Lord Samuel described them as British,French. Australian and New Zealand troops in great strength, distributed in great camps from the western frontiers of 15gypt to the Turkish border. They were reaily. by using excellent roads, to meet any eventualities which might occur. The serious political controversies between the Governments of Greece. Cyprus and Britain which for years had existed in Cyprus were now superseded by a definite truce. Lord Samuel found that The chief grievance advanced was the snialhiess ot the number of Cypriot volunteers the British Army would accept. Of Palestine Lord Samuel said that a year ago the whole country was gravely disturbed. There were bomb outrages, assassinations and train wreckings; transport. was almost stopped and the Government could not function at all in most of the country districts. The disturbances grew to the dimensions of a rebellion. Arabs and Jews Working Together Now everything was completely changed in Palestine. There had been no serious outrages for a long time. One could travel freely without danger throughout the country. There were a few outlaws still roaming in the hills, so that night travel on the roads was still prohibited. However, the police were in full control and Government officials were at their posts everywhere. Except in one or two places the Arabs and the Jews were mixing freely—trbev worked side by side in the same employments and they did business together as before. Neighbouring villages were again friendly.

| Although the Avar had helped to I brin? this about, it would be a misI take to think it had been the principal j cause. The disturbances had almost ceased j weeks before the war began, when the Army's very effective measures had pro--5 tected Arab villagers from terrorists, broken up the bands and arrested their leaders. The Government's policy, the London political conference and the | advice of neighbouring .Moslem rulers continued the trend toward tranquility which had been concluded by the outbreak of the war. Opposition to Land Regulations Both the Arabs and the Jews would regard a British defeat and a Nazi victory as a great disaster, and their common trial compelled a truce. Speaking of the recent introduction of restrictions on the sale and purchase of land which bad been announced since he left Palestine, Lord Samuel said: "To this there is vehement opposition. A political controversy lias been stirred up afresh. But it was probable that the opposition will be pressed by constitutional means." Certainly the Jewish population of Palestine, now numbering 500,000 — 70,000 refugees from Germany, a living example of the results of cruel Tsazi persecution—would ho the hist people in the world to embarrass, in however small a degree, the British Empire in its life and death struggle with Hitlerism. Cvprus. and to some extent Palestine, had suffered loss of trade by reason of .shipping being diverted from fruitcarrying to military uses, said Lord Samuel? He said he had seen oranges for sale in Cyprus markets at '24 a penny. Palestine, however, had benefited by a great new refinery being erected at a cost of £5,000,000 to deal with oil pumped by a pipe-line 600 miles across the desert from Irak. Problems Still to be Settled Turning finally to Egypt, Lord Samuel "said high cotton prices were bringing prosperity. lie paid a tribute to the wholehearted way in which the Egyptian Government and the local authorities were co-operating in the military measures of their British ally. It would be well to remember that in all these countries political problems were still unsolved and must he dealt with some day. Particularly was that so in Palestine. It might be that the better atmosphere now prevailing might make a solution easier. To predict was iin possible. but they might at least allow themselves to hope that it, would prove to be so.

DEFENCES OF GREECE LINE OF FORTIFICATIONS (Received March 28, 5.35 p.m.) ATHENS, March 27 The newspapers reveal for the first time that Greece since lO.'jfj has built an elaborate system of fortifications known as the Metaxas Line. It includes MOOO defence works, gun emplacements and machine-gun nests. Before 19.56 Greece had only four anti-aircraft guns, but sho now has 200.