BRUTAL CONDUCT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23780, 7 October 1940, Page 8

BRUTAL CONDUCT

RUMANIAN ARRESTS BRITONS ILL-TREATED THIRD DEGREE EMPLOYED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received October H, S.l •"> p.in.) LONDON, Oct. 5 It is announced that Mr. Percy Clark, president of an engineering firm at Ploesti, who was kidnapped in Bucharest, was released after his home had been searched for documents. Mrs. Tracey, the wife of a Canadian mining engineer in Rumania, who was arrested and subjected to brutal illtreatment in Bucharest last week, has been released from prison. ft is learned that 150 British subjects have left the Rumanian oilfields. Many have been obliged to leave the country. Major Dumitrescue, of the Rumanian Army, has been held for questioning about his relationship with British oil workers, and also in connection with an alleged sabotage plot. Missing Man Located The Rumanian police have advised the British Legation at Bucharest that the missing oil company official, Mr. Alexander Millar, has been located. He is detained at local police headcj 11 a rte rs. British Legation officials, after seeing Mr. Millar, stated that he had been subjected to the third degree. He had been beaten during the 48 hours in which he was held by his kidnappers. The disappearance of Mr. Millar was considered to be connected with unexploited oil deposits, of which ho had the secret details.

It is officially stated in Bucharest that the arrested Britons will be tried in the Bumanian Courte.

Government's Responsibility The Berlin radio stated that the Rumanian Foreign Minister, M. Sturdza, had rejected the British protest against the arrests. The British Legation denied this version of the Minister's communication. Professor Esk, a French journalist, is reported to have been arrested for complicity in a British sabotage plot. A British official wireless message says that while it is recognised that the brutal hooliganism, of which Mr. Millar and Mr. Clark are the latest victims, owes its origin to German elements, indignntion in London is acute, and it is felt that the Rumanian Government cannot escape responsibility for this uncivilised conduct.

TRAINING AIRMEN PROGRESS BY EMPIRE SCHOOLS IN CANADA (.Received October 6, 8.30 p.m.) "British Wireless LONDON", Oct. 5 Of 67 training schools planned in Canada under the Empire air scheme, over 22 are already in operation, well ahead of schedule, and between 2000 and 3000 pupils are training. There are 16 supplementary schools. Of the 88 aerodromes, 60 are new. The schools will be staffed by 40.000 men. In three years the cost will be 607.000,000 Canadian dollars, and the output 2-5.000 pilots and crews a year.

In Australia the intake of recruits to March, 1943, will be 57.000, and there will be training schools when the plan is in full operation. In New Zealand there will be full training for 900 pilots a year, with an initial training of 2000 pilots and crews.

UNUSUAL CRASH GERMAN AIRMAN'S FEAT OWN MACHINE DESTROYED British "Wireless LONDON, Oct. 4 A German bomber has been brought down by its own rear gunner. The incident was described by a squadronleader who was flying a Hurricane over east London at the time. The squadron-leader had just destroyed a Junkers 88, states an Air Ministry bulletin, and was looking round for another German to attack, when he saw a Dornier 17 detached from its formation. The squadronleader went in to attack. "The result was startling," the squadron-leader said. "I got no return fire, but the rear gunner immediately baled out. In so doing he wrapped his parachute round the tail of the aeroplane. This started the Dornier doing steep dives, followed by zooms on to its back.

"After a couple of these, two members of the crew baled out from in front and left the Dornier doing its aerobatics along with the rear gunner. When last seen, the machine was making a vertical dive into a cloud at about 4000 ft.. and probably crashed in or just south of the Thames Estuary." It is reported that one German raider which flew over the Thames Estuary went duck shooting with little success. It dropped JO bombs, all on marshland. The onlv casualty was one wild duck.