HURRIED MEETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24141, 6 December 1941, Page 11

HURRIED MEETING

AUSTRALIAN CABINET SOLDIERS AT DARWIN CHRISTMAS LEAVE CANCELLED (Kecd. 1-J.20 a.m.) MELBOURNE, Dec. 5 A hurriedly-summoned meeting of the Australian War Cabinet to-day made certain important decisions, the details of which have not been announced, regarding the Far Eastern situation. All Ministers have cancelled their other arrangements and will remain in Melbourne for the week-end in close consultation with service chiefs. The Minister of the Army, Mr. Forde, said all Christmas leave for the soldiers at Darwin had been cancelled. Mr. Curtin said later that the War Cabinet had decided to place an order in Britain immediately for the supply of 1,000,000 respirator containers for the use of the civil population in the' event of gas attacks. The Australian Munitions Department would begin immediately to manufacture face-pieces for the containers at the rate of 40,000 a week. , TROOPS IN INDO-CHINA MORE MAY BE DESPATCHED WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 The Tokio correspondent of the United Press says the Japanese newspapers state that it might be necessary to send more troops to Indo-China to assist the French authorities, thereby hinting that Japan's reply to President Roosevelt's inquiry might be that the troops are necessary to preserve law and order in Indo-China and do not constitute a threat to Thailand. It is stated that Thailand's neutrality must' be safeguarded and that Japan must give Thailand as much aid as possible in order to keep her neutral, but she would do better by collaborating in the co-prosperity sphere. MINISTER RECALLED WASHINGTON. Dec. 4 A message from Mexico City states that the Japanese Minister, Mr. Yoshiaki Miura, and part of his staff, have been recalled to Tokio to report. One hundred Japanese families in Mexico have asked the Embassy lor assistance to leave. 40 JAPANESE WARSHIPS (Kecd. 11.20 p.m.) CHUNGKING, Dec. 5 The Chinese army spokesman at Chungking said 40 Japanese Warships, including an aircraft-carrier with 45 aeroplanes on board, were recently seen in Camranh Bay, French Indo-China. ROYAL AIR FORCE WORK MOSCOW RADIO FEATURE LONDON, Dec. 4 The Moscow radio, featuring the work of the R.A.F. wing, said the airmen came from many parts of the British Empire, including the West Indies. There were Scottish, Welsh and Irish fliers. Wing-Commander H. G. Ramsbot-tom-Isherwood, tleader of the R.A.F. wing, in an interview, said: "We are fighting with your squadrons under the command of your generals. I admire the courage of the Russian people." A Russian pilot, referring to the R.A.F. members, said: "They have come here to fight like real soldiers regardless of themselves."