AUSTRALIANS TO GO OVERSEAS

Southland Times, Issue 23988, 1 December 1939, Page 8

AUSTRALIANS TO GO OVERSEAS

PLEASURE EXPRESSED BY MR CHAMBERLAIN FURTHER TRAINING OF FORCE ABROAD (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, November 29. Discussing the decision of the Australian Government to despatch a military force overseas from Australia, the Prime Minister (Mr Neville Chamberlain) said in the House of Commons: “The House will, I am confident, agree when I say how warmly we welcome this further evidence of Australia’s resolution to put forward her full effort in the Common cause.” When asked if the Australian contingent would be fully protected en route, he said: “We can trust the Navy to look after that.” In the Federal House of Representatives the Prime Minister, Mr R. G. Menzies, said that after the second Australian Imperial Force had completed its training in Australia and had gone overseas early next year it would be given further training overseas and by the time the European spring came it would take its place in . the theatre of war.

A British Official Wireless message says that the Australian Minister of Supply, Mr R. G. Casey, who is attending conferences for co-ordination of the Empire’s war effort, has issued the following statement: “I have just received a cablegram from Mr Menzies advising me that the Commonwealth Government has decided that the Special division which has been recruited for service at home in Australia or abroad, as the occasion might arise, will proceed overseas when it has reached a suitable stage of training. It is expected that this will be early in the new year. “After further training overseas, the division should be able to take its place in the theatre of war in the spring. This decision will be welcomed with deep gratification in Australia, as, I feel sure, it will also be by the people of Britain.” Mr J. Curtin, the Leader of the Australian Opposition, moved an amendment in the House of Representatives “that the House is of opinion that Australia’s manpower is required for the defence and the safety of the Commonwealth and is opposed to the despatch of expeditionary forces.” The amendment was defeated by 33 votes to 28, with the voting strictly on party lines. WORK OF CONTRABAND CONTROL 21,500 TONS OF GOODS DETAINED FOR WEEK (British - * Official Wireless) RUGBY, November 29. During the week ended November 25, the British contraband control intercepted and detained approximately 21,500 tons of contraband goods suspected to be destined for Germany. The total included 11,600 tons of petroleum products, 4500 tons of cotton, 2000 tons of copra, 900 tons of fodder, 650 tons of hides and skins, 600 tons of fibres, 430 tons of copper and 250 tons of foodstuffs.

In the first 12 weeks of the war the British contraband control detained a total of nearly 463,000 tons of goods, including more than 100,000 tons of petroleum products.

The weekly statement on the working of the British contraband control shows that during the week ended November 25 the Contraband Committee considered 134 new cases of ships and 5b cases outstanding from the previous week. The combined total included 31 Italian ships, 29 Dutch, 28 Norwegian, 20 British, 15 Greek, 13 Swedish, 13 United States, 13 Danish, eight Belgian and five Finnish, During this period one cargo was wholly seized and 97 cargoes were wholly released, either on first consideration or after inquiries. During the week the system under which advance copies of manifests are received and considered before a ship’s arrival resulted in 31 cases being so dealt with and in 20 cases in the ships concerned being released, subject merely to formal checking of the original manifests on their arrival at the control bases. On November 28 there were 85 neutral ships in three contraband control bases in the United Kingdom, of which 47 have been there for less than a week, NAZI CLAIM DEVOID OF TRUTH ADMIRALTY’S REI J LY TO ALLEGATION (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, November 29. A broadcast yesterday from Germany stated that the British tanker James John Maguire was sunk last week off the English East Coast, but that the Admiralty was still silent about the loss. As already stated in the British Press this tanker, of 10,325, was not sunk but was successfully brought to port for repair. The Admiralty announcement in reply to the German claim to have sunk a 10,000-ton British cruiser was brief. It stated: “The German claim is devoid of truth.”