WAR MAY ENTER ACUTE PHASE

Southland Times, Issue 24027, 18 January 1940, Page 7

WAR MAY ENTER ACUTE PHASE

ALLIES PREPARED FOR EFFORT

MR CHAMBERLAIN’S

REVIEW

(British Official Wireless)

(Received January 17, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, January 16. “We in this country, hope, as do the people of every nation, that the just and lasting peace we are seeking will not be long delayed,” said the Prime Minister (Mr Neville Chamberlain) in his review of the war in the House of Commons. “On the other hand, it may well be that the war is about to enter upon a more acute phase. If that should prove to be the case we are ready for it, and in common with our Allies we will spare no effort and no sacrifice that will be necessary to secure the victory on which we are determined.” Mr Chamberlain referred to the heroic and successful resistance of Finland, and stated that arrangements had been made for the supply of certain war materials from Britain, adding: “I can assure the House that the amounts involved arc substantial.”

The situation in the Far East continued to be dominated by the SinoJapanese hostilities, said the Prime Minister, and there was no warrant for optimism regarding an early settlement. However, the British Government had welcomed the recent action by the Japanese Government in the direction of relaxing some of the restrictions which from time to time had caused difficulty and tension. The Prime Minister said that he hoped the Mediterranean area would long continue to be spared the suffering and horror of war. Ceitain dislocations of the normal life had been, and would remain, inevitable, but it was the British aim, while pursuing the war with all determination, to avoid as far as was consistent with that object injury to the interests of neutral Powers. ALLIED CO-OPERATION Speaking of Franco-British co-opera-tion, Mr Chamberlain said that in the field of supply the closest co-operation existed between the departments concerned in this country and those of France. As a result of the financial agreement unity of action by the two countries had been made complete. “Indeed, it is our hope, as I have stated elsewhere, that the system of collaboration which has been thus evolved may in time bring closer relations in the

economic and financial sphere between the nations of Europe and of the world and so facilitate the work of peaceful reconstruction to which we look forward on the successful termination of the war,” he said. Turning to the several theatres of war, the Prime Minister said that patrolling and artillery fire had continued on the Western Front, and the British troops in their Maginot Line sector had taken their full share of the activities. . .

During the last month air activity had been hampered by short daylight and by fog and snow-covered landing grounds. The British Air Force none the less was continuously in action, and in particular over the whole of the battle area of the North Sea. Every week considerable British foi ces had flown to Heligoland Bight and the approaches to the Baltic in search of any portion of the German fleet as might venture out to sea. Mr Chamberlain paid a tribute to the Dominions’ efforts. He said that special New Zealand and Austialian contingents would shortly take their place where their services were in most immediate demand. The week-end had brought renewed anxiety about German designs on Belgium and Holland. The precautions in these two countries did not denote panic, but were natural and wise when they were confronted on their own borders with a formidable concentration of military power. One must admire the calm and courageous attitude of the governments and peoples, whose situation was so unenviable.