NO PATCHED UP PACT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21576, 12 February 1940, Page 7

NO PATCHED UP PACT

Fight For World Decency

Air Force Plays Its

Speech By Minister

British Official Wireless

(Rec. February 11. 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, February 10.

Speaking at Bristol on the course of the war, the Secretary of State for War, Sir Kingsley Wood said: “Never in any great conflict in our history has this country been so united, so resolute. We are fighting for all those principles of international order and decency without which the world would be intolerable. We are fighting for real peace, not a patched up pact which would leave Europe once again subject to assault and violation.”

Referring to the inconvenience and sometimes even hardships which the exercise of Britain's sea power and her use of the economic weapon necessarily entailed for neutrals, Sir Kingsley Wood said he sincerely regretted it and we were doing our best to reduce it to a minimum,” but we feel that we are justified in asking those who are affected to remember that we are not

only fighting for our existence as a nation but also for the existence of all those principles without which life would be not worth living," and he urged them to ponder the alternative to these inconveniences—“the whole of Europe suffering the unspeakable horrors which even now are being perpetrated on the unhappy Polish people.” This led the Air Minister to the statement that “there is no possible doubt that conditions in German occupied Poland are simply abominable. They are far worse than in Russian occupied Poland. The German methods in occupied Poland since September have passed through two phases. They tried first to terrorise the population by shooting individuals picked at random from towns. In Konin, for instance, they decided to shoot 35 people and they collected 34 victims and then finding that they were short of one went into a chemist's shop and seized the first person they found. They then realised these methods would not avail them and lead nowhere and they decided to decimate the natural leaders of the national movement—the Polish Government estimates the number already shot at 15,000. Understanding With Soviet Referring to the understanding between Germany and Russia, Sir Kingsley Wood said, though the scale was unknown here, it was certain the understanding would be broken as soon as it suited Germany and that “not even Von Ribbentrop would suggest that Germany has drawn any great advantage either political or material from this uneasy partnership.” The Air Minister then proceeded to contrast the firmness and completeness of Britain’s alliance with France. Turning to the actual theatre of war, Sir Kingsley Wood said: “Between the Thames and north-east Scotland our merchant ships in large numbers move up and down on their peaceful business each day. The German airman emulates his naval confederate in ruthless and murderous attacks on them. He does not discriminate between British or neutral ships. He obviously prefers those vessels which cannot defend themselves.” He particularly deplored the enemy’s machine-gunning and bombing of helpless fishermen. Recalling the fact that only a few years ago the nations of Europe under arrangements condemned all attacks without w .rning on merchantmen as acts of piracy he said “it is astonishing that the German High Command seeks to condone these atrocities and authorise attacks on lightships and the shelling of the men who man them and whose purpose and lives are dedicated to the greater safety of all those who sail the seas.” Patrols Maintained The Air Minister revealed that orders to the value of £6,000,000 covering the production of the latest type of aircraft had been given to the greatly extended group organisation which was established in Canada after the mission to that country in 1938. The British output of aircraft had doubled in a year Sir Kingsley Wood revealed. "During the arctic weather of January the aircraft of the Coastal Command flew nearly 1,000,000 miles. The first half of January provided the most severe flying weather ever known. Yet throughout the bitter spell not a single, day’s halt was called in the vital work of the Coastal Command. Not a single day passed without fighter patrols taking off to guard our shores.” In another passage in his speech in which Sir Kingsley comprehensively reviewed the course of the war he spoke of French and British co-operation in the air. “In staff matters there is the closest contact. We have a comprehensive scheme of pooling information. Problems we study systematically together, and secret equipment is exchanged and new developments shared. And as a practical test of all this on more than one occasion reconnaissance aircraft approaching this country have been pursued and shot down by French fighters." Referring to results in actual combat the Air Minister said “it is not surprising at any rate to us that that part of our air force which has been engaged in pitched battles with th? enemy has shot down many more enemy aircraft than we have lost.”