MR CHURCHILL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1942, Page 4

MR CHURCHILL

RECENT VISIT TO CANADA. HAPPY MEETING WITH PRESS CORRESPONDENTS. OTTAWA. December 31. The Rt Hoit Winston Churchill was in high humour as he met Press correspondents in a Government House interview. Donning a Canadian fur cap presented to him by the Ottawa Press gallery, Mr Churchill drily invited the correspondents to come along and with a humorous touch answered a flood of questions ranging over the seven seas. He had high tribute for China. When one saw the quality of the Japanese troops it was a matter for wonder that China had held them off for five years. “We-are going to work hand in glove with Chiang Kai Shek,” Mr Churchill declared, speaking of the Chinese leader as a grand man. He had every reason to believe that the Moscow conversations between M. Stalin and Anthony Eden were most successful. British losses at sea had been reduced in the last six months to about one fifth of what they were in the preceding period. The loss is not now such as to be of decisive danger. Britain felt she could carry on with convoys until she got into the great flow now building in the United States. Questioned whether he thought Canada should adopt overseas conscription Mr Churchill replied that the policies of the Dominions were matters for the Dominions themselves to decide. He warmly praised what Canada had done in the war, declaring that he had the feeling that more had been done this time than last as there was more unity. This applied also to Great Britain. He thought the occupation of St Pierre and Miquelon by the Free French would be settled in a satisfactory way. He was very confident of the result in Libya. The relations between Hitler and Mussolini he described as like an organ grinder having a firm hold of the monkey’s collar. One correspondent was curious as to whether Mr Churchill had made a New Year’s ’resolution. “None,” was the reply, “except to go on doing my best to keep things going in the right direction.”

Subsequently Mr Churchill visited the Uplands Flying Station near Ottawa which was the first service flying training school constructed under the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. There he was welcomed by the Hon C. G. Power, Minister of National Defence for Air, and Wing Commander Macßriend, officer commanding,