OUTSTANDING EVENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 255, 28 October 1939, Page 7

OUTSTANDING EVENT

TREATY WITH TURKEY WEEKLY REVIEW OF THE WAR ACTIVITIES OX LAND. SEA AND IX THE AIR [ British Official W .1RUGBY, Oct. 2C. Tn the course of a weekly war re- ' iew in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister. Mr. Neville Chamberlain. said that the outstanding event of the past week in foreign affairs had been the signature of the treaty with Turkey. “The treaty has been received with profound satisfaction throughout the Empire and France and it is a great encouragement to us to know that it has been widely welcomed in many other parts of the world. That i' doubtless because the world sees in it a guarantee for the maintenance of peace in at least one region of the world. “It is purely a defensive instrument threatening no one and designed only to oppose and resist aggression. We are proud to feel that under its provisions. we now share mutual re sponsibilities with the Turkish people for whose patriotism, probity and valour we have long cherished a high regard.” The statement, which ended with observations on Herr Joachim von Ribbentrop’s speech, began with a survey of operations on land and sea and in the air. Mr. Chamberlain said that during the past week there had been no operations of importance on UTe Western Front. Minor adjust ments to positions resulted in the French and German forces being nowon the line of a common frontier. A steady stream of reinforcements and oservps of material for the British Expeditionary Force continued and ’i? defences in the British sector ■ riA being continually strengthened. Action in the Air In the air the aircraft of Ui«* fuhter command had again been in action. Having described success in the defence of convoys the Prime Minister passed to the reconnaissance by the coastal command units which had been almost continuously at work. Among the successes during the week were the detection of mines in the path of convoys which had saved he ships from danger and the sightig of seven U-boats. Of the U-boats s'ghted four were attacked and then \ as good reason to believe that at east one was severely damaged, while mother was destroyed by warships irected to the scene by aircraft. In a tribute to anti-aircraft gunners. Mr. Chamberlain intimated that t was now known in the raids on tosyth and Scapa Flow that they aught down two German bombers ■ 1 there was reason to think that ’ey had caused such damage to h rs as to prevent their reaching iome. I.-Boat Campaign At sea there had been an intensification of the U-boat campaign, but despite one or two strokes of good fortune, the enemy had not been able to maintain the rate of sinking at first achieved. The U-boats had been driven to operate further and further from bases and from points where trade was bound to converge. The destruction of enemy submarines was proceeding at a sufficiently high rate to encourage the belief that in% U-boat menace would eventually be overcome. Members would have that during the last few days the sinking of five British ships* had been announced. One of these shins. ’he Stonegate, was sunk by the German