FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE WAR COMPILED FROM TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION 90. 30th April ....................................................................., 1940 No. ABUSE OF 11 PLUTOCR'.-1.CY". _ The abuse of the vmrd 11plutocro..cy1~ and tho o.chievement::i of 'the demooratic countries w-ere re:f"errcd to in a lee.ding o.rticle in NEAMUL R01IAN'~SC. :,·ritten by Prof'essor Iorga, the editor of the paper, the article, which was printed in a recent issue of this journal, stated: "In the battle of ideas which is being fought out before a vmrld cut loose from all its customary ·v-va:ys of thought, shaken to the bottor;, of its soul, and often prevented by circumstance f'rom expressing its most ordinary sentiments, the term 'plutocracy', fetched fr~m the musty arsenal of 1:arxism, is continually used. and abused. "If' a state is a 'plutocracy' it seems by that very fact. to merit every insult, and its power to resist a 'young' state is derided. The poor young fellow, in corrnnon parlance, must knock dmm the old plutocrat who has before him only the prospect of approaching death, in order, naturally, that his property may be divided, and that the poor :may become, inevitably and at a sin[;;le blow, plutocrats. "Anyone, however, who examines these great whales, fat and well-liking, whieh are the 'plutocracies', must admit that, .so far as human happiness and aaterial prosperity are concerned, life vrithin one of these anathematised 'plutocracies' is not at all bad. 11.And he ,~·ill admit this, too ­ "If J.m.gland, which began in the lovrest depths of pocerty, is rich, then it is due to the genius and. initiative of a group of islanders who succeeded in beooJZling a great people, and to the s;)irit of loyal patriotism in those vmo saw that their country should profit by their labours. "In ::.:'ranee, moreover, the brisk work, admirably organised, of every moment depends for its results upon the r11ost self-sacrificin.Q; eyononw that the world. has ever known. "Others, instead •of criticisin.:?;, should learn, themselves, to be 'pluto­cracies'• RUSSI!~: SOVIBT VD;·J O:B' IT.\LIAN POLICY. A cynical view of Italian policy was contained in TRUD, the Trad.e Union organ, in an article by Dr. Zaporozhtsev, entitled "Italy's Position in the Mediterranean" After tracing the sequence of events in the :rv:editerranean since 1921 , and giving quotations from Italian and. other new::>papers to illustrate the "growth of antagonism" between Italy on the one hand and Great Britain and. France on the other, the article observed..: "France seem::; prepared to pay a larger price than Great Britain for the continued. non-participation of Italy in the war." The article conclud.ed: "Italy's policy is, as usual, one of blackmail, by which she hopes to reap a rich re\1C-rd without resortfng to war. 11 FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE WAR COMPILED FROM TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION No. 90. . ...................2.9.!~...:~P.~~~................., 1940 "Herr von Ribbentrop's attempt to produce eomplaints against Iforway and his avoidance of reference to Denrriark will not make us doze into a lazy secure sleep. " This comment on the German r'oreign J:!.inister's ad.dress to diplomats and journalists in Berlin was made by liY TID, the Social Democratic ne'ivspaper published at Gothenberg, which ad.ded: "Ribbentrop strove to explain and justify Germany's attitude to neutral Scandinavia. -~le are thankful for the German acknowledgment of neutrality in a world permeated by falsehood and treachery. The truth must be emphasised, but this truth largely rests on Svreden' s milltary preparedness vlhioh is our best defence. If Ribbentrop's object is to quieten us it ·will have no effect. 11 Continuing, NY TID declared: "Ribbentrop's statement about documents taken from Brigade officers north of ~:~rondhjem seems entirely false. A whole plan cf operations is not usual]Jr found. among first line troops. It is usually the last thing an enenw gets. It is equally untrue that political and military papers were taken from battalion officers. Perhaps some papers were found but they have not the importance Ribbentrop sugcests." In conclusion this ne>rspaper sJcated.: "Naturally Russia regards Ydth a certain uneasiness Germany's Scandinavian policy." RevieV'dng the results of the Yornegian campaign to date the GOT..;BORGS r:ORGONPOST stated: "There are tv10 definite Allied gains -the German fleet's heavy losses and the increase of the ~llied merchant marine by the acquisition ot Danish and Norwegian ships. f1bile Germany is said to accept her lesses •Jith a certain equanimity, her sea position is radically worsened. The Norwegian aotion is likely to result in complete bankruptcy of the German submarines. The Allies were grateful for the occasion to show their sea povrer. Bngland has never shown more decision and. quickness. It seems the British fleet has not said the last word off Norv.ey 1 s coast." 11 The GOT'.8BORG;.:>:i?O:JT'.!SN stated: .~~ Norwegian 'Who has arrived in Sweden states that the Germans were very surprised at the bombing of Fornebu. The bombing had a considerable effect and. ma.cy planes v:rere destroyed. "There is a continual dispatch of troops to the north and the dead and eying are driven back at night over the Trondhjem road to Oslo. It is clear that the German losses are considerable. Rationing has been sharpened and. plants are replacing tea and coffee. !.;.ll neYfspapers appear vrith German news, but fevf are read and Jchey are losing circulati on. The people prefer the wireless from :C::ngland and Sweden. " The Conservative newspaper SV.c:;ESKA DA.GBL':;.illT declared. yesterday: 11 Ribbentrop•s revelation is not sensational and h<>.s only impressed the Italian Press, but this is because Eussolini instructed. the Italian newspapers to support Germany since the Brenner meeting. Applause of this kind costs neither blood nor gunpowder, nor does it disturb the flourishing Italian shipping, Hhich is due to Hussolini's profitable neutrality." Continuing, this paper stated.: 11It appears tlmt the method of clothing military intervention with rnotives _,fterwards found in documents no longer has the psycholocica.l effect as 1.-vhen used a:fter the violation of Belr;iwn in 191L:.. The Belgian documents were interesting, but the fact of the violation of neutrality Yfa s not altered. In the same Yla.y there cannot be the slightest doubt in Svred.en that the Noruegian Government did its utmost to preserve neutrality. Neutrality must be defended and Denmark' s tr~\,r.:edy shov.;s the danger of not defendin.2: one• s neutrality." · FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE ' WAR COMl'ILED FROM TELEGRAPHIO REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION ..................;oth...Jtpr:ll·······""''"''""' 1940 :?RESS :8.l:t~ORTS TO BLCK UP RD:JBJ.~NTROP' S .!i...LLEGATIONS. N~ efto:r:t has been spared by the Germcm Press to convince its read.ers that Britain invaded Norway before the German action v1as even contemplated. Among the laree headlines used were "Secret Orders Bxpose to the W•rld Bngland's Crime in N0Mey11 -"London War Criminals Pilloried" -"British Troops and Cruiser Glasgovr Already on their way to Stavanger on April 7th" ­"Comprehensive J-s:t;S. Gen:n1;;my• s losses in airplanes and y,-arships are referred to in today• s 'I'OKIO ASAHI SHIMBUN. Thi.s paper vll'.'ites: 11 The total number of aircraft the Germans possessed for the Horwegian campaign, includinr; transport planes and war planes, was about 1 1 000, but in the last fortni&;ht some 200 are reported to have been shot dovvn or dar.m.ged., A twenty per cent loss is not a small fi,s.ure and at this rate even the superior 0-erman air force must be neakened \'Jithin six months or so. It is true the Allied losses cannot be said. to be sr.allcr than the Germans 1 , _ but it happens that Britain and Germany are utterly lUn.oatched at sea, and thus Gerwaey nr..1st d.epend on her aircraft for transportation or battle. This renders the sacrifices greater on Germany ' s part. ': j~ven if German industrial cal;acity is equal to making up the lost aircraft the replace;ilent of airmen carmo·l; be achieved in <.1uch a hurry. 11 Pointine out that Herr Hitler's ~.:ein Kampf prop::i.~;anda maxims obviously govern all German propaganda, and Herr von Hibbentrop1 s statement on Sa.Jcurday fulls T'lithin thn.t category0 the JAPAN ADVJ<;.L"tTI0ER in an ed.itorial article comments; "In fact, it soes further, for it distorts the truth to such an extent that it will impress ~01Jtsj.de Germo.ey. The invasion of Denmark -significantly left unexplained by Ribbentrop -and of No1~1m.y were simpihy acts of German ac;['.,ression comm.itted against neutral states to serve the Reich's military purJ?OSes• and Germans will not be able to explain these invasions away by any speeches or ':.'hi te' paper. 11 Concluding, this paper states: "The so-called German r evelations v1ere brought forth -with all the -Crumpetin.'.\ and dr2.rnatic ~ffect in vrhich ·!;he lTazis revel, but all the shouting i n the world Clo::.; s not convince the peoples of other coun·~ries that ' ihite is black. 'l'he latest ·.'bite Papers seeu on the face of' t i1cm to be pretty black." FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE WAR COMPILED FROM TELEGRAPHIC RE PORTS RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION No$O. .................;oth...Apr-a.1......................, 1940 U. S, J.. : 1.J..,LLD Llll~DIHG:J FEA.TlJRED. Considerable prominence is given in today's Nevr York Press to reports o-r further Allied landings in rTorvro.y, and as regards the military operations the. NEW YORK. TD.'il~S headlines a Stockholm dispatch 11Allies Hold Dombaas Line Against r'ive-\:·ay Fazi .Utack. " In a ·..ashincton dispatch to the j\:_ ;\! YORK IlliR.LU..D-TRIBUNE lviark Sullivan urges the United States public "to think seriously what to do when the Allies' cash is exhausted. " Walter Lippmann, the vrell-knmm columnist, states: "The most serious question is the United States' lack of productive capacity for naval and military needs. The Isolationists advocate n. bisgcr navy nhile the non-Isolationists advocate further credits to the Allies. nut r.1oney itself is not enough vmile the industrial system remains at its present lcm state of productivity. 11 An editorial article in the N:; ~·..· YORK TIL·: S refers to Herr von Ribbentrop's "complirnent to Sweden for a serious interpretation of her neutrality11 and add.a: "This clean bill of health from Hitler's Foreign tiinister cannot bring the hard­ pressed Sv;edes much relief from the terrible anxiety in which the invasion of Norway has placed them. Hitler has sho-vm too many times that his ivord is good only until he takes it back, that his method is that of one victim at a time and that he will butter with praise and. lull into a false sense of securi~r ruiy nation which he has not marked for iminediate assasoination. "'Proof1 of 8Yreden' s wickedness vvill also be forthcoming when and. if the time is ripe for it, and when that time arrives nothing that von Ribbentrop says now vrill count. Incriminating documents will be found. in Stockholm. .I\. con­spiracy .-rill be unearthed and the German propaganda machine vrill go into action on the principle which Hitler himself expounded i n l~ein :campf -the principle that the greater the lie the greater its chance of passing for the truth." Dismissing Herr von Ribberi+.ron•s statement as propaganda, the PROVIDENCE JOURl"fAL wrote: "When Ribbentrop atte~pts to justify Germany's invasion of Nor1vay,, he not only rushes headlong against a wall of demonstrated fact, but shows himself as following Hitler's instructions to lie prodigiously." A similar attitude was adopted by the BOSTON HERALD, which declared: "Yiith incredulity and derision, .Ainericans have read this account. The average Americ~ believes that this is a case of perverted testimony. Gerrna.ny's diffi­ culty is that the norld has no confidence in Hitler." Referring to a report that Norrregian lorry drivers ;ma driven their vehicles loaded with German troops, o-rer a precipice, the PORI'LAND OREGONI.AN stated: "Thi~ was such a feat as the fiorde old Vikings could not but admire. There must have been a tumult of old battle-cries when these Norwegians carne into the great Hall of Odin and the dead heroes. This is an obstacle the Totalitarians have not reckoned in their calculations. Wben we weigh the strength of the Nations one against the other, it wit l be well :bo rer,1ember the three bus drivers of No:.Way who went ber~erk for liberty. It is not all a question of the @ustering of men and mathematics -there is something of the spint in the equa~ion too. 11 In another article this joUrn.al declared: "Sweden's best chance for survival would be to enter the war now, on the side of the Allies. By action now, Sweden could probably save itself and its blood-brother Norway, In a few y;eeks or months, there may be no such chancei' • FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE WAR COMPILED FROM TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION 30th April No. ..................................................................... , 1940 FRANCE: FUEHRER REP.CATS KAJ:s_~R' S ERROR. 90 Herr Hitler has made the same mistake as '.:'ilhelm II in the last war -he has under-estimated the power of the British army. This is the keynote of comment which appeared in LE JOURHilL in a review of the military .situation. This paper '.vrote: · "One of Germany's greatest mistakes -and the Reich is not the only country in Europe to have made this mistake -was to regard the English as a nation of sailors, unable to fight seriously on land~ "i'1'ilhelm II spoke of 'the contemptible little arrny' and it is true that in 1914, this army consisted of only four infantry divisions and one cavalry division, v7hich is obviously very little. But everybody lmows how powerful this army was in 1918 and the fronts it held in France, in the East and Syria, and in l.iesopotamia. "Last year Hitler made the same mistake as ;,7ilhelm II. He thought that England would not intervene, or that she would intervene seriously only on the sea and in the air. British squadrons are certainly making their weight felt and so is the air ann, but England does not intend to stop at that. She intends to have a large anny -a national anny like the French. "However susceptible the Germans ma:r be to lies, the German wireless will soon no longer dare to go on saying that the French are fighting for Great Britain, or that the French are giving their blood and· England is giving her money. Englishmen of 27 -35 are going to be called up. 11 After stating that before the end of the "Jear, Britain will have 3,000,000 men under arms, ill JOURN1\.L continued: "Hitler has forgotten that the English only turned to the sea in the 16th Century and up to then she had an excellent anny. Her archers ·were, i n the I.Ii dclle Ages, the best infantry in Europe. For reasons Y.ihich •ve have no space to develop here, the English ha-ve again become soldiers in the 20th Century. "The Germans -and again let us repeat that they are not alone -have deliberately tried to forget this. They will be made to realise it. For the moment they are still annou...'lcing their scorn for the enemy, and totalitarian education, vvith its ridiculous boasting, has succeeded in perverting their minds on this point. They will realise the truth sooner than they think." TURIowing fi1"e which~ looking back; you m[!.y see -yes, these are the visible signs which enable you to go back to your bv.se and report thn.t you ho.ve achieved the task set you. " .;::;,3_0_L._4....,/._'4_,__0___j.'.-T o. L!. Not to be published before 2 p, m~ t oc1-a~r (Tuesday) April 30 s 191-!.0. -----------------------------------~------------­ Not to be cabled abr>oac1 before 2 Porn. today. --·~·---·-·... -------'"""-...--...--.. ··----..-·---·--------------. §J!,l;;JDCJI TO _f,?.E _DJ~l:lY:.1TII'JLJl.l.J'1.Ru ROHPJ,D CROSS, Hlli.~STEg -2...F.:..Jl.QON_i.·.~. !_I_Q.'"IL£;ill:/.J\:~:~_Jg___A L~!!;'..QJIE ON QE.....'.ttiI~f:J.'IJ?.BIQ.&i CI!l~·'i.:QDR r~__Q.Q!'fil'.lfillli'~.lJ'RI~ ~Q. I wish to acknowledge with pleasur>e the hospitality 0f the .American Gh2i,1ber of Comrnerce in I,onaon. During the tvrenty-f:mr years of y r..1uI' e::istence 9 you luwe established yourselves in the life of the r.1etropolis as one of the main links in .Anglo-.Ai.1erican relations. Anc1 ~vhile doubtless your fellow-countrymen ac10.norrlC":fl.ge the efficient way in which you have discharged your specific ccnn­mercial duty tJ the United St2tes, I hope you will allow me to say that vve for our i)art 9 acknovrlocl[~e the constructive assistance uhich you have e.1:.rn~rs Given in mat te1's of C')rnmon concern. Your actinn in revivin;.£ these periodical I,uncheons is, if I may .venture to e:;::or ess the o:::Jj_nion 9 a useful move, especial1~· in the difficuJ_t circumstances tho.t confront ~r,-.iur> nation and my ovm in time of war. It is a commonplace to say that rel~.=1tions between neutrals and belliger>ents are never easyo 1He must all recognise how difficult it is for the neutral to watch the drarna of war· vrith. t:18 same eyes as the belligerent, ancl. vice versa. Ther•e is an in­evitable cliffer>ence 1 both in the state nf the po~:iu.1ar mino. c.nrl_ in the attitudes ,1f the GDve:cnments concerneL'lG I sh.mlcl lilrn to assuI'e ;1,rnu of our general rec )gnition ,)f the historic reasons guiding .Ar11erictm policy in time of vrar ancl. our understanding nf the J!Ur})OSe and 0f the effect of the Neutr>alit~;· Act passed in N~venfuer. There is ~erhaDs no featur>e on the inter­national horison which is of :.::;re0te1' C'Jncern to -all nations in nnrope than the par>t r1hich the United States designs for herself in an~,. international movement. But as this subject be1on;~s to the clelicate field •;f cl.i];ilo­matic relati~ms, and as I am Minister of Ec('n.)mic War-ifare anr1-n(;t Secretar;y of State for 11,oreign Affairs 1 I vvill ask yol?. to allmi me to pass frorn it~ with my mvn personal assurance that I view ever~r movement of .Ainerican opinion and American lYJlic;lr with a s3m1psthetic understanding. As ;y-;_•u will und ~rstanc1-, the Minister of Ecunomic ;,Jarfnre wields a wea~cn of waro It i s not a blockade in the strict Inter­national Law sense of the term9 but to all intents and purpnses it has the sarn.e effecto And this weapon is ap~1ropriate to an islmid Power at war v.'ith a Continental belligerent. It has figured prominentl:r in the history of all moc1el"n warfare; and there are perti nent passages in America's own .history which illustrat e its power and etl'e0to /In the -2 ­ In the war of 1911.i-v e had the same problem on a vast scale. I will not go back on that history, except to pause for a moraent to remind you that when the pr.oblems of trade i.Yi th the enemy aroused contro­versy between London and ~ashington, we owed the discovery of a solution to the ingenuity of one .of your mvn people -the then .Ar11erican Consul-General in London, Mr. Skinner~ It ·was a suggestion r11ade by him in the course of discussions between the British and Americ2n Gover·nments that resultea. in what-we now call the Navicert system. These navicerts are nou in full operation; but r ecognising that their purpose and effect require constant explana­tion, and that they will continue to throw up new problems, we are about to publish an official description of their opero.tions which, I hope ana. believe, will assist Arnericecn exporters. It has been our intention throughout to combine the maximum restx•iction of the enemyt s trade with the least possible clcirnage to or interference with legitimate neutral tradeo I take the op~ortunity offered by your hospitality to emphasise both :!)l.1rposes o.l1c1 to assure you that we shall do all that can reasonabl~r be c.one to temper the wind of war to the shorn lamb of neutral trade~ But war necessito. tes our mobilising ol.U' economic resources as it also requires that we should mobilise our armed forces. This economic mobilisation must necessarily involve great dislocation of normal trading,, Above all it must mean using our o.ollar resources to the best possible advantage. Thus we sim:_;ly cannot afford man~r of the gooa.s which, in nornw.l times, we import from the United States" Our purchases have to be governed by numerous considerations, many of them at times conflicting. In the first place we have to prepaI'e for a long war. Besides the conservation of dollars for the purpose of vital war necessities which only the United States can provide, we have to think of what the tonnage available to us on different routes can lifto \Ne have to thinl'~ of preventing our enemies from obtaining supplies from sources accessil)le to them; and we have to think of countr•ies whose economic existence was largely dependent on enemy markets., Last but not least we have to think of prospective requirements anc'I of existing stocks which, in many cases, were enough for nany months' normal consumption. In the case of tobacco, for• example 9 it has been our custom to buy in advance enough to last us two yeo.rs or more. \Vhatever advanta::;es this system may have had for both cow1tries in peace-time, it is clearly a practice w·hich we cannot afforc!. to continue in war. Much has been said about our purchases of Ball;:o.n tobacco., It does not seem to be generally realised that they amou..nt to only about 6~,; of our average yearly irrrports from al1 sources during the -:ieriod 1935--1938, The wonder is in these circvinstances thnt our-J_Jurchases of AmericG.n foodstuffs have been maintained at so high a level,, In norii1al years before this war we bought about ;;~20 million v-vo1... th of such products a yea1.... The latest estimate of similar purc~1ases a.uring the first year of the war is about £16 million. Although it is unlilcely that we shall be a·ble to maintain that rate, we feel that it i 's fairly su'bstantial eridence of our desire not to divert trade from its normal channels more than is absolutely necessaryo /We were -3­ We were, and still aPe, con1'icient that the Traa_e Agreement of November 1938 will in time of -!)eace Drove to be of the gi~eatest benefit to both countries, and-not least to the American farming interests whosa prosperity is so vital to the well-being of the United States. The Agreement did, however', expressly provide for deyarture from some of the princi1Jles which it embodies -principles to which both parties attach the highest im-.)ortance: -should such de·oartui-·e become necessary in connectio~ with mwdsures relating t~ neutrality or should either> party have to p;o to war. It is our hope that the mo a su,res which have been forced upon us will not in the long run be to the economic disadvantage of the United States. There is after all no doubt that our total imuorts from the Stat.es will for a long time to come be. very much greater than they have been in r e cent y0ars 9 and I think we are justified in ex:_:)octing .tl.nt the employment anc:. ~·:n•ospe1"i ty thus created in the industries immediately concernecl. wi11 s~1read in turn to the farmers who :?rovide them with food and l"aw materials. Nevertheless, ·we r ccog:n.ise that the control of trade which the exigencies of war com~9el us to cxeI'cise is bounc1 to dist· _.. the trade of the United States and othur neutral countries. It is also bound to cause a good deal of mi sunde:;.... stanc1ing nnd, sometimes, l"athe!l uncharitable inter:~)rctation of our motives. It is im),?Ossible to deal with all these rnisunc1ersto.ndinga, but it may be worth while to mention one or two exam~Jlos. It is not at first sight obvious vrhy v1e should refuse to autr1.orise irrr.;ortations by the British subsic1ia1"ies of American cor9orations which arc ready to accept blocked sterling in payment. The I'caso;.1 is that in the first place vvc do not lilrn blocked sterling, sinc0 the money hac to be transferred into dollm•s sooner or latsr, and incl.irect means arc likely enough to be foUl1.c1 to transfer it sooner rather than later; and we do not ws.nt to encourage imports ·which in :present cil"cm11stances we cannot afford. Secondly, it would be im=:.:iossible to deny to :~m.roly British im9orters facilities which were given to competitors be cause they ha9pened to be subsidiaries of American cor~orations. It has also been said that wo ought to admit goods when the ir:-1~9ortcrs have arranged compensating cxyor'ts. Th0ro is nothing to prevent such a transaction in the ca se of goods which are not subject to impoPt licensing. But 'No certainly cannot affo:i.~d to admit goods which would otho:i....wise be excluded sirn::)ly oecause they o.1"e to be paid for by b arter. If this principle wer e admitted it would be l"a-.)idly extended and tho rosult might well be that this colli1.tl"Y would. 0e-Ul1.o.ble to pay for the additional goods needed for the prosecution ru: the wo..r ffil.d would. be obliged instend to im:?ort unoss ontial goods. Another accusation which has bc0n made against us is that we are using our control of the su:)plius of certain cornmoditics, such as wool to give United Kint:;dom firms some advanto.ge. In tho first place, wo li.ave no n1onoyoly of \Vool. It is true that tho Government bought the Australi::.rn and New Zealand cli-.)s. Much of this wool was necc1od by us and ou:c All i es f or making Uniforms and for other j)U:i.."pos0s dil"octly connoctccl rvith the j_Jrosecution of the war; but largo q_uanti ties -vverc offcr-e;d f01.~ sa le to other countries. The price is b a sed u9on the cos t of the wool to His Majosty's Government and it is fixocl. so o.s to 'Jl o.ce manuf8.cturers in this country as nearly as possible on a po.rity with manufacturers in the United States. Thero is no question of civin.z tho homo manufacturer an ad.vantage. So/ -4­ So nmch for misunderstandings. I cannot hope to dispose of all of them, but when tho reasons for our actions are not immediately apparent I would ask you to recall the words used by the Prime Minister .on restrictions on our trade with the United States:­ "But do not let anyone suppose that we want to use the measures that we have talrnn for any other purpose than the prosecution of the war, or· that we are indifferent to tho losses which tho neutrals thereby sustain". Let it be remembered also that it is not only upon neutral suppliers that haJ'dship falls. From Canada we have been obliged to restrict our purchases of many less essential commodi­ties, and the reason is tho same as in the case of the United states. May I add a word about ourselves? I would ask you to remember tho.t, whatever hardship we may inflict upon others, it is upon ourselves that the restriction and diversion of trade fall most heavily. Does anyone suppose that vie like being deprived of our luxuries and going without many things which we have come to regard almost as necessities and for which in normal times this country has provided such n largo and lucrative market? Last week's Budget, coming on the top of drastic import reRtrictions, must mean tho.t the consumption of such articles in every household in the country is going to be cut. We feel, then, that we are entitled to ask for a continuance of the p~tience and understanding shown by those who sym:i:.io.thise with our cause, even though they may suffer from our enforced self-denial. The points with which I have been dealing do not directly concern tho Ministry of Economic Warfare. I should like, if I may, to say something about aspects of the work of m,y Ministry which affect , American interests. You will remember that nt one time there were a good deal of complaints about delays to ships. Happily this is now largely a thing of the past. Thanks to the co-operation of Ameri• can shipowners we have been able greatly to reduce delays to their ships, as you will see from the following figures. Of ten American vessels which have passed inward through Gibraltar since the 30th March, eight were cleared on the day on which they arrived, and two, which arrived late in the evening 9 were cleared next dny. Arrived. Sailed. NASHABA March 30th (lnte in the day) March 31st. HAMPTON HOADS April 4th April 4th ti I! EXILONA 4th 4th It ti BLACK EAGLE 5th 5th I! I! NARBO 8th 8th II I! EXCALIBUR 9th . 9th ti ti WASHINGTON 13th 13th EXIRIA ·-. 15th (late in tho do:;,r) 16th " " EXOCHORDA 20th II 20th " II ?-1 ..... + I! ··-l . ) _, A0.UARIUS 21 ct TI .L : -5 ­ I I am sure you will ngree that this is a remarkable record. We hope to maintain this rate of progress but whether ·we can do so depends upon the extent to which American shipowners co-op<::;rata by giving early and full inform.::~tion of cargo cRriried on th6ir vessels in advance of arrival at th~ c Jntrol base 9 and even more upon the exterit t o which they take full advantage of the navicert C'Jnc&ssion. As I have already r eminded yau, we owe the navicert system of commercial passports to the suggestion of a senior U.S.A.. Consular Officer in Lond0n during the last war. rwcords show thr::tt ab·-:mt 50,000 applications were mac1e during the seventeen m~nths of tho system's operation until the end of the:; war.. Current figures show that over 48,000 applications have been dealt with since December 1st/ 1939 9 v;h(:;n the navicert systam was re...!iJntroduced for the same purpose of facilitating export trade with bona-fide neutrals. The system has baen extanded to Brazil. the Argentine and Uruguay, R,ncl it will be further extt;;nded. It has r.:.sulted in an immense {!_ecre6lse in the number .:)f' consignments that would otherwise have been detained while the necessary enquiries were made regarding their ultimate destinations. The navicert system helps exporters, importers, the banking, insurance and shipping communities alike. It has prevented much f 1nan cial loss t o shippers by 8.llowing goods to proceed direct . to their destinations without incurring bonded warehouse and other charges, and has allowed a q_uicker circulation pf capital th2il would otherwise be possible. Shipping companies have benefited even more by the navicert system, for fully navicerted ships are normally allowed t o proceed to th6ir destinations without entering a control base and nearly 300 fully navicerted ships had been cleared at sea within the past few months. But the man who ships with0ut a navicert penalizes himself, the shipping company and his f ellow-exportsrs. It is essential that applicati0n should be _mRde at the earliest possible moment and not delayed -as has happsned in some cases -until the day before the ship carrying thE. goods is due t r) sail. The system cannot and will not work in this way. As s0on as a contract i s completed,thnt is the moment t o make application and at once; indE.eQ there would be many advantages in making the grnntfng of a navicert a condi tir)n of the contract of sal e itself. 6 ... Anything which can be done to :(,1ake the business cornmunity navicert-conscious will be n>noto.ble service to all concerned in international tro.de v1hich thrives best in the elements of certainty and security of the passage of goods and the vessels which carry them. There are other' ouestions about v1hich I would like to speak~, but time does not allov1 me to deal with them in anydetail. One is the examinntion ofI mails for contraband. and enemy exports. I know American feeling on this: Americans have tatlght me to understand it. On the other hand;, let me say, speakipg viith full knowleC.ce 9 that the examination of mails on every route is essential to the conduct of the blockade. Then I know that inconvenience has been caused to American importers by the C:ecision to stop German exports.But you must remember that there is another side to the picture. I could tell you many inter~sting stories of the f'rauds vvhich are being ~oractised in order to induce . us to grant exemption for German oxports. And Vlhile we get many letters of complaint from those who have suffered hardship9 v~e haye also received many letters from neutral countries urging us not to give way. As you vlill have seen from the communique issued bythe State Department at the conclusion of the Rist -Gwatkin Mission to .:ashington~ we are doing our best to sift out the genuine hard cases and to do the fair thing. Iri1 this conriection I should l{ke to say that we a~e most. grateful for the ~riehdl:r rece-ptio:n given to Mr. AShto!l Gwatkin and Professor Charles Rist in Washington. I an1 sure that their conversations have greatly helped to iron out anymisunderstana.ings which may have arisen over the application of our economic warfare measures. · These points arising out of the exercise of our belligerent l"'ights which affect American interests may ~ome of them appear through the eyes of a neutral -when considered singly -to •have no very great importance. Speaking of what I lmow, I can assure you that ~ of them consi0.erea. singly are of first-rate importance to us, and considered collectively their consequence is99of course, f'ar greater. I am bound to think of them in terms of the lives of our own men. That is a uoint of view that does not really occur to a neutral and I can VJell un0.erst ane. that some neutrals would feel that it was not their concern. Bvt countless others who, could they but appreciate the cause and needs of our mea"';ures ~ would recoil at the thought of preferring their own profit and convenience or feelings to the lives of soldiers ~ sailors and airmenswho are fightin~ to uphold the standards of civilisation. It is their ears t hat I woula. wish to reach. I have not time to say much about what our blockade is achieving. ''IVe can certainly claim that vrn have already made Ge1"'man37 feel its ~oressure. But Economic Warfare d.oes not produce quick results. G·ermany has an irnnensely povrerful economic machine -7 ­ which has been orgariised for yeers to meet just the struggle in which she is now involved. The Germans are a redoubte.ble enemy anc1 they have shown their usual industr;y-and skill in devising ways of evading the blockade, We are constantly at work to defeat this evasion. But it is unc1eniable that there are leaks in the blockade. There is one which is undoubted­ly serious, and that is the route via Vladivostok. Bince the outbreak of wnr a number of important commodities, copper, rubber 9 tin and other materials have been imported into Vladivostok in quantities which make it virtually certain that a good part at least is going to Germany. Many consignments, too, have reached Vladivostok by curious and suspicious routes. The United States have "been the source of much of these raw materials and we wonder s~metimes how far it is generally realised in your country that important supplies of key war materials have reached Germany in this way. At the same time we recognise thc.t the moral embargo on the ex­port of certain ferro-alloys to C'JUntries guilty of bombing civilians, though of course it is part of the independent policy of the United Sta.t·es Governm6nt which has nothing to d·) with the Allied blockade of Germany as such, has incidentally been of assistance to us and has checked German imports of key commodities through Siberia. Mention of this dangerous route via Vladivostok shows that the problems with which we have to deal in economic warfare are w0rld­wide. In 0ur efforts to stop German trade all over the world it has been necessary for us to organise the collection of a vast mass of commercial information. In the c·Jurse of doing so it is inevitable that we should receive such information about the trade of neutral countries. I should like tJ take this opportunity of assuring you that we have no in­tention of misusing this information. Under our Official Secrets Act it can only be disclosed to the authorised officers of His Majesty's Government. I can assure you that it will not be used to give any unfair trading advantage to British subjects. In particular there is no foundation whatever for the tales which have been put about that we have used the examination of mails to direct orders fro~ American to British exporters. Finally, I would remind you that economic warfare is an essen­tially offensive weapon of modern warf~re and that to be effective it must be used with the same resoluti·Jn and thoroughness as any of the other arms. In the long months of seeming inaction with which this war began, many may have doubted whether our hearts were in this war, The last few weeks must have made it clear to all that we are in grim earnest. We are fighting for our lives. That means that we must m2,ke the utmost use of every legitimate weapon that we have. . We know that we have the sympathy and goodwill of lovers of freedom and justice all over the world. That knowledge is a great source of strength to us. It makes us feel that when, as we often are, we are faced with the choice of causing hardship and loss to our neutral friends or ·Jf seeing our economic weapon fatally blunted in our hand, we have the right to ask for understanding, and that we will not ask for it in vain. By waging economic warfare tc the utmost we believe that we ~ . ·~: shall shorten the war by many m0nths, and that this weapon can thus be the means of saving innumerable lives and of hastening the time when the world will again be free of the curse that now lies upon it. ----END---­ 3~4,4_,_0 N~_ . _____ The Sultan of Perak has offer ed to l~nd 50,000 dollars (nearly £6,ooo) without interest to the British Government for the duration of the war• His Highness makes this offer as an indication of his loyalty and as an example to others. This generous offer has been gratefully accepted, and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, on behalf of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and himself, has expressed his warm appreciation. DOMINION & COLONIAL AFFAIRS._ -----000----­ .7 A.M. Bulletin No.609. NOT 'I'O BE PUBLISHED rn i~HY COU1'JTRY K~FORJ; I'LL~ EOirtTING l\TE..JSPAPERS OF './;:'.;DNESD/.Y, lST M!IY, 1940 OR BRQJ,DCAST ~-JFQ~.~ .!. J,.Jd,._ ON 'I'Hl~T DNr:C.__ ROYAL AIR FORCE A1,£:PJ.)S N0.24. The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the unde;rmentioned awards in recognition of gallantry displo.ycd in fl~,ring operations against the enemy. AWJ1RD:CD A BAR '110 DISTIITGUISHED SERVICE: ORDER. Wing Comrnander Basil Edward Embry, D.S.O. ~ A.F.C. AWARDED DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. '· Flying Off'icer J illiam Henry Edwards. In one .of' tho R. AeFft raids on Stavanger aerodrome, ·rring Gomraander Embry led a sc;:.uadron of' aircraft in an attack on the aerodrome and seaplane base. He successfully coi:1ploted his task and brought the whole squadron home safely, dcspitc the fa.ilurc of' one of his engines· boforo ho had roached the objective. Two days l ater, he .led his squadron in another successful attack on Stava.i.J.gcr .'rhon valuable photographs wore ta~wn. During this fl:i.ght h·_, Eufforcd f'roa frostbitc. The satisfactory results fron these operations vrorc primarily due to tho courage~ determination 2~1d fine leadership of this of'f'iccr. Flying Officer Ed1:·!£,rds vras pilot of one of a number of R.A.F. aircraft that lcf't to attack Stavanger aorodror,10 and scaplano base 02rl;>r in April. Tho weather was so bad that the other aircraft woro conpollod to abandon tho task, but Flying Officer EdYrards succeeded in getting through9 attacked tho objectives and obtained valuci.blc information. On tho previous day he was pilot of one of' a nw1ibor of aircraft ordered to attack tho same objcctivc;s . Desp ite a hce.vy sno~7Storm, which forced him to fl:' vor:/ low, he r :..; achcd the target end attaclshiro, in Februar~rr 1902: s.nd educated nt Bromsgrove School. Ho joined the R.~.F. in 1921 with a short service cornrnission that was extended~ and had boon promoted to --ring Corni'lander by the end of 1938. He sn\7 service in Iraq, CJ.nd received the Air Force Cross in the Ne~ Year Honours 192G~ rrns mentioned in despatches fI'om tho North \lest Frontier in 1936 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his vrnrk in ·ac.ziriston vrhcrc ho Hes in corn:mr.nd of 2 squ2dron in 1938-. He had studied Lrc.bic c.nd vc.s o flying instructor. J.ftcr tcmpornry duty c:.t the J.ir l1,Iinistry l os t yco.r ho vms r-,ppointecl to tho comr1c.nd of c. s q_"vi.c.dron C'.t tho beginning of Flying Officer :pdyro.rd§. rr:--.i3 bo:cn c:t I-cichhcrdt~ Now South 1.'/c,les, in 1915s 2nd ed.ucc.tcd r-.t I,cj_chhc.::."dt Public School cna_ the Ccatrcl Technicr.l High School? N.So\70 He a~rvcd and pebbles in the receptacle to give the bee a foothold to prevent them drowning, is all that is necessary. Fresh vvate r should be given from time to time and from now onwo.rds during the honey season~ THATCHING AND RICK BUILDING. --..., .., ,.._____----­ -·---~-----· "Harvest Home" implies something more than the in-gathering of the crops. They have to be protected from wastage~ Proper thatching is important and this year our farms will need more men who can thatcho Thatching classes are being arranged by the agricultural education authorities. Even more important, however, than thatching is efficient stack-building-and this applies both to hay and corn. It is unnecessary to remind any experienced man that if the hay settles so that the plant stems are sloping inwards and down­wards instead of downwards and outwards, the usual few inches of straw thatch will not serve to keep water outo This means that, in building, the centre of the stack must always be kept higher than the outside. In farming parlance the stack must be well "hearted"., The round stack best illustrates the principle with corn. The first few sheaves are stooked in the middle, others are then laid around the middle and "knee-ed" in so that the butts rest on the foundation at an angle of 45°. After the same manner, rows rest on the previous ones till the oui;er rim or perimeter is reached. The builder then returns to the centre and repeats the process, layer after layer, till the stack is finally topped up. Such a stack will settle so that the butt ends slope down and out, and in such circumstances no rain can enter so as to reach the ears whether the stack is thatched or not. Thatch, however , serves to keep the outsides of the top sheaves drier , so that damp stuff does not mix with dry in the threshing. Man;/ hay st c..cks built as described in the North o:f Scotland, where the winter rainfall is heavy, are never thatched at all and ta~e no harmo The stack is well pulled.and the roof thoroughly rak.ed down so that 2 or 3 inches of hay form the t.hatch. ·.ro prevent disturoance or :C"J.f'f'ling by wind an old herring net is thrown over the top. Thus a cover that is all holes gives effective protection from the worst of weather. x x x x Some f armsrs have experienced delays and difficulties in obtaining coal for agricultural purposes during the past wintero Under wartime conditions it will be unwise to rely upon immediate deliv-;r•ies of specified grades of coal on last minute orders. It is, therefore, advisable to anticipate future requirements and place orders for coal required as far as possible i n advance a x x x x Many deaths ar:io:1.1g bees may occur if fruit trees are sprayed during the actual blossoming period with insecticides containing lead arsenate, 'l'he bee is on national service -not only as a producer of honey bG.t as a pol linator of fruit ~rees and bushes -and in these times when full fruit crops are ·essential eveI'Y effort sl1CJilld be made to safeguard this 9 valuable worker9 Spraying with washes containing arsenate of lead -or some other arsenate -is indi spensable to-day if insect pests are to be controlledo As far as possible, however, such spraying should be restricted to two definite periods -(1) before the blossom buds open~ and (2) immediately the petals have f alleno It is recognised that di fferent varieties of fruit trees come into blossom at varying periodsj so making it difficult to ar2ange that no open blos3orns are sprayedo ~evertheless, every effort should be made by fruit growers to arrange their spraying prograrrrne so as to avoid indiscrim­inate sprayi ng of open bJ r' s soms a~d consequent unnecessary mortality among. beeso 30.4.40. -No,20. FRENCH OFFICIAL --EVENING. Paris, Tuesday, April 30th. The following official communique was issued this evening from French General Headquarters:­ Local activity of the contact units. Our patrols have taken a few prisoners. Two local attacks by enemy detachments have been repulsed. -------000------­ :i-( The ·,.;ar O:t':fice , London, s. ~7. 1 • 30th April , 1940. • I The War Offi ce lSSUG-S thE: follo'lving corn.rnuniq_ue : ­ In Sunday ' s fighting in the Gudbransdal valley the enemy attacked st1•011gly v-rith the sum:;;ort of tanks and lC"w-flying aircraft. All attacks we}:'e repulsed with heavy l~sses including the destruction of 3 medium ta11Jrn . During the night our troops made a short i.:1i thdrawal to a position c overing Dombaas. Air attacks on J.1.a:ndal snos and Mol de continued during the day. In the Namsos and Narvik areas t he situati on r emains unchanged. 30/4/40 -No. 22 PRESS NOTICE The Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and National Service makes the foililmving announcement:­ The Minister of Labour and National Service has appointed the following to constitute a court of inquiry under · Fart 2 of the Industrial Courts Act, 1919, in connection with a disputeaffecting maintennnce craftsmen in iron and steel works on the north-east coast:­ s·ir Hector Het~erin~ton, .M.A., LL.D., J.P. (cha1~man); Lt.-c;ol. Ernest Briggs, D.s.o., B.Sc., . M. I. Chem E; George Chester, Esqre,.. The secretary of the court is Mr.M.A.Bevan, M.B•. E., (Ministry of Labour and National Service, Montagu House, Whitehall, S'. W. l.) Arrangements have been made for the court to hold its first sitting in the Moot R~ll, Newcastle-on-Tyne, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, M·ay 2, 1940. MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND NA~IONAL SERVICE • ~.ApriL 1940 No.12 lii •.:-,_ .F~ No .210. MINISTRI_QE....AQ:RICQLTURE ANNGU~filIT AGR±fUVI'URP.L YJQ_RKEJi§.' HAGES The .Agric-ultural Pages Board, at its meeting today, considered the p~cedure to be adopted in carrying out the new powers conferred on it by the Agricultural ?!ages (Regulation) Amendm.ent .Act of fixing a national minimum weekly wage for adult male workers in England and Nales. The Board arranged to hold a further meeting on 14th May to consider a pPOvisional figure with. the view of e:onsulting County A.gricultural \'!ages Conm1i ttees. 3014/40 . -No1il4\ . REST ROOM FOR AUSTRALIANS_ A rest and reception room for Australians serving with the Austral'ian and British ·Forces has been opened at Australia House by tho Australian Women's Voluntal"y Services• In addition to the .sq_uadron of the Royal Australia;:q Air Force now opera.ting in Englo.na. with the R\A.F. Coastal Comrnand, there are hundreds of Australians serving Yiith the Royal Navy, tho British Army, the R.A.F.• and cin other bPanches of National Service, and it is hoped that they will make this room a rendezvous when they come to London on leave~ DOMINION Af..T]) COLONIAL AFFAIRS 30/L,L/JJO -No 15. 'l'ho Socrcto.ry of the: Ac1miro.lty r e grets to announce that H. M. Submarines •r.AHPON (Lic:mtuno.nt-Cornmo.nc!.cr HoJ.Calchrnll, R.N.) ancl S'I'LRLBT (Lieutencmt-Cornmandor G.H.S. Haward, R. N.) arc now consider~bJl~/ overdue o.nd must bo consicterod lost. Next of kin havo 'been informed. H.M. Trawlers BRADMAN (Lieutenant A.A.F.To.lbot,R.N.) and CAPE SIRETOKO (Lieuteno.nt A.N'.Blundell, R.N.R.) sustained damc~go lJy bomb ancl subsc::; ~!_uontly sank. No loss of lifo has boon ro~orted in either co.so. ADMIRALTY. S~ W. 1_., 30/4/J+O No. 16. P R E S S NOTICE NO':P TO BE PUBLISHED ON THC CLUB TLPES OR BY BROf\.DCf\.ST OR IN ANY OTHER W/i.Y BElilORE THTI: flIORlHHG OF VJEDJ.'{CSDAY THE 1st HAY; 1940. Defence (Finnnc~ ~egulntions. An Order in Council hns been made, unc10r which an additional parngraph has been inserted on Regulation l of the Defence (Finance) Regulations, deuling with those holdings of the securities named in an Acquisition of Securities Order which have not been transferred to the Treasury owing to their not having been registered with the Bank of England at the date of the Order; the 'l1roasury are novY empowered to acquire these holdings at a price not less than either the original acquisition price or the current market price, whichever be the lower.• The text of the Order in Council has boon published ns S.R. & O. No. 608. .++++++++·:-++++++ 30/~J/Jf.Q_::_I\f.o.17. P.N. 1644. The Postmaster General renrlnds the public that increases in posto.l charges come into force on 1st Mny. Fr·om tho.t day the :postage 1J8.yable on letters s.dd.ressed to nny adc1.ress in this cotmtry (including Eire) will be 2·ht for 2 oz. and -~-d. for evecy ad.di tional 2 oz; on ordino.r·y l)Ostco..rds 2d; and on sam1)le ~ackets l i d for 4 oz. and i d for every additional 2 oz. The postage ~ayruJle on letters for the British Empire generally 8!ld the U.S.A. will be 2~d for the first oz. and ld. for every additio:nal otu1ce 2t.no. for other destinations s.broad 3a_. for the first ounce and l±d for every adc1i tional ormce. The chal"ge for ~?ostco.rds vlill be the same as the Inland charge, viz. 2d. The charge for Newspaper packets, parcels, p£l.ckets for despatch nbrond by air mail ona. other classes of correspondence not mentioned above will not be affected. If a letter, postcard, etc., subject to the new r ate is posted at the old rate on or nfter 1st May the eddressee ·will be liable to be asked to pay double the difference between the old and the new rate before the item is delivered. Post al orders of the values 1/6 to 2/6 and 6/-to 15/­inclusive, will, from the 1st May cost t o. more in respect of increased poundage. The J)Ostage of letters, etc., to H. M. ·Forces nnd Ships abroad has not been increased. The old rates continue to apply and are for a letter ltd for the first ounce and ld for everyadditional ounce, for a nostcard ld, and for a nrinted nnuer or 1 --t ..L: ..... ... newspaper 2a. for the first 2 oz. and 2d for every c.dditional 2 oz. The charges for trunk telephone co.lls on and aft<::n" lst May will be increased by 15 per cent. For ex8!aple the present day charge of 1/6 .for three minutes will become 1/9 and the presentmaximum day charge of 2/6 will be 2/11. The 11Shill1rg11 night call will l)e 1/2. · GENERAL POST OFFICE. 30/4/40 -NO: 1 8. PRESS NOTIQE. The Minister of Supply has appointed Mr, E.H. Clifford, Consulting Mining Engineer, British South Africa Co., as an additional member of the Departmental Committee which is considering whether it is desi~able and practicable to increase production of non-ferrou-s metallic ores in the United Kingdom, Sir William Larke is Chairman of' the Committee. MINYJTRY OF _SUPPLY, 30.4.40 SCRAP .ME'rAt. HT ULSTER. Plans are under consideration in Northern Ireland for collecting and handing over to the Ministry of Suppl~,r war trophies, such as guns and t ru1ks, as part of the campaign to use all available scrap metal for war purposes. The Ministry of Supply have informed the Northern 1reland Government that trophies gained by Ulster in the last war would be an acceptable contr ibution to the vital supplies of scrap irr~ and steel. The Northern Ireland Ministry of Commerce have called the attention of all local authorities to the importance of the matter, urging a more effective organisation of the collection and utilisation of scrap metal, waste paper, textile materials and bottles, all of which, arc of' special value to the country in war time. Wastepo.per is being used for manufacturing purposes within Northern Ireland, and scrap metal is being shi1Jped to Great Britain in increasing quantities. DOMINION & COLONIAL AFFAIRS. 30.4.40. -No.23. HIRE RATES FOR SHIPS. MR. SHINWELL, (By Private Notice) -To ask the Minister of Shipping whether he has any statement to make on the subject of rates of hire for requisitioned vessels. MR. R,S. HUDSON: I am glad to say that agreement has been reached with the representatives of the Deep Sea Tramp owners under which a scale of rates of hire has been fixed, based on 6/-per deadweight ton per month for steam vessels of 8,000 tons deadweight and above as from the 1st March last. The corresponding rate for the previous period since the beginning of requisitioning is 5s.7d. In each case an additional 1/­per ton will be paid in the case of motor vessels. For Deep Sea Liners the rates of hire will consist of two parts, (i) basic rates foitpassenger liners (which are divided into three classes for this purpose) and for cargo liners to cover average running costs, etc., and (ii) an allowance for depreciation and profit. Subject to suitable modifieation (to be agreed upon) to meet cases where the control of ships has changed hands, this allowance will be at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, on the first cost of a ship if built in 1922 or later, or on the amount immediately before the war of its War Risks Insur­ance valuation for total loss if built before 1922. This percentage will allow 5 per cent. for return on capital after providing 5 per cent. for depreciation. Additional payments will be rra.de for refrigerated cargo space in liners and also in respect of certain expenses which cannot suitably be included in the general rates, The cost of War Risks insurance is borne by the Government. The rates will be reviewed from time to time in order that account may be taken of alterations in the level of costs and the effect of the rates on the financial position of the owners .concerned. The arrangements are necessarily somewhat complicated and I am circulating a more detailed statement in the offici·al report. As soon as the outstanding points have been settled, a White Paper givi~g the full details of the arrangements will be presented to Parliament. -2 ­ T..hEL following is th.£_])ets.1led Statement. Deeu-sea Liners. For deep-sea liners requisitioned under the terms of the Liner Requisition Scheme the rate will consist of tvvo parts:­ (i) a basic rate to cover running costs etc ; (ii) an allowance for depreciation and return on capital. The basic rates are as follow :­ (a) for passenger liners having speeds of 18 knots and over, with white crews, 12s.10d. per gross ton per month up to the 29th February, 1940, and 13s. 7d. thereafter; (b) for passenger liners having speeds below 18 knots, for ships with white cPews, lls. 3d. per gross ton pe:e month up to 29th Febxauary, 1940, and 12s. Od. thereafter, for other· ships in this class, lOs. 2d. per gross ton per month up to 29th February, 19L~O, an6. lOs. 5d. thereafter; (c) for cargo liners, 7s. 6d. per gross ton per month up to 29th February, 19~LO, with an additional Ga... thereafter for ships vYi th white crews and 3d. for other ships. Subject to suitable modification (to be agreed upon) to meet cases vvhere the control of ships has changed hands, an allowance for clepre­ciation and for return on capital will be made at the rate of 10 :!_')er cent. per annum on the first cost of a ship if built in 1922 or later, or, if built before. 1922, on the amount imrnediately before the war of its War Risks Insu.rance valuation for total loss. This percentage will allow 5 per cent. for return on capital after providing 5 per cent. for depreciation. Deep-sea Tramp Ships. The rates for deep sea tramps operating under charter conditions which leave the owners responsible for the manning and maintenance o..r the ships have been worked out in relation to a basic vessel of fair average capital value and are not divided into two parts as are those for deep sea liners. From the 1st March9 19409 the rate is 6s.od. perdeadweight ton per month for steam vessels of 8,ooo tons deadweight and over, with a scale of rates for vessels below that tonnage increasing to 8s. ·Od. per a.ead..-veight ton per monjh for vessels o..r 5,000 tons dead­weight. Before 1st March, 1940 the rates are lower by 5d. per dead-weight ton per month. The relevant scales are anr:exed. In the case of motor vessels, ls. extra per deadweight ton per month is payable. The increases introduced into the rates for liners and trann)s as from 1st Uarch, 19409 aPe due mainly to the increases in pay ana:· ·bonus of ships' crews which came into operation on that date. Additional Payr~ents. Additional payments will be made for refrigerated cargo space on liners, and also in respect of certain expenses 9 e.g. increases in costs of marine insurance, which cannot suitably be included in the general rates,. - -3 Scales "of rates of hire "fo_:i:_..Q...ccp s..Q..~amp ship§ o.:f .211000 tons. deadweight and .™.!'..t..._:r..~.9...~J.s.l._tioned under the conditions of Charter Pa..r..t.Y....J•.3...2.b....!. The scales of rates for steam tramps are as follow:­ Pe..£._~1weir:filt ton per.monthprior to rrom 1st March 12!±0! ls~ March 1240. Vessels of:-s. d. s. d.B,ooo tons deadweight and over • • • ••• 5: 7 6: 0 11 11 7,750 " u...rider s,ooo 5: et 6: 2 " 11 II 11 6: 7,500 7,750 5: 10 3 " 7,250 II 11 II It 7,500 5: llt 6: 4t 11 II II 11 7,000 7~250 6·. 1 6: 6 ti . ti II II 6,750 7,000 6: 3 6: 8 II II II ti 6,500 6,750 6: 5 6: 10 ti ti ti 6,250 6,500 6: 7 7: 0 " II It ti II 6,ooo 6,250 6: 9 7: 2: 5,750 II II It II 6,ooo 6·. 11..i2 7: 4t II \l 1t 5,500 5,750 7: 2 7: 7 " ll II 91 5,250 " 5$500 7: 4t 7: 2 " II It ti 5,000 5,250 7: 7 8: 0 " ' Motor Vessels. Motor vessels ·v1ill l)e paid in every oase l/-extra per deadweight ton per month 9n the rate ap~licable to a steam vessel of the same cleadweight tonnage. · Adju_!?tmerit of PayrneEt§._Jt_\_p_i_yJ_sions of__i!J1e Sc~?...!. The payment made in respect of a vessel in any tonnage civision of the above scale shall not be less than the maximUJn payment ap~licable to the next lower tonnage division of the scale. +++++++++++++./:+ No 24 IRISH TRADE TALKS A meeting of the Ministers re:9resenting the United Kingdom and Eire was held at the Do~inions Office this (Tues.) afternoon. Mr. Eden, the Seer<:. tary of State for Dominion Affairs, :•)residea.• The meeting vms at·c ena_ed by Mr. Lemass, Minister of Su2_):0lies, and Dr. Hyan, Minister of Agriculture, re1.Jresenting E~.re; and Mr. Burgin~ Minister of SU2.J!)ly; Sir Reginald Dorman Smith, Minister of /'cgriculture; Lord Woolton, Minister of Food; and Mr. Hudson, Minister of ShiY):1.)in:·: , re:oresenting the United Kingdom. Mr. Dulanty and Sir John Massei)' were also present. A general discussion took place on the trade relations between the United Kingdom and Eire, and it was agreed that further discussions should be held during the next few days. DOMINION AND COLONIAL AFFAIRS No. 25. TRANS-TASMAN AIR SERVICE -~-·----· A message was sent by His Majesty's Government today to the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, in time for the inauguration of the Trans-T~sman Airways Service, as follows: .J "His Majesty's Government in the United 'Kingdom are glad to take the opportunity of the :t'irst regulaI' flight across the Tasman Sea to Ylfish the Tasman-Empire Airways success and good fortune. "The inau6ruration of the Trans-Tasman Service affords an indication oi' the successful results which can 'be achieved 'b~' co~o::1eration 'between t;1e Governments of the British Commonwealth. "His Majesty' s Governr11ent in the United Kingdom welcome the esta'bli3hment of this final link in the air service betvrnen the Uni tec1 Kingdom1 Australia, and Ne•.v Zealan0.~" ++++++++++ DOMINION AND COLONIAL~IRS_< NOT TO BI;; PUDLISif.GD mrrr1. TfL ViORlUNG rp 1 VIEDNT~SDAY, THE 1st ~'!.AY, NOR BTI.OADCAs fr BLroRE 7_a.m. :'!st_ .FJtX His m1jesty the Kin['; has !)CCl1 ~·11eased to a~p:..;>rove of' the te:rm of office of Sir Her>be1"t James Stanley, ,a.c.M.G., as Governo1.. of Southe1"n Rhodesia, bGi:nc; e;~tendecl until April, 194),. +++++++++ DOMINION AND COLONIAL A@FAIRS., ~...--....--. --.......,.__. ----....-...~ 30.4.40 No. 2.7. FOR MORNING PAPERS ONLY. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED ON THE CLUB TAPES OR BY BROADCA3T OR IN ANY OTHER WAY BEFORE THE MORNING OP WEDNESDAY, 1st MAY, 1940. CIVIL SERVICE PAY As the result of an apylication made by the Stafff Side of the Civil Service National Whitley Council to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking him to reconS';lder his attitude on the ~1estion of adjusting Civil Service pay to meet the increase in the cost of living, representatives of the Staff Side of the Council met members of the Official Side at the Treasury to-day(Tuesday) The Staff Side advanced argum0nts in support of their claim for an immediate incr0ase of pay··.to Civil Servants receiving £5 a week or less. They also pressed for the setting up forthwith of joilT.Ii.t machinery to consider the position of those above this limit and the position of pensioners. The Official Side undertook to give these representations careful consideration. TREASURY, s.w,. AIR MINISTRY HQLLETIJL.NO~ 616. 30/4/40 No. 28. (Not to be quoted as an Air Ministry Announcement) ----------------------------------~------------~ NIGHT ATTACK ON FORNEBU. Oslo's principal airport at Fornebu, which the enemy are using as a base for troop transport from Germany, was last night attaclced for the fourth time by aircraft of the R. A. F. Bomber Command. The airport was subjected to a series of raids which, starting shortly after midnigpt,...--were . maintained for over an hour. Attacking s.ingly and,. in success.ion, ·OUJ?-·-aircra:Lt-· dropped a large number of high explosive bombs on· .the -ae-!"0--,_ drome and bursts were seen spreading in a line ac~osa the landing ground from north-west to south-east. In the absence of a moon, parachute flares were dropped by the raiding aircraft to facilitate observation. Strong opposition from gun batteries and .searchlights, increasing in intensity as the raid developed, was encountered by our aircraft, but all attacks were pressed home and consi­ derable damage is believed to have been done to the airport and aircraft dispersed around it. One of our aircraft has failed to return. ++++++++++ NOTE: The above is a follow-up of Air Ministry Bulletin No.613 Issue 30/4/40 -No.1) AIR AFFAIRS. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN .ANY COUNTRY K~roru; 'i'Ir~ LIORlHNG NEJSP~PERS OF W:!DN:CSD/.Y, lST Ml1Y ~ 1940 OR BROLDCAST B':;FORZ 7 A. U. ON THi~T DJ.TD. HOY.AL ,AIR FORCE Ai7ARDS NO. 25. The King has been graciousl;y pleased to approve of the undermentioned av-rnrd in recognition of gallantr;y rUspl e.yecl i n fl3ring operations against the enemy. AYUillDED THE DISTIHGUISHED FLYING CROSS. Flight Lioutencn2t Peter ~7ooldridgc Townsend. Jhilst on patr ol over the North Sea$ Flight LicutGncn1t To··nsend i n t orcc:;itoc.1 m1d attacked an enorny ai~craft at c:tuslc~ 8.nd > e.ftc~'.' 8. running f'ight ~ ho shot it down. This was his third success~ and in each ~nstance he displayed qua litics of leadership~ sldll anp_ detcrnination of the hiehcst order, ~1th little regar d for his own safety. Note on car·ocr.. Fli ;::;ht Lieutenant Torn1sonc1 was born at Rangoon in Novcabcr~ 1S·l4s and cducat cc1-at Hailc;srbury College. Ho passec1 thro:J.e;h tho H.P.• F. Co11cgc.,, Crm1.vroll~ and roecoivcd a permanent cor:Ii.1 i ssion in the R. P. . P. in 1935~ and had boon pro1i1otcc1 Flight Lieutenant by Je.nuo.ry, 1939. Pres s and Publicity Brnnch~ Air Einistry~ King Charles Streets -'hitohall~ S.'.:f.l. 1st Lay5 1940. 30/4/40 -No. 30 I Q.QL.9N FIP.B SUFFERERS One day's pay has been contributed by all State and municipal employees to the relief of sufferers by the e:~tensive fire in the British V/est Indian quarter of Colon, Panama, on April 13. Private charit~r is being organised on a national scale, and in ac1dition to the material aid given by the United States authorities~ army, and civilians in the Canal Zone, the American Red Cross, co-operating with the Red Gross of Panama, has allocated £3,000 to the local chapte.r. The Red Cross is also co-operating with the Army in caring for and feeding the homeless, who number nearly 10,000. Casualties by death or injury are fortunately fewo The Panarnanian Government bas exempted building materials from import taxeso ---000-·-­ 30.4.40 No 31 • PRESS NOTICE The Ministry of Home Security ho.s appointed Mr. T. B. Braund as acting Director of Public Re lations, in :plnce of Mr. E.T. Crutchley, C.B., C.M.G., C.B.E., who has resumed duty in a siu!ilar cnpacity at the General Post Office. Mr • . F.N. Hillier M.C. 1 Press Of'ficer to the Mi.nistry, has been appointed Press and Publicity Of~icer. MINISTRY OF HOME SECURITY, 30/4/40 No,. 32 .... PRJill_S NOTICE It is learnt in authoritative circles that pronouncements by Italians in responsible positions, and the attitude of the Italian press, have been recently of such a character as to make it necessary for His Majesty's Government to take certain precauti0ns as regards British ship1)ing which would norrrally pass through the Mediterranean. They do not intend, however, to continue these precautions any longer than is necessary, and they hope that circumstances will permit their cancellation in the near futuree ,,..---000----­ - 30/4/40 No.· 33.­ PRESS NOTICE The War Office announ~es:• 1. In the Ddmbas a:t>ea, the British, fighting with indomitable courage 9 have resisted any further advances by the enemy• 2• North of Stenkjaer, the British troops again proved their superiority in patrol work, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy• 3• Fresh landings have taken place along the coast of Norway.. +++++++++++ bllNIBTRY OF INFORMATION' PAP.ER.'3. APRIL. April 2 No . 17 cancelled 3 17 H. it. S. O. (white paper) 4 12 not available (~etis report) 5 14 11 II 6 4 cancelled 18 ;53 not available 20 12 If II 23 6 & 8 _i . !,i . b . o. white p-. pers 24 20 not available ~5 26 & 29 ?I u 26 7 Il.M. 3. 0. ,. 26 3 & l l not ava ilable.