The German claim that the action which has been taken against Denmark and Norway is in retaliation for the Allied laying of mines in Norwegian territorial waters is just another lie typical of those which have been regularly turned out from Berlin since the beginning of the war. The fact is that Germany had long prepared for this present step. It will be remembered that, towards the end of last year and the beginning of this, troop concentrations were reported in that area of Germany adjacent to Heligoland Bay. Reports that a large number of German vessels were on the high seas moving northward, apparently with the idea of offering battle to the British fleet were current at least a day before the Allies laid any mines at all, and it is quite clear now that those vessels constituted convoys of troopships which were destined to the various points in Norway which are now reported to have been occupied by German soldiers. Viewing the German allegation from another angle the question may be asked why, if what the Reich claims is true, was it necessary to invade Denmark. It is of course stated te be for the purpose of extending German protection to that unhappy country. The promise is given that it will be only for the duration of the war. That the Allies will ensure. The German promise, like so many that Herr Hitler has so freely given, is not meant to be fulfilled by the Reich, and it may with certainty be said that should Germany by some mischance win this war, then the whole of Scandinavia as a group of independent nations will cease te exist, and Germany will have acquired more of that lebensraum on which Herr Hitler has set his marauding heart. There should be no doubt about it; there is not the slightest intention in the German mind to return any territory which she may be able to grab unless she is forced to, and the sacred mission of the Allies is to continue to wage war until these nations which are being deprived of their independence shall have restored to them their territory, and their freedom.
The old bogey which has been raised by the Reich propaganda machine that the Allies intend to invade Belgium and Holland arouses suspicion that those countries are next on the list to receive German protection. If it were not so tragic the picture of der Fuehrer, than whose hands none have been more patently bloodstained, posing as the champion of the weaker nations, would be absolutely ludicrous, and without a doubt both Belgium and Holland will look upon the Reich's next moves with the gravest suspicion, and a readiness to defend their integrity which they have already announced in terms which permit of no misunderstanding. They have every reason to believe that their turn will be next. The German stories of a big naval engagement must be accepted with complete reserve for the moment, while the claims of damage to British vessels must be ignored as blatant propaganda, until the facts have been liberated by the British and French naval commands. Quite obviously there will be no communication between the Allied fleets in the North Sea with their home bases by wireless until the engagement has been brought to a conclusion, for it would be the height of imprudence to use wireless which would undoubtedly give their positions away to the enemy. The probability that a naval engagement is being fought must be accepted as great. The German venture along the coast of Norway has created lines of communication which the Allies will not hesitate to attack. They afford an objective which was not formerly in existence, and the German fleet will now be forced to come out into the open, instead of skulking behind its mine fields, to maintain avenues of supply for the men who have been landed in Norway, unless of course the Reich decides the safe plan will be to invade Sweden and thus set up lines of communication behind the mine fields laid in the Skager Rak. The position of Sweden is, therefore, a matter of some uneasiness so far as its government is concerned, and the outcome of the next few days will be watched with considerable anxiety. It is not believed that Herr Hitler will hold his hand, for quite obviously his desire to obtain control of the Swedish iron deposits must always be a factor tending to decide his policy towards that country.
From the Allied point of view there is no ground for undue alarm. This development was by no means unexpected. Indeed, it has, as has already been pointed out, been anticipated for months past. It constitutes ud surprise but amounts to a development which it was more or less taken' for granted would take place directly it suited Herr Hitler's book. The effect of this new move in Germany is something which will have to be taken into consideration. Of recent weeks there have been reports current of a certain amount of dissatisfaction over the static nature of the war, and the failure of Herr Hitler to obtain results. It would probably be premature to allege that there had been any considerable weakening of German moral too, though there were factors operating towards that result. This new German conquest of Denmark and the occupation of various points on the Norwegian coast which Germany may be hard put to maintain, will undoubtedly be served up to the German public as another example of Herr Hitler's "bloodless"—save the mark,—conquests. Yet it has its disadvantages for Germany. The Allied blockade of the German coast is now rendered absolute. Whatever attenuated neutrality Norway had under enormous German pressure has now disappeared, and the problem of the blockade has been altogether simplified by what Germany has done. There must be considerable sympathy felt for such countries as Denmark which as enemy occupied territory must perforce be included in the Allied blockade. Her sea-borne trade must for the time being be disrupted. Her agricultural wealth will undoubtedly be diverted to Germany, and her people reduced to that sertitude to German ends which other peoples have already experienced. But the time will come when all this shall be ended, and Germany so dealt with that never again will it be able to grind peaceful people under the heel of its military boy To that end Of the various election addresses issued by candidates for election to the Municipal Council quite one of the most important is that given out by Mr. J. W. Carney, one of the two American candidates. In it he succinctly replies to some of the criticisms which have been made of the manner in which the Council has conducted the business of administering the International Settlement, and defends the Council against the allegations of extravagance. After showing the reduction in the foreign personnel in the municipal staff and that despite considerable increase in the police force, Mr. Carney goes on to say:—
"I believe that it is against the interests of the ratepayers to permit any impairment of our essential services—further we have a moral obligation to take care of the staff who have served the Council so faithfully. In final conclusion it is you ratepayers who must decide how costly an administration you desire. If you are to have the protection the present police and fire departments afford you, then the bill for those services must be met. It appears evident that the Council must improve its publicity department to offset the attacks which are made upon it."
One of the most astonishing features of the spate of correspondence which during the last few days has been published in these columns is the amazing amount of misconception there appears to be in the minds of many regarding even the simplest facts concerning the administration, and it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the Council is not well served in the matter of publicity. Some nine years ago it was sought to remedy this state of affairs which was apparent then by the appointment of a Press Information Officer and a small staff. The general impression was formed that, though the Council had been obliged reluctantly to take this step, the department was never very popular with the various other departments, and when in 1936 the economy axe was being enthusiastically wielded, this new department was amongst the first to go. Such publicity as the Council has since issued has been handled by a member of the staff of the Secretariat, and no criticism of him is intended when it is said that it was never very satisfactory, chiefly due to the paucity of material he was allowed to give out, That and the secrecy which has continually surrounded the doings of the Council has permitted a great deal of misunderstanding to arise with the result that there is a substantial portion of the voting ratepayers completely out of sympathy with the Council. That is indeed putting it mildly, for in some cases it appears to amount almost to an inveterate distrust. The policy of the Council should be not "how little shall we tell the ratepayers, but how much can we?" If the impression gained ground that the Council was taking the public into its confidence as much as it possibly could a generally better atmosphere would result from the removal of much misunderstanding. It will be seen now that the abolition of the Press Information Bureau in 1936 was a major error leading to much of present day trouble, while it may safely be said that, if the existing obscurantist policy is continued in the future, even greater embarrassments may befall not only the Council but the ratepayers themselves.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.