LONDON DAMAGE MY BE OUT OF FOCUS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 224, 20 September 1940, Page 7

LONDON DAMAGE MY BE OUT OF FOCUS.

PEOPLE ABROAD. Bombing Of Historic Places Gives False View. British Official Wifeless, (Reed. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. Iβ. Nqw that the German air fury has been unleashed upon the greatest eity in the world, whose streets, buildings and monuments enjoy the sentimental regard of millions of people scattered through the five continents, damage inflicted by bombs has a news value far in excess of its intrinsic importance.

The result might well be to give those abroad a distorted picture of the actual injury inflicted by these wanton attacks, but reports of foreign newspaper correspondents, to judge by extracts from their newspapers telegraphed back to London, have in fact succeeded in keeping the tale of destruction in proper proportion.

The "New York Times" reminds its readers that out of pii)Hons of buildings only 2000 have been destroyed and 3000. seriously damaged, while the toll of life, terrible as it is, considering that 95 per cent of the victims are helpless civilians, is even less damaging.

An American agency message, surveying 10 days' constant raids on London, says they demonstrated how difficult it is to paralyse London's life. Traffic at many points is dislocated, but in no sense is it halted. No public utility in the London area has been put out of commission for any considerable length of time in any large district.

In the same sense the New York "Herald-Tribune" correspondent bears witness that most rail services in and out of London continue to operate at full schedule. This fact is also noted by the "Chicago Tribune" correspondent, who adds that this nieape food supplies are assured.

The plentiful food supplies also impressed a Finnish correspondent, who says that no difference whatever is visible in restaurants.

Mr. Wallace Carroll, United Press ' correspondent in London, was giv«n the opportunity of consulting confidential reports of the Ministry of Home Security and telegraphed that these reports con- • vinced him that the furious German air bombardment through 10 uays and nights had inflicted severe damage and suffering on - London, but left Britain's war machinery as a whole unimpaired. "Oirty a Fleabite." "Not one aerodrome has been put out of action," Mr. Carroll ctated. "The reports stated that the aircraft industry had hardly been scratched. They said the oil stores destroyed were said to be only a-flea bite in Britain's reserves. No power station has been put out of action, but one gee works had been disabled. "Most of London's railroad stations are operating normally, but some services on others hare been suspended. Ships continued to move in and out of the port of London. These and other assertions contained in reports correspond to my owin inspection of aerodromes, factories and' other military objectives." Xaturally reports are flashed from London, when it is known that great departmental stores, such as John Lewi* or Peter Robinson's, have been hit or that bombs have fallen, with the possibility of serious damage to cultural treasures in such places as the courtyard of the Wallace Collect ion, the Inner Temple Library, the Public Record Office and the Courtyard of the British Museum, but foreign observers' rej>orts s-hmv that t» them the real news story lies in the spirit of Londoners under nightly bombardment. From two widely separated parte of the world comment is made on the large part which is played by oral or visual proof of the effectiveness of defence measure* in creating confidence.

An American correspondent folk readers of his newspaper in the Middle West that "the English are finding the constant sight of wrecked German warbirds throughout the city the beet possible medicine for their morale. With the charred remains of Junkers on every hand they do not need the Propaganda Department to tell them their defences are effective,"

The London correspondent of the Finnish newspaper, "TJnsi Suomi," tells the Finns how Londoners are lulled to sleep by the roar of their own guns. "When a Londoner hears the ami aircraft gun* roar he falls asleep peacefully and tired faces are no longer visible in the morning," says the correspondent Spirit of Loedoa Unbroken. The most striking witness to the spirit of London was given by M. Wauter. former Belgian Minister pf Information and editor of the Brussels newspaper, "Lo Peupje,' , who it now la Lopdon. In an open letter to m. number of friends he'recount*: "To-night I spent eight hours in a public shelter full of workers and petite bourgeois. These people's good humour, cordiality and solidarity in distress were profoundly moving. "During the whole of those eight hour* I heard not one word of complaint or recrimination and not a word against the authorities. Here, once more, are the deep roots of that great democratic tradition which ensures that the people have confidence in their rulers, because they control them. "If Goering decided or his savage bombardments in order to provoke a mass exodus on che roads he has completely failed. The roads will not be choked up here ae they were in pe! piiim and France. The Germans will not have a chance to assassinate 40,000 civilians in flight as they diff on the road from Paris to Chartreux." An almost identical impression was made on a shrewd American observer, H. R. Knickerbocker, who has seen' peoples under the strain of war in half a dozen areas in as many yeans. Ho reports: "Londoners anil English people in general stubbornly, invincibly and even stupidly, if you like, refuse to become afraid of this sort of destruction, which is certainly not going to win the war." WHAT NAZIS CLAIM. COMMUNIQUES OK KAIDB. (Reed, noon,) LONDOX", Sept Iβ. A Berlin communique says: "We again attacked military objectives in London neighbourhood, damaging Tilbury docks and the harbour at Chatham doekvard, setting fire to an oil depot. Other targets successfully attacked include the Royal Albert docks, Silvertown, Liverpool harbour, Billingham chemical works, Newcastle docks, and Midland aerodromes. "The enemy bombed Belgium and Xorthern France, but did no damage. A number of civilians were killed. The enemy on Wednesday night hit three hospitals marked with the Red Cross. Xine children were killed and 12 injured. "Enemy losses were 36 'planes. Thirteen of ours are missing." The German news agency stated that "the Royal Air Foree did severe damage to districts in Hamburg. WEDNESDAY'S SCORE. TOTAL Or 48 NAZIS DOWN. Brili.-h Official Wireless. (Reed. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 19It i- now known that in Wednesday's air I .at ties <.\c-r Knpland 48 enemy aircraft wort- destroyed, one by antiaircraft cunfire. Two H.A.F. pilots, [irc\ ioii-U rpjKirted minMiijr, are safe. |!r:ii-li !•- - f««r «h.- day, therefore, ■ i■■ fijjliter*, the ]'i!<its of nine lieini: