TAKING NO CHANCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1939, Page 7

TAKING NO CHANCES

FRANCE READY TO ACT SHOULD GERMAN REPLY BE UNFAVOURABLE. PEACE BY BLACKMAIL REJECTED. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. PARIS, August 30. Declaring, ‘‘We will know today where we stand,” the Premier, AL Daladier, summoned an emergency combined meeting for this afternoon of the Chamber of Deputies’ Air, Army and Finance Committees. It is expected the contents of Herr Hitler’s second Note to Britain will then be known. The tone of the German Press today revives the slender hope that Germany will continue to negotiate, but France is not taking chances. Everything is ready for general mobilisation if the terms of the Note are unfavourable. The Ambassador to Russia, M Naggiar, has arrived from Moscow and is reporting to M Daladier today. France sees in the fact that Russia has not ratified the German pact a reason for Herr Hitler’s delaying tactics. It is also believed that the reactions in Burgos and Tokio have held up Germany's blow against Poland. The Press contains 'no new comment, but unitedly affirms that peace by blackmail would be intolerable at this stage. Large white spaces in various newspapers, where type had been removed at the last minute, provides the first evidence of the operation of the strict censorship of French newspapers. Paris assumes a more warlike appearance daily. The evacuation of 50,000 children was begun this morning.