NEUTRAL STATES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 September 1939, Page 5

NEUTRAL STATES

REFUGEE & OTHER PROBLEMS DISCUSSED BY THE OSLO GROUP. DUTCH PLANE SHOT DOWN BY GERMANS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, September 14. Representatives of the Oslo group of neutral Powers —Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland —have been discussing questions in connection with the maintenance of their trade and commerce, and appointed a special committee to consider future trade under present conditions, states a special message from Brussels. The problem of feeding large numbers of refugees, together with increased unemployment owing to the lack of raw materials, is being considered by the conference. Belgium already is overrun by refugees. Some are Germans in transit from France, but 60,000 Belgian residents of France have now returned. Brussels is threatened with a bread shortage. It is officially announced in Berlin that a German scouter shot down a Dutch Fokker by mistake off the island of Ameland, outside Dutch territorial waters. The Germans rescued four members of the crew in a heavy sea. All were slightly injured, one being shot through the toe. It was stated in London yesterday on the highest authority from The Hague that the Netherlands will not be dictated to by another country as to how it will carry out its neutrality policy. This is stated to be in reply to the German message of the previous day on what Germany regarded to be neutral and unneutral conduct. The Nazi Government has apologised to the Governments of the Netherlands and Denmark for infringements of their neutrality rights by aeroplanes. —By radio. DUTCH FRONTIER CLOSED (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) THE HAGUE. September 14. The Netherlands frontier has been closed to all refugees, including Jews. The export of automobiles and tractors is forbidden. The K.L.M. has ordered its planes to remain in Batavia pending permission being obtained to fly over France.