QUIET FORTNIGHT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 November 1939, Page 5

QUIET FORTNIGHT

OPERATIONS IN THE WAR THEATRES SIR J. SIMON’S SURVEY. SPEEDING UP THE CONVOY SYSTEM. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. November IG. In the course of his statement in the' House of Commons reported yesterday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Simon) said there had been no major operations in the theatres of war during the past fortnight. "At sea our watch and ward continues. Sir John Gilmour (Minister of Shipping) informed the House two days ago that discussions have already taken place between him and Mr Churchill with a view to speeding up the convoy system. Faster convoys will be instituted, and as more escorting vessels become available the number of convoys will be increased." Since the beginning of the war British destroyers had steamed hundreds of thousands of miles with the loss of onlj r one. The merchant ships of Germany remained for the most part in their own or neutral ports and of those which had left harbour a great proportion had been either captured or scuttled. Four enemy ships were taken last week and two large vessels were scuttled on November 12 and 13. British merchantmen! continued to move in great numbers across the seas. All possible was being done to protect the British mercantile marine in accordance with the provisions of international law. Many of these ships had been armed, and recent experience showed that if they were attacked they would acquit themselves with the skill and courage necessary for effective and successful defence. On land, operations had been curtailed by bad weather. As the House knew, four enemy aeroplanes dropped bombs on the Shetlands on November 13. They were heavily engaged by anti-aircraft forces. The bombs, 12 of which fell on land and eight in the sea. caused no casualties and the damage was neglible.