APPEAL & RESPONSE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 January 1940, Page 5

APPEAL & RESPONSE

FINLAND IN GREAT NEED OF CREDITS

STATEMENT BY PREMIER. NATIONAL INCOME SINKING. LONDON, January 8. A message from Helsinki states the Prime Minister, M Ryti, appealing for foreign credit, said: “We are a peace-loving nation and hitherto we have paid little attention to our munitions industry, but now we must obtain munitions from abroad. “The frequently high prices received for our exports are sufficient to provide only part of the expenditure. Our national income is rapidly sinking, and we have reached a stage at which foreign credit is essential.” Ten thousand Swedish volunteers have already reported in Finland, while there are sufficient foreign pilots to man the aeroplanes expected from abroad. The Finnish shipowner, M Albert Wihuri, has given £45,450 to the defence fund. Switzerland has collected £28,000 for the Finnish Red Cross. A Buenos Aires report says that President Ortiz has authorised the shipment. of 50.000 tons of Argentine wheat to Finland, who will be permitted to pay when and how she pleases. HOUR OF DANGER NOT PAST. An Empire-wide appeal for help of every kind for Finland was made in London last night by Dr Trancred Borenius, professor of history of art at London University, who is himself a Finn. “Though we have been victorious so far,” he said, “it is obvious that the hour of danger is not past.” In referring to the fact that the British Legion had lent a house to serve as headquarters of the fund, he said that the legion had not been slow to recognise that Britain and Finland were fighting for the same ideals. It was on Finland that the brunt of battle was now falling. The greatest and most urgent need was medical supplies of all kinds. The ruthless bombing of cities and villages and the machine-gunning of civilians wherever Russian aeroplanes sighted them had created casualty lists of appalling length. Dr Borenius mentioned that the King and Queen had both sent donations to the fund. The United Stales Secretary of State, Mr Cordell Hull, has informed the League of Nations that his Government since the outbreak of hostilities has given tangible indications of its sympathy for the people and Government of Finland. He also said that the State Department at Washington had consulted direct with Finland in conneci tion with the Finnish request for matI erials and humanitarian assistance. ( Mr Paul Cadbury, chairman of the Committee of Friends Ambulance Unit, revealed in London that members of the unit would shortly leave for Finland with the encouragement of the War Office, the Foreign Office, and the Ministry of Labour (states a British Official Wireless message). The main party would leave in about 10 days and would work in conjunction with the •British Red Cross and in co-operation with the Finnish Red Cross. has been made by the President of Finland, M Kallio, Daventry reports. As excellent air raid precautions had been taken, M Kallio stated, the casualties had been relatively small, but in one month they had reached the dreadful total of 234 civilians killed, 270 seriously injured and 210 slightly wounded. The Finnish power of resistance was quickly increasing, and ' 170 enemy planes had been brought down so far.