THURSDAY. DEC. 21. 1939
TIMES. W ILLA M IN A . DR EGON
Nazi Land Mine Hunters Draw Most Dangerous Job
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W, LattlNE
Russia’s Ouster From League
Is Empty Victory for Finland
Because Geneva Is Powerless
(EI)ITOR'S NOTE—When opinions are expressed in these colum ns, they
»re those of the new s analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.!
—
Released by Western Newspaper Union. _____________________
They Figured in the Battle of Nations
♦
JOSEPH AVENOL
VIACHESLAV MOLOTOV
Secretary-general of the League, he
Premier of Russia, he replied bluntly by
called the special session at Finland's be referring Avenol to an earlier Soviet mes
hest after the little Baltic nation uas in sage which said Russia considered Fin
vaded by Russia. Purpose: To win League land’s appeal “unfounded’’; that Russia
condemnation of Russia, possibly her ex did not consider herself at war with Fin
pulsion, and the support of other League land ; that Moscow was maintaining “peace
nations for Finland's cause. If'hen the as ful relations" with the Soviet sponsored
sembly agreed unanimously to offer Russia Finnish “peoples" government; that the
its mediation services, Avenol extended regular Helsinki government no longer
the bid to Moscow.
had authority.
(IAST
PRUSSIA]
TO GERMANY
EEEQS9
Br»»lou
o Progu«
Vi«nn<aQ
KARL BAMBBO
JAKOB SL'RITS
League assembly president and repre
sentative of Norway, he was among lead
ing pro-Finnish workers who argued for
Russia's expulsion following receipt of
Molotov's message. Rudolphe Freyre, Ar
gentine delegate, threatened to leave the
League unless this action was taken. Final
ly such a resolution was passed and the
council adopted it. Avenol was ordered
to give the Soviet its walking papers.
Russian ambassador to France and dele
gate to the League, he packed his bags and
left Geneva silently while the forces of
democracy cheered. But observers won
dered about the wisdom of this gesture.
Would not Russia’s ouster draw the Krem
lin closer to Berlin and Tokyo, thereby
cementing the pro-war forces and spread
ing the conflict? Moreover, had the de
funct League gained anything?
THE WARS:
fight. Same day, however, this gain
was offset when the British destroy-
er Duchess collided with another
warship and went down with 122
men.
Intensified warfare was also seen
on the Western front, where Nazi
raiders provided a mysterious touch
by attacking at night wearing black
hoods and cloaks.
Western Front
TO
RUSSIA
The warning sign,
“ Minen,”
(Mines! on the cart tells the story of
this picture. A squad of German sol
diers hunt land mines in a sretor
on the western front recovered from
the French. Most dangerous Job is
that of pulling the cart in which
recovered mines are carried. A
slight mishap and it is doubtful if
even the identification tag would be
found. The recovered bombs which
cannot be used by the finders are
destroyed by Nasi marksmen—in a
safe place.
Final Russo-Nazi
Splihip of Poland
Creation of a puppet Polish state
under Berlin domination is expected
shortly as the final step in that
doomed nation’s division between
Germany and Russia. Small area
whose fate is still undecided prob
ably will become a corral for Ger
man and Polish Jews, who will be
forced to seek refuge there.
Stork Habitual Visitor to Massachusetts Family
F
i
j
“Strangers are present,” said
Prime Minister Chamberlain, and 15
I
reporters were ousted from the gal
1
lery. A few minutes later the house
,
of commons began its first secret
,
session since the World war. Sub
ject: “Organization of supplies for
the persecution of war.”
There was probably a lot of ex Northern Front
Russia could not blame little Fin- ,
plaining to do. First Lord of the
Admiralty Winston Churchill was land for the loss of her steamer I
probably asked why Germany’s $20,- Indigirka, which went down off the '
000,000 Bremen was allowed to slip coast of far-away Japan with a loss
through the blockade and reach of probably 700 lives. But the Krem- j
lin did pout that Finland’s white-
clad ski units were “ using bandit i
tactics in sudden attacks . . ."
Wrote one war correspondent to
his Moscow paper: “The enemy does i
not engage in open battle. Hidden,
under white robes, they suddenly J
M r. and Mrs. James Oliveri of Quincy, Mass., visited by the stork only recently, are shown with their
dart from the woods to shoot at our :
advancing units. Then in all haste family of 12 children. Mrs. Oliveri holds the youngest arrival, who was christened Peter. M r. Oliveri, 36 years
they run, frequently taking off their i old, is an auto mechanic receiving $36 a week salary. Mrs. Oliveri is 32 years old. The couple has been m ar
boots to ski only in their stockings.” ried for 15 years.
Finally, after 14 days of ignomin
Diaper Derby
ious defeat, the Russians reportedly
Meet ‘Josephine,’ 900-Pound Champion
rushed up 1,500,000 men and 1,000
airplanes to bisect little Finland,
whose troops were slaughtering hun- 1
dreds of Reds each day, disabling ;
tanks and capturing light artillery ,
pieces. Britain announced she would |
send war mpterials to aid the Hel
sinki government, while Italy con
tinued sending planes and pilots.
BREMEN
Why, Mr. Churchill?
Hamburg, homeward bound from
Murmansk.
(The admiralty had announced a Brit
ish submarine had sighted the Bremen
but did not attack because it would have
broken
international
law.
Germany
scoffed at this report, but failed to tell
why the Bremen was called home so sud
denly from the ulleged safety of a Rus
sian port.)
Sir John Simon probably had to
explain why Britain and France had
merged their economic structure
into what English financiers called
an “ unbreakable combination of
financial power.” But aside from
these matters, the allies could be
fairly well pleased with the war’s
progress.
Day after Germany had an
nounced her war aim was “military
destruction of the enemy,” three
British cruisers sent the Nazi raider
Admiral Graf Spee limping into the
harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay,
with 36 dead after a 14-hour running
<
BUSINESS:
Asphyxiation
Ever since its passage the 1935
public utility holding company act
has been fought tooth and nail by
America's No. 1 holding company,
Associated Gas and Electric com-
pany. Last year a senate investi-
gating committee was outsmarted
in its sensational search for myste-
rious H. C. Hopson, Associated Gas’
guiding spirit.
Crux of the holding company act
is a “death sentence” clause pro
viding for integration of all utility
systems geographically and eco
nomically. This month, its long ar
gument apparently lost, Associated
Gas asphyxiated itself. Resigned
“because of ill health” was Presi
dent J. I. Mange, replaced by Roger
J. Whiteford. Said the new chief:
“It is my purpose to give my at
tention at once to simplification of
the corporate system . . . inte
gration or consolidation of its prop
erties . . . and adjustment of the
voting power . . . ”
j
j
!
i
:
Edward Moeller, a bachelor un
cle, won the Kansas City, Mo., dia
per derby recently when he bested
a field of five experienced fathers,
completing his task in 1:02 seconds.
Reason: He used a zipper diaper.
"Josephine,” 900-pound three time champion Poland China hog, gets
a long drink of water from four-year-old Marlene Cattle. Josephine attract
ed more than her share of attention when she was entered in a Los
Angeles live stock show. She weighs about 20 times as much as her diminu
tive caretaker, but obeys orders readily, especially if there’s food in the
offing.
*