Zurich Herald, 1941-02-20, Page 6THE VAR.WEEK --Commentary on Current events
Plans Declared Compkte
For Canada -U, S. Defence
"Complete plants for the
defence of Canada and the
United States are now in ex -
1. fence. " -- Mayor F. H. La
Guardia of New York City,
Chairman U.S.-Canada joint
defence commission.
Committed by their Prune 11lin-
ister Mackenzie King to an all-
out war effort, Canadians last
week saw gigantic preparations
being made in the capital to step
up the training of young men for
"the army, navy and air force;
and to speed the manufacturing
of mountains of war material
for Britain. 1n more detail, the
1941 objective of the Dominion
Government's military plass
were: 1. To provide 25 Canadian
air squadrons for overseas ser-
vice, graduates of the British
Commonwealth Air Training'
Plan; 2. To increase the present
strength of men in the air train-
ing plan to doable what it was
in 1940; 8. To increase the Can-
adian Navy to double its present
number of ships; 4. To manufac-
ture destroyers and long-range
bombers and concentrate on pro-
ducing weapons not obtainable
in the United States; 5. To send
overseas the Third Canadian Di-
vision now training in Canada
with complement of corps
troops for the three divisions, an
army tank brigade and a Can-
adian armoured division; 6. To
recruit for the active army 40,-
000 to 80,000 men; 7. To put
200,000 additional men and wo-
men to work in war industries;
8. Diversion of a great part of
Canada's peace -time industry to
war production.
The Canadian Army
Pointing towards these objec-
tives, the compulsory military
training period for young men
of 21 was extended from 30 days
to 4 months. (First period to
begin March 20 — from 6,000 to
6,500 to oe called up each
month). And every reserve mili-
tia unit in Canada, except the
ones with battalions already
abroad, was notified by defence
authorities that it must prepare
for mobilization for overseas ser-
vice.
Legislators Re -convene
A11 these projects — and how
they were going to be paid for—
occupied the minds of our mem-
bers of parliament this week as
they gathered once again in the
Goes to Brazil
Jean t)esy, former Canadian
minister to Belgium and the
Netherlands, is being named to
the newly -created post of Can-
adian minister to Brazil.
Dominion House of Coznmons,
and in the Ontario Legislature.
The session at Ottawa was ex-
pected to last through till May,
or maybe later; the session at
Toronto, it was forecast, would
be "long in debate and short in
contentious legislation."
Canada the Pivot
In an address at the University
of Toronto last week, Professor
R. A. MacKay of Dalhousie Uni-
veirsity, Halifax, declared that
Canada was taking the place of
France in world strategy and had
become the pivot "around which
'the present world war was being
stageci." Further, he said, Can-
ada had become Britain's second
partner in the war against Ger-
many and the principal partner
Of the •Unites States in defence
:•ef the Western Hemisphere.
"We are allied now with both
Britain and the United States .."
Corroborating this statement
Mayor Fiorillo La Guardia of
New York City, Chairman of the
;point U.S.-Canada defence com-
mission told the United States
Serrate . Foreign Relations Coln -
Wee that "complete plans "for
Sint defence of Canada and the
fited States are now in exist-
nce, These plans, he said, em-
braced tootles, questions of ter•
$tory and co-ordination of fore -
NI.
BM Passes U.S. House
)57 a vote of 260 to 165, the
United States House of Repre-
sentatives last week passed the
momentous "Lease -Lend" bill,
empowering President Roosevelt
to lease, lend or otherwise trans-
fer the sinews of war to embat-
tled Britain and other nations
whose defence he should deem
vital to the defence of the United
States. The bill was not expect-
ed to fare so well in the Senate
where the legislators, it was
thought, were more anxious to
put a curb on the President's ini-
pulsiveness, by .passing' a number
of restrictive amendments,
Aid More Imtnediate
' All sorbs of rumors were cur-
rent last week as to the Presi-
'dent's plans for provision of 'im-
mediate
im-mediate aid to Britain. Final
passage of the "Lease -Lend" bill
early in March would mean that
merchant ships, bombing planes,
tanks and infantry rifles would
be transferred to Britain as soon
as possible. But in the mean-
time, it was expected that the
President would do something
more spectacular, following Wen-
dell Willkie's reeommendatjons--
trade American destroyers for
British battleships; or destroyers
for land bases in the Patifie.
(The Bill does not prohibit provis-
ion of American ships in Brit-
ish convoys).
Japan and Canada
United States' entry into the
sear, now viewed as a strong pos-
sibility, would also moan Japan's,
according' to the terms of the
Tripartite Pact signed last year
by Germany Italy and Japan, A
new front in the second world
war would be opened tip in the
,Pacific, -- with Canada's west
coast as a springboard for attack
and a new area to be defended.
The war would be brought much
closer to Canadians,
Inching Southward
A hint to "watch Japan" was
thrown out, in London last week,
by informed diplomatic observers
surveying Tokyo's activities in
connection with the Thailand -in -
do -China dispute. Japanese
troops were reported to be ready
to land at Saigon, French Indo-
China, only 64'S miles from Brit-
ain's eastern stronghold, Singa-
pore --- in whieh direction the
:laps' were undoubtedly inching,
The Phillippines were also menac-
ed, At the same time a little farth-
er north, the Japanese began a
new drive against China after
effecting a surprise landing en
the coast of Kwangtung Pro-
vince. They hoped shortly to cut
off the route ever whioh large
quantities of Chinese war sup-
plies had been moving from
Hong Kong to the interior,
.Acute dissension was known to
be raging within the ranks of
China's - war leaders. Edgar
Snow noted authority on China,
writing in New York's "PM" told
of calamitous events happening
behind the Chinese front, He
declared that the "appeasers"
with Chiang-kai-Shek were' fast
gaining the upper hand, might, if
not stopped in time, conte to
terms with Japan. Stories of
Chiang's falling-out with hie
Communist armies came frons
other quarters, "Time" said:
"The clique of Chinese generals
who hate and fear thein Com-
munist allies have gained a vic-
tory in the forcible disbanding
of the Fourth Route Army. But
it is no victory for China. What
has kept the Communists fight-
ing for Chiang is the fact that
they fear Japan more than they
fear Chiang Kai-shek, If Japan
(or Russia) could convince the
Communists that they have less
to fear from Japan (or Russia)
than from Chiang Kai-shek,
China's jig would be up."
"A nation does not have to be
invaded in order to dose a war."
-Dorothy Thompson.
1 m 3 t9 O Cl 7 J '2 �' 3
THE MARQUIS OF LORNE, K.T., G.C.M,G.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA,1878-1883
anter was signed
�n February 15, 1881, the Marquis of Lorne, then Governor-General
of Canada, signed the charter of the Canadian Pacific Railway. That
signature consummated the vision of great Canadian statesmen—Sir
John A. Macdonald, D'Arcy McGee, Sir Georges -Etienne Cartier, and
Sir Charles Tupper—that the new Dominion of Canada should be linked
from Atlantic to Pacific by a trans -continental railway—and implemented
the pledge under which British Columbia entered Confederation.
So began a new era in Canadian unity ... and Empire solidarity ... for
the Railway expanded into ca system spanning two oceans and linking
three continents. Today — as in 191448 — a proud responsibility
rests on our transportation and communication systems — railway,
steamships, freight, express, telegraphs and engineering shops.
Canadian Pacific officers and employees everywhere are co-operating
each in his own Heid —towards the common goal ... VICTORY.
When that goal is reached—card it will he reached—this will be
due, in no small measure, to Canada's contribution, and to the
vision and foresight of the men who, sixty years ago, planned the
construction of the first Canadian trans -continental railway.
NK OF EMPIR
RAILWAY
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