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Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
Dec 17, 1940
Page
2
The Canberra Advisory Council faced a heated session as critics assailed the housing allocation process. A motion to form a committee to probe city housing lets passed, amid claims of unfairness and opaque rostering.
Melbourne Monday reports the Australian Army Minister Mr Spender plans no visit to Egypt to inspect conditions and equipment for Australian troops. He says the idea arose from a casual remark about visiting military camps at home and abroad while keeping ALF in Egypt only when circumstances allow.
A farewell for Miss Misa Brodie of Te Lopes Park Senco on her Canberra transfer will be held at Hotel Kingston tonight at 6 o'clock. An artistic musical programme is planned and friends and parents of past and present scholars are invited.
President Roosevelt returns to Washington after visiting the Infantile Paralysis colony he founded at Warm Springs. He spoke by telephone with the Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, promising a spring visit if the world survives and recalling his autumn pledge if war occurs.
His Excellency Lord Gowries acknowledges birthday wishes from the Government and people of Australia including Mr. and Mrs. Tan Qurrie as they arrived in Canberra. He offers sincere thanks for the gracious greetings and good wishes conveyed on his birthday.
Barometer readings at 9 am 28.77 inches and 3 pm 28.68 inches. Temperatures range from 81 degrees at 4 am to 87 degrees at 3 pm. 24 hour average 89.2 degrees. Maximum wind 34 mph at Canberra aerodrome.
The forecast calls for hot and breezy conditions with scattered thundershowers. Later the weather will clear to fine skies with mild temperatures as northwesterly winds prevail.
OCR reads a poem fragment praising a just cause and the hope of help. The lines hint at moral duty, rest, and a distant future shaped by goodwill and aid. The text preserves archaic language and general sentiment amid missing context.
The Canberra Times notes the first £28,000,000 tranche of a £117 million Freedom Loan for the current financial year. It highlights broad public support, including from small investors, and argues taxation changes shape demand for subscriptions. The piece compares wartime costs and emphasizes national resolve to fund Britain's war effort through Australian subscriptions and war savings certificates.
In Sydney and northern coalfields meetings miners voted to strike nationally if the seniority dispute with BHP is not settled. The vote urged a nationwide action and cited the principle of last to come first to go as a core miners’ tradition. Henry Scanton warned that losing the dispute could end the Miners’ Federation.
A merchant ship near Nauru, attacked by a raider, has arrived at a British port. The Navy Minister Mr Hughes said no other vessels were found and steps were taken to safeguard vital supplies and communications to the islands. Relatives of passengers were being informed of the situation.
The Berlin news agency admits the RAF hit an underground railway and a block of flats, causing fires. Two people were killed and five wounded. The raid caught Berlin unprepared as weather was thought to shield the city. All clear before midnight caused a transportation jam as people exited shelters.
A pilot officer with the D.F.C. and D.S.C. describes a day over the Channel, engaging a squadron of German fighters. He recounts shooting down multiple enemy aircraft, including a M esserschmitt, and details squadron actions during convoy patrols with three enemy bombers spotted.
The Commonwealths 28 000 000 war and works loan closed with 21 000 subscribers and total uptake around 28 300 000 after postal applications. Long term securities attracted 20 750 000 and short terms 7 550 000 with varied maturities. War certificates sales stood at 16 588 000 and interest free banks at 5 170 000.
A wartime account describes German fighters breaking formation under heavy attack. Spitfires dive and strike fuel tanks, with one bomber exploding in flames. The crew reports twenty enemy aircraft destroyed and several in the water as they retreated.
The Conciliation Commissioner Mr Murray Stewart averted a potential strike by Deer Park explosive factory workers after a dispute over assays and the discharge of an official. A conference and a stop work meeting were planned but cancelled.
Raids on Naples reported by RA F force with five direct hits on destroyers and fires lasting after explosions. Bombs struck a jetty with two battleships moored, a raider dropped its carrier load near a battleship, and attacks hit the Naples aerodrome and railway station before all planes returned.
A lunch hour union meeting at Cockatoo dockyard was approved after management granted permission for the Boilermakers Union Secretary to speak. Earlier a stop work meeting of about 200 boilermakers was planned for Wednesday at the Trades Hall due to a denied address.
In Lake Parramatta two youths named Charles Edward Pinner 16 and Albert Louis Pinner 12 from Granville drowned beside a 30 yard wide lake after Albert failed to reach the far bank. Their companion Tennis McCabe 15 ran for help as both Pinners sank beneath the water.
At the Canberra Trades Hall meeting delegates accused contractors of evading holiday clauses in awards to deny workers Christmas and New Year pay. They urged government and offenders to follow both spirit and letter of awards and warned of blacklisting if proven. The council noted a ministerial approval to abolish extra motor registration charges under 12 months and to cut fishing licences from 5 shillings to 2 shillings 4 pence.
Mr McCall MP argues rising industrial unrest and strikes threaten war effort. He says a long recess is unthinkable and urges immediate steps to restore smooth industry plans and bleeding regulations to quell domestic strife. He warns Australia cannot win battles abroad while fighting industrial battles at home.
The High Command reports brief heavy fire between Thai and Indo China forces at Aranyaprales with rising border violence. Three Thai aircraft dropped bombs, killing one and wounding several as Poipet railway town was bombed. Thailand invites Border Commission talks.
King George and Queen Elisabeth, with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, were amused by Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. The screening appeared part of the Ming birthday observance, with attendance noted at the private ceremony.
After lunch the unit sighted about 20 fire bombers and a Nacht escort moving toward a convoy. They closed on the Mignter escort and chased a fighter, exchanging bursts of machine gun fire. The pilot bailed out and his aircraft crashed on the beach in flames. Back at the aerodrome the squadron reported attacking an enemy aircraft with 21 confirmed destroyed.
A Maritime Services Board captain, George Parker, 58, was seriously hurt when a steel tow line swung across the deck. Seaman Frank Dose, 39, of Annandale, was knocked down and suffered cuts and bruises. The incident occurred outside the Sydney Heads.
At Adelaide Police Court the Countess of Bective, Adelaide society women, Milley and Anderson Ltd faced charges under the State Lottery and Gaming Act for a Red Cross raffle. Prosecution said matchboxes with numbers were sold for 1 and allowed entry into a draw. Defence argued wartime charity raffles were common and implied gambling law misapplied. Magistrate reserved judgment.
The Minister for Health Mr Macdonald praised households for supporting evacuees from the bombed arena during winter. He noted in one civil defence region about 900 large houses lent or requisitioned as hospitals, nurseries or maternity homes and over 100 village halls used as mothers clubs and feeding centres. More than 1200 smaller houses had been taken over.
Commonwealth officials plan to restrain access to the Orungal for 48 hours after the fire ends to ensure the internal heat of the timber holds has cooled. The vast timber stores make prolonged burning likely, prolonging danger for several days.
Washington reports President Roosevelt expected to inject freed energy into the armament programme. Observers anticipate a proclamation of a full emergency, elevating the current limited urgency. Authorities indicate necessary documents are completed and awaiting formal action.
The article discusses British operations in the Western Desert under General Wavell. It outlines attack phases from preparation to final assault and notes caution against rushed troop deployment while predicting potential advances if current gains hold. It compares with World War I Gaza operations for context.
Report discusses General Wavell weighing three courses for North Africa operations as supply lines reach Mersa Matruh and Sollum. Options include continuing the attack, building a strong defensive Libyan line, or starting a large scale breakthrough with a northern flank thrust.
The analysis suggests Petain aims to keep a nominally independent French government to help Germany secure French North Africa and Syria. Hitler may refrain from hard demands to avoid triggering a collapse of Vichy and a return of forces from Africa and the Near East. Weygand’s position in Africa could be undermined as part of this strategy.
Fragmentary note indicates Mr. T. J. Collins assumes duties as Minister for Senator Fol in the administration of the Interior. The change appears linked to a broader policy programme and management priorities for the region.
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