This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 19 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
Jan 15, 1940
Page
2
Wholly printed text from Critich Newsprint mentions Times Building and local figures McGlade and Caprio with scattered phrases about Queanbeyan and District. The readable bits resemble a historical snippet with names, places, and dates obscured by OCR.
The Commerce Department doubts funding Australia to England gifts. It fears large scale exports could undermine an agreement with the LeAliah Government and interfere with Britain's rationing. It also warns that butter gifts would require tinning, hurting quality and reputation.
The Ministry of Supply will become the world’s largest trader handling materials with an annual value of £150,000,000. It will control supplies of aluminium, copper, and other non ferrous metals and many rubber goods. The Empire aims for self sufficiency in raw materials since 1914 and will buy up Australian and New Zealand wool and other surpluses.
A Fox Moth plane carrying Pitot Berry and Flying Dr Alberry vanished for four days between Gregory Downs and Blkrtown. Captain BD Donaldson's search plane located them Friday, but they were not found. A Saturday effort yielded no trace, then a Sunday plane again found the wreckage, with later reports placing the crash west of Almora Station and northwest of Punjab Homestead after a fresh search.
The resignation of War Minister Hore-Belisha caused a sensation as critics claim his dismissal was influenced by anti Semitic bias and social pressure while supporters note his strong leadership. The episode risks fracturing allied unity and weakens public confidence in wartime policy and leadership.
A German communique reports no major events on the Western Front while air reconnaissance flies over Eastern France and the North Sea. Heavier calibre gunfire erupts on the Moselle sector as planes are active and Luxembourg craters reveal heavy bombardment. Lord Gort decorates a French officer and a British lance corporal for their patrol and rescue actions.
The London Chamber of Commerce notes German delegates would not meet British shipping representatives in person at Rotterdam to discuss disposal of cargoes detained in neutral ports. The German delegation will sit separately in the hotel with a Dutch intermediary and supervision by a German Foreign Office official.
Weather data for Canberra covers Saturday and Sunday with barometer readings around 80 inches at 5 am and 29.82 inches at 2 pm on Saturday and 281 inches at 9 am and 29.49 inches at 3 pm on Sunday. Temperature ranges include 60 degrees by 9 am and 60 degrees at 3 pm Saturday, and 63 degrees at 9 am and 83 degrees at 3 pm Sunday. Wind directions vary, and maximum and minimum readings are noted.
Three young men died in separate Sydney area drownings over the weekend. Richard Newing, 21, of Gladesville, was found drowning in Manly Harbour pool after a 45 minute rescue attempt. Leslie Hindmarsh, about 18, of Berala, disappeared at Lake Parramatta and was recovered unconscious. he died in hospital. Reginald Payre, 18, of Crows Nest, drowned at Narrabeen and died despite revival efforts.
Official figures detail British naval losses, submarine and mine threats in 1939 40 while wartime tonnage arrivals outpace sunk ships. It notes contraband seizures totaling 535 000 tons and adds Britain ships built approaching 1 000 000 tons as Allied fleets stay active with French naval efforts increasing.
Transport units from Cyprus join British forces on the French front marking the first colonial troops to fight alongside older British divisions. The article notes Cyprus’s political history from ancient empires to its 1924 annexation and its 14 years as a colony at the time of its war participation. It also discusses Soviet figures Kaganovitch and his brother Lasar amid Stalinist era shifts and the Finnish campaign.
Britain reports 6 200 tons of contraband detained last week bringing wartime total to 554 000 tons. 126 cargoes were crammed and 84 released as contraband defined as goods carried to belligerents for warlike purposes. navicerts to certify neutral cargoes before port departure praised by the United States and other neutrals.
The Maritime Commission plans tendering two 35 000 ton passenger liners for Trans Pacific service to be luxuriously fitted but quickly converted to aircraft carriers with 100 foot flight decks and TS plane accommodations. Funnels and armament mimic modern carriers, speed exceeds 30 knots, operated by the President Line in peacetime.
In a Sunday by election address, Prime Minister Menzies urged Cors seat electors to choose between neutrality or armed belligerency with allies. He framed neutrality as withdrawal from the British Empire and said Australia remains at war as a British ally. He referenced Casey’s Washington appointment and hinted at policy directions.
The Commonwealth Government is advised that faster ordering and three shifts at some factories, notably the Maribyrnong works, are essential for full munitions production. Raw materials arrive in bulk but sit idle due to ordering delays, while mass production could trim costs with potential £3000 savings on an anti aircraft gun.
A German communique says eight British bombers failed to hit three destroyers at Heligoland Bight with two bombs dropped and one bomber shot down. RAF reconnaissance missions continue over Germany with minimal losses, while Coast Command planes attack three enemy destroyers off Jutland. German claims of air victories over France are disputed.
A Chinese report states a Japanese warship sank fishing boats off Swatow on Thursday, causing the drowning of about 1,000 Chinese sailors. The incident highlights escalating tensions in Shanghai and surrounding maritime zones as naval hostilities intensify.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research advances an Australian grown aeroplane fabric with early success. Raw material is cultivated in experimental plots around Canberra as part of prewar aims to localise aircraft component manufacture and possibly revive government interest in tax growing.
British and French air forces report success in multiple engagements. A German bomber over the Firth of Forth was shot down with one crewman rescued. Over the North Sea three German fighters were pursued and all British aircraft returned safely. Four French planes engaged twelve Messerschmitts, with three enemy planes downed.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.