23 Jan 1940
Page 1
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Newspaper
Port Pirie Recorder
Location
Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia
Date
Jan 23, 1940
Page
1
German forces sink six vessels including a British destroyer with two neutrals lost. Finns reportedly strike Kronstadt area with bombs and push troops toward the border. Russia seizes German oil, causing shortages and Galicia tensions. Japan weighs legal stance after Britain removes German seamen from a ship.
London reports renewed German naval activity as six more vessels are attacked or sunk, including a British destroyer Grenville and several ships. An Asian passenger liner carrying 608 passengers was set ablaze and disappeared amid the wartime setbacks, with neutrals involved in the listed losses.
The Admiralty reports the destroyer Grenville, 1 485 tons, flotilla leader under Capt. G. M. Creasy, was sunk in the North Sea by a mine or torpedo. Eight crewmen killed, 73 missing presumed dead, 118 officers landed at an east coast port. seriously wounded sent to hospital. Grenville, launched 1935, led destroyers and served in Spanish Civil War waters.
SOS from Genos reports 950 aboard a vessel 100 miles from Barcelona. French warships and Conte Biancoamano rescue passengers and crew after a daylong battle with Hames. Protesilans crew of 60, many Chinese, are landed after a mine. Other ships, Ferry hill and India, strike mines with multiple drownings and missing crew. Llandaff Castle returns damaged. Pajala torpedoed by U boat. British warship fires back. Caroni River and Tekla sink as mines drift ashore.
Finnish communiques state increased activity on the Karelian isthmus south front with two attacks repulsed at Tolpe, heavy Soviet losses. Reconnaissance flights and bombing raids target Soviet railways as Finns claim Kronstadt still guarded and broader action near Leningrad. Casualties cited include 25 wounded on the Russian side.
A German commission probing Cracow petroleum imports reports Russians seized and diverted a Romanian shipment. The Times correspondent notes this may explain German troop presence in Galicia. Moscow cites weak industry start, output at 77 percent of minimum needs, and frost hitting iron and steel sectors.
French patrols were unusually active over the weekend in the Blies area penetrating two miles into enemy lines. Heavy snow marked the front though temperatures rose briefly. German detachments under cover of barrage rode a French post while French artillery responded with a heavy curtain of fire.
A report from captain wife Asuna Meru states a British ally stopped a Japanese vessel and removed 22 German merchant sailors bound from Chile to Germany. The German embassy claims the action was limited and in line with international law, involving technicians and skilled ratings.
A brutal cold wave grips America driving temperatures to record lows and claiming at least 112 lives nationwide. Cities from New York to the Midwest face dangerous cold as delivery routes suffer and residents endure extended power and heating shortages.
Fragmented weather notes describe snow in Victoria and Alabama with cold readings in Alaska. A 100 ton tanker sank off New Jersey after hull damage during rescue attempts. Reported cold continues in the southeast with readings near zero and a focus on wintry conditions and maritime incidents.
In Mount Mallum near Landshoroueb a large gumtree fell through a roof during a storm, killing Paul Kircheper and daughters Eisie and Vi instantly. The mother freed herself, saved a baby with an injured back, and crawled to a neighboring house to summon aid as both parents and the injured child were treated.
Sir Herbert Gepp, managing director of Australian Paper Manufacturers, relates a plan to supply forest thinnings. Mr. Playford notes SA spent loan funds to bring forests into production and stresses retention of local labor. Proposals for pulping in the South-East may be considered. a Tremier-backed SA company seeks timber. Drainage and land position near Eight-Mile Creek to be discussed.
Mr J Pirmin Jenkins presented his fee of £210 for plans for local abattoirs. The council referred the matter to the finance committee after questioning completeness of plans and estimates. The inspector said the plans were not detailed enough for a clerk of works, and the fee was discussed as a sliding scale. The account was referred for consideration.
In Adelaide on Monday Premier Playford said the South Australian Government would consider timber export for pulping and outlined development schemes in the forest and pastoral South-East. He planned a visit to the South-East with Crown Lands Commissioner Rudall after a request through the Commonwealth Department of Sup.
A terse local note reports a nude girl seen on Solomontown Beach during early morning hours. Details are sparse and no further identification is provided.
Local residents report disturbances at Solomontown Beach in the early hours during weekend gatherings. Youthful parties linger after main crowds, causing sleep disruption, loud singing, horn blowing, and obscene language. Reports describe splashing, mixed bathing, and a recent incident involving a girl chased by a man.
Town council selects new town hall cleaner from York Road Pirie Weal after a lengthy process. Fourty votes were cast with eight to three in favor of Mrs Wilson, with one abstention noted. The previous holder resigned, and the decision concluded the public hiring.
Mrs C Chambers of Alexander tree was rushed to Pirie Hospital yesterday. W Gee manager of New Austral Theatre returned to Pirie after a Glenelg holiday. M A Axon of Revell Street Pirie West admitted to Pirie Hospital. Mrs E J Smith of Pavlich Street Pirie West conveyed to Pirie Hospital with surgical ward admission. L C Moody of Risdon Park left for Adelaide. A J McNeil, noted WA business figure, died at Mount Barker Estate aged 70. He chaired Millars board and led the National Mutual Life. president of the WA Employers Federation. Pirie Returned Sailors and Soldiers League welcomed S P Scott Cummins sub branch, R Tymmons Glenelg, S Lyom Melbourne. P E McMahon named president of Pirie Returned Sailors sub-branch. Pirie Town Council members at fortnightly meeting included Threadgold mayor and crs. Price discharged from Pirie Hospital surgical ward. E Jacobson, long-time Pirie patient, undergoes operation.
A Royal Netherlands Indies Airways Lockheed 14 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after leaving Bali killing eight of nine aboard. only one passenger survived. The wreckage and casualty details include Mrs J Malintiem and Captain Schott among the dead, while Cadet Harold Cox was seriously injured in a separate Gipsy Moth crash in Sydney.
Sydney report quotes H. V. C. Thorby deputy Country Party leader pledging firm backing for all war measures deemed vital to ultimate victory. He asserts the Country Party will support the Government whether in a Composite Ministry or continuing in opposition, underscoring unity during empire-wide crisis.
The report lists wheat quotations including No. 1 at £1 10s 1d per quarter and Manitoba No. 3 at £19, with mentions of Argentine and South and Western Australian prices. Mr. Maycock argues that a campaign to restrict acreage should be shelved and may require increased sowings due to extremely low temperatures harming Northern European winter crops. If such a campaign starts, definite production restrictions may follow.
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