.~•· I SSUED THROUGH NEWS DIVI SI ON. 9/10/39 - No. 1. FI.ASH. Frora its cgrefully camoufl2ged a irfj_elds in this secret area of Frnnce the Royal Air Force is carrying out a programme of unceasing nctivj_ty on the ·v"Jestern Front 9 nlthough the present stage of the war is one in uhich there is very little concrete news to r eporc in proportion to the work actually done. With epic feats of skill and daring, the Siegfried Line is being charted dovm to the most minute detailo Dangerous reconnaissance in vital sectors of the German Hinterlands adds daily to Brj. tain' s knowl. e dge of the enemy defence systems • Co-operation wj_th thG French is close and unceasing and the two Air Comnnnds a re in constant consultationo Often in the lobb y of the Head quarters h e re~ a row Df dark caps covered ·with gold stars ancl. oak2.e aves x•evenls that high French officers are over for a conferencen The Ro Ao F ~ b a ses a re hio. .ien array in the countryside with marve llous skillo The first tj:me I visited one I realised that I h aG. p 2ssed right through it tvvo clays before ·;1i thout noticinc that it vras thereo 'J'he other :.ty 9 they told me, a pilot coming from London h a d been totall;Jr unable to discoveP the landing ground he rvas aiming a to For considerable distances alon ~ the fringe of the woods camouflaged 'planes have been pushed back into the trees and concealed with a few· quickly-removable loose branches. It has been done with such skill that they are almost invisible. But they can be got .. out and into action at a minute's notice,, Runways of wooden J.ogs 9 or better still of special iron grids 9 have been l a ic1 down to mc,ke their movement easy. The men have used the ir• leisure moments to construct little thatched }1uts or wigwams nea ra thei r machines, some of them quite luxuriously e quipped insideo A tele1)hone call from headq_uarters may set everything sudden1y in motiono The Aircraftsrnen ar e sur11E1oned from their game of football to get the n o.chine s in readinesso The observers are told that such and such a sect:lon of the Siegfried Line must be photogr ahpedo An d in a short time t he fliGht sets off on its duties knowing that a t any moment a si,-,r arm of black sinister-looking messerschmi d.ts may mvoop up and attack it. ~· · 2 - So far the plans of the High GnrMnand have provided for more photography and leaflet- e_ropping than bombingo Dithin the service ave~ here the dangerous work at present being c r.: rrie c!. out is lrn:pt on an im:.;:iersonal basis of anonymity nnd it is only by cho.nce t~1at the ci..etails of the heroic exploits ever leak auto 1 In the eve ~1 in g 9 7hen their day's v-vork is over, the pilots often foregather in the leading hoteJ. of the nearby tovm. Here you may meet a man vvho a fe-N ho1Jrs l)efore has been photographing the Siegfried Line from a J.1ej_gl1t of only a hundred feet., \"latching the upturned faces of the grey-green clad German soldiers gazing at him in stupefactiono Another may have returned fron shooting down enemy planes in a S:!:)ectacular air bo:ttleo But there is usually very little talk about it - they regard it as all l)ar t of the dayr s work. :Gqual~ :T r11oc1est ar•e the humbler rankso As they sit at their meal on clear~ wooden tables outoide the vj.llage dance hall rrhere they sleep, their talk is more of the chances of a cigarette issue, or what thej.r familie s m,e dotng at home, than of the fights they have just taken ~art ino ISSUED THROUGH NEWS DIVJ;_SI ON . NO. 2 - 9/10/39• AIR MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENT. Royal Air Force reconnaissance a ircraft shoot dovm German Flying Boat. Further details of the Royal Air Force encounter with enemy flying boats over the North Sea are issued by the Air Ministry. The pilot of a Bri t ish reconnai ssance aircraft observed an enemy flying boat? The dived towards the flying boat and the two joined action with bursts of ma chine e;-.:at fire. A second enemy flying boat appeared and took part in the engagement; shortly aftervrnrds two more British reconnaissance aircraft came on the s c eneo The British a ircraft quickly gai ned the upper hand. The first enemy flying boat s:1ipped out of the fight and fell into the seao Its companion made off. Two of the British aircraft were struck by bulle ts but neither was dama gedo i'hcre were no casualties among the British crewso Issued through News Division. 9/10/39 - No.3. Towards nightfall and during the night of October 8th there were patrol a ctivities on either side of the valley of the lower Nied and to the South of Saarbrucken. FROM FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECTION. ISSUED THROUGH NEWS DIVISION. NO. 4 9/10/39 EMPIRE ANNOUNCEMENT "NO ::_-<F.;CKLESS INFLA11 ION" - NEW ZEALAND GOVERNM~NT TAKE CONTROL OF CURRENCY The passage of the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill through the New Zealand Parliament on the last day before the recess, followed an all-night sitting on the Marketing Amendment Act. This empowers the Government by Order in Council to buy or otherwise acquire and to sell or otherwise dispose of any goods for consumption or use in New Zealand or els«where and to fix their buying price. Special accounts are to be opened at the Reserve Bank for the purpose of the Acting Prime Minister. No limit is to be placed on the authority of the Bank to gr ant overdrafts to such accounts and any such overdrafts are not to be deemed to be unsecured advances. In fixing the price of goods acquired, due regard is to be given to the existence of a state of emergency. The Government rejected an Opposition amendment providing for review of the measure within twelve months after the end of the war. There was much Opposition criticism of the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill, giving the Government complete control of the Dominion's credit and currency. The Acting Prime Minieter, Mr.Frase~ said there would be no reckless inflation and that, war or no war, when the interests of the country wer~ at stake, the Gover~ent must take every step to give themselves complete power. After passing all stages in the Legislature, the Bill received the Governo~General 's assent. Issued chi->ough News. Di vL~ ion 9/ 10/39. No,5. MINISTRY OF AGRI CUl°..JTURE ~ Q_U;fCEMENT. SEA FISHING I NDUS'J1.EX. AC'+~9...; ... J.9...J.1._t?-]19. 192.§... The following Order datecl t he Li.th October, 1939, has been made U!rlde r the Sea-Fishin6 Industry Acts, 1933 and 1938. The Sea Fish Industry ( Imr:ia tur e Sea-FishJ Reyoca tidn O:rq~£J_J.,2.3~ This Order revokes the Order of 1938, which prohibited the landin; or sale of umdersized sea fish of the kinds specified therein, viz : h.:i.ke 9 haddock , whi t inc; dabs , lemon soles, me grims , plaice , soles and witches. This action has been taken--bec.ause a certain number of undersized fish are unavoidably taken in the course of fishing operations notwithstanding that a minimum size has been yrescribed for the mesh of nets. In the present emergency it is desirable that any fish so talcen should be available for food. Cop1es of the Order (S.R. & O. 1939 No. 1323) may be obtained from H. M. Stationery Of'fice or throu ·:h any bookseller, price ld. net. IB'SUed through News Di rts1on. 9/10/39. No. 6. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE ANNOUNCEMENT. NATIONAL RAT WEEK, 6TH TO 11TH NOVEMBER, 1939. In view of the serious depredations on food stocks b;y- rats, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries considers that the annual Rat Week should be held this year notwithstanding the War. The Week will begin on Monday 9 6th November, and the Minister asks everyone to make a special effort during the week to destroy any rats on their own lands and premises and to take all possible steps towards securing concerted action against these vermin. The Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919, places an obligation upon every occupier of "land" , which term includes buildings on or under land~ to take steps to destroy rats and mice on the property which he occupies and to prevent such property from becoming infested. County Councils, County Borough Councils and many other local authorities in England and Wales are empowered to enforce the Act in their respective districts and these authorities have, as in previous years, been invited to co-operate in this year's campaign. The Ministry's Advisory Leaflet No.49 - 11 The Destruction of Rats and Mice" contains information and advice on methods for dealing with rats. A copy may be obtained free of charge from the Offices of the Ministry, 10, Whitehall Place, London, S.W,l. Further information on the subject of rats is contained in Bulletin No.30 " Rats and How to Ex -S erminate Them", copies of which are obtainable through any bookseller, or direct from H.M. Station­ ery Office, York House, Kingsway 9 London, W.C.2.