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Show PKHMM HIDES BRITONS TOLD GRIM Combat Thus Far Called 'Merely Preliminary to Main Struggle LONDON, Jan. (AP) (Vi Radio) Prime Minister Cham berlaln In It militant address to the British empire today, declared de-clared Britain's aid to Finland "will be no mere formality," and said that events in the war with Germany thus far were "merely preliminary" to the main struggle to come. , ' "It is only on tha sea," ha said, "that tha war may be said to be in full'operaUon." : ' Tha prima minister, speaking In a voice choked with amotloA, de. dared tha British-French alliance should become permanent .la the Interests of "peaceful reconstruction" reconstruc-tion" after the war la over. For 55 minutes, Britain's war leader reviewed the progress of the hostilities to flats in an address aty the lord mayor's luncheon at Man slon house. , p , , ' Fateful ITear Ahead r ' It was Chamberlain's first public pub-lic appearance of tha new year, a year which he said would be a fateful one in the history of the world. - ' He said the "unbelievable" quiet of tha first months ef the war could only be Interpreted as "tha quiet of the calm before the storm." The solemn words of the prime minister were frequently Inter rupted by cheers and applause. Speaking of Finland, Chamberlain Chamber-lain said: "And now It la the turn et Finland Fin-land to be attacked by tha power (soviet Russia) with whom Germany Ger-many made an unholy pact and for whom she seta the example of aggression. Finland ... la fighting fight-ing against tha forces of unscrupulous unscrupu-lous violence Just as we are ourselves. our-selves. She Is fighting for the same thing, for liberty and for Justice. Ne Mere FortnaJtty' ' . "That valiant people can rest assured that our response to that resolution (for aid to Finland), which was passed so recently at a meeting of tha league In Geneva, will be no mere formality."- Chamberlain aaid bitterly that the leaders of the German people would like to treat the British aa . they are treating "their conquered people." "But we on our side have no such vindictive designs," ha said. He labeled as a "vicious invention" inven-tion" of German propagandists tha thought that the British would attempt at-tempt to annihilate the Germans. He described Germany's policy aa a threat and a menace "to the (CoBtlnucd on flit Two) i (Column Flv) EUROPE UNION SET WAS AIM (Continued from Pete On,) moral standards of which western civilization la built." Chamberlain declared that Britain's Brit-ain's mastery of the seas was unimpaired un-impaired and that England was ready to repel any Invader from 1 the air. Danger Still Present 1 do not consider that the risk of air raids Is over or diminished," he aald, "and I am certain that we should make a capital mistake If we became lax in our policy or changed it." The presence of England's dominion do-minion soldiers In France is evidence, evi-dence, he said, of the unanimous approval of the cause for which the empire went to war. German ahlpping is either bottled bot-tled up or confined to Baltic ports, he declared. Speaking of British-French cooperation, coop-eration, he said: "I can't help thinking that our experience of this association with France will be so valuable that neither of us can give it up. Forecasts New Unloa "It might even develop into something some-thing wider and deeper, because there i nothing which would do more to precipitate the start of peaceful reconstruction . . . which would make permanent its results," than such a union. Chamberlain said. Such an Anglo-French union would benefit the whole world. Chamberlain went on amid cheers. Switching his topic then to "the home front," Chamberlain spoke of the conscription of British citizens citi-zens and declared "the total number num-ber of men registered since the introduction in-troduction of compulsory service amounts to between two and a half and two and three-quarters millions," Added to the regulars, he said, the number is "prodigious." "We mustn't think that because this war hasn't taken the form that It did in 1014 we can carry on our lives as if we were at peace. We must do without many things which we shall miss." Chamberlain reserved little space In his speech today for replying to critics of Leslie Hore-Belisha's retirement re-tirement as secretary of state for war. That subject Is expected to be taken up when parliament convenes con-venes January 16. Cries for an earlier session were quieted by the government's assurance that Hore-Belisha's Hore-Belisha's "democratizing" of the army and other changes would be preserved. There were reports that a new ministry of Imperial defense would be created, with Winston Churchill, Church-ill, first lord of the admiralty, as coordinator of the army, navy and air force. |