AMERICAN ’PLANES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 29, 14 November 1939, Page 5

AMERICAN ’PLANES.

SOME RESTRICTIONS ON SALE. GUARDING OF SECRETS. NEW YORK,* November 12. The Washington correspondent oi the “New York Times” says: “Military secrets like aeroplane bomb-sights, aircraft detectors, and certain types of searchlights and guns in which the United States excels, will presently not be available to foreign purchasers. “Foreign sales will he confined to aeroplanes and other equipment in a. fluid state of development. “Two prime considerations affect the decision of what may be released: First, whether the secret can he guarded; second, whether immediate release will stimulate production, thus benefiting national defence.” The correspondent adds: “Aeroplanes cannot be kept secret, but there is a gadget fitted to the interior of a submarine engine which is believed to have been successfully kept secret since the World War. Similarly, there is a bomb sight by which United States bombers are more accurate from greater altitudes than those more in European countries.”

THE PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY. NOW 1250 CRAFT A MONTH. WASHINGTON, November 12. Mr John Jouett (president’ of the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce) said the production capacity of the aero industry in the United States was 1250 aeroplanes a month. Twenty-three of the 43 plants were now working on military equipment. The United Press of America says it is estimated that -the net war gain in 1940 by United States business will be 880,000,000 dollars, which is about 1 per cent, of the anticipated national income. It adds that 1,000,000,000 dollars of armament business is expected in the next 12 months, but the loss of peacetime trade is possibly worth 200,000,000 dollars. Aircraft orders at present are worth 30,000,000 dollars with 70,000 dollars expected immediately. ,

GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN 1918. HITLERS STATEMENT CHALLENGED. LONDON, November 12. A commentator refutes the statement made by Herr Hitler in his speech at Munich that the German armies were undefeated in 1918. Herr Hitler had said that it was a “great lie” that the British and French armies had defeated Germany. After the war, states the commentator, the German Parliament set up a commitee. to inquire into the cause of the war, and the reason for Germany’s defeat. The finding published by. the committee was that Germany had not been able to dictate peace terms because sllc had been defeated. A high German military officer, in a book written after' the war, warned his countrymen that they must realise that they had been beaten by military force. If they did not, Germany would be bonding for another fall in a short time.

The German Plenipotentiary to the peace parley stated in a book that Marshal von Hindenburg gave him full power to accept even unconditional surrender. Claims that Germany had not been defeated by force of arms could hardly be proved in face of such evidence, the commentator concluded. NO TIMBER FROM YUGOSLAVS. PRICE NOT SATISFACTORY. (Received This Day, 1.15 p.m.) BELGRADE, November 13. Exports of Yugoslav timber to Germany have been stopped because the price is not satisfactory.