FRENCH BARTER DEAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 147, 3 April 1941, Page 9

FRENCH BARTER DEAL.

POSSIBLE BRITISH REACTION. DISCUSSIONS WITH AMEBIC A. LONDON, April 1. A Washington message says that arrangements for the shipment of American food to unoccupied France are believed by informed quarters to be on the verge of collapse. The British are said to have proof that war materials are being sent to unoccupied France on their way to Germany. , The Minister for Economic Warfare (Dr. Hugh Dalton) was asked in the House of Commons whether the disclosure of the barter agreement between the Vichy Government and Germany, part of which was an alleged gift of wheat, would cause an alteration in the decision to permit two food ships to pass through the British blockade into occupied France. The Minister said: “The omission by Vichy to disclose the facts about this barter deal when complaining of our blockade will not, I think, rebound to their credit. The British Government is in communication with the United States Government regarding this affair. The British Government does not feel able to withdraw the pledge given to the United States that the two ships already navicerted will he allowed safe passage, but the agreement of the British Government to these! two shipments of flour does not imply under the present conditions that it is prepared to issue navicerts for the import into Franco of other supplies.” ’■ Interesting facts and figures about economic arrangements between the Vichy Government and the Axis were revealed by Dr. Dalton. Ho said that, taking the months of December and January together, figures purporting to ho' official showed that, about 450 vessels with a cargo of 'about 500,000 tons entered Marseilles. About 400 vessels with a cargo of 136,000 tons, left. “A large number of reports from a variety of sources leave no doubt that the Germans take the pick of all incoming * cargoes which interest them, while the Italians# are permitted to take a small picking. “Nearly all these reports indicate that more than half of such imports are taken by the Axis, and many of the reports put tho proportion as high as 80 per cent.”.