COMMANDEERED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 114, 16 May 1942, Page 7

COMMANDEERED

U.S. AIR TRANSPORT

Mr. Roosevelt Gives Latest Lease-Lend Figures

United Press Association.—Copvright. Rec. 2 p.m, WASHINGTON, May 15.

At a Press conference President Roosevelt, discussing the army's taking over all commercial air transport, explained that American forces were getting into actual fighting more and more, and in new places all over the world all the time. Therefore, they urgently needed all available transport planes. Every kind of plane being taken over, including "puddle jumpers," one and two-man ships. Mr. Roosevelt said almost anything flyable would be useful to the Government. The airline order means that domestic airline travel would be placed on a full wartime basis in the near future.

Mr. Roosevelt recalled that a few years ago American people got along without flying services and without air mail. He suggested they could get along with a limited amount of such services now. He believed the people would understand the war's necessities. He remarked that a fortnight ago a dozen people went to Washington from New York to see him on business not connected with the war or the Government and used seven planes. That was all right because the planes were running, but doubtless they would gladly have gone by train to help the war effort. He said there was now an increasing necessity to curtail private travel by plane. Asked if railway travel was likely to be congested, Mr. Roosevelt said more people would be sticking at their jobs this summer and not travelling either by car or train. Otherwise they could stand up in the trains.

Ever-increasing Aid

Mr. Roosevelt said lease-lend aid to all countries in April amounted to 677,000,000 dollars, compared with 588,000,000 in March. The total since the programme began aggregated 3,825.000,000 dollars. For military reasons he declined to give each country's quota, but said aid to Russia was coming along all right. The total April assistance to all countries was double that of last December. Since the beginning the proportion of fighting weapons to food, drugs and raw materials had steadily increased. To-day the major part of the aid supplied was in the form of finished munitions. The division of guns, planes, ships and industrial materials between the American armed forces and industries, and those of the Allies was made by military, naval and industrial experts in a manner aimed at putting the supplies to the most effective use in fighting the common enemies.

Asked whether the figures represented actual deliveries abroad Mr Roosevelt replied that a pretty 'good proportion got there.