SIPPING FOR THE EMPIRE OVERSEAS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 41, 18 February 1943, Page 5

SIPPING FOR THE EMPIRE OVERSEAS

BARE MINIMUM ONLY

Needs Of Allied Armies Must Come First

Rec. 10.30 a.m. LONDON. Feb. 17. "In this the fourth year of war we can provide tonnage for trade with the Empire overseas to the extent of the bare minimum of essentiality," said Lord Leathers, Minister of War Transport, at a conference with Empire correspondents. He explained that this was due to the necessity for subordinating all other requirements to those of the Allied armies, but added: "The Empire has done all it possibly could in relinquishing ships for our use in the general need arising from the war. It places the responsibility on us to see that the minimum needs of overseas parts of the Empire are met." Allied Building Exceeds Losses Lord. Leathers indicated that the shipping position was less bad than it was last year because Allied construction . had exceeded losses. Britain is no longer using up capital in the form of ships, but is dipping into stocks of food and raw materials, for it is obvious that campaigns such as that in North Africa could °h[y be carried out at the expense of tne import programme. V. "But, sooner or later/ he added, "those arrears in the import programme must be made good and stocks replenished. We are, therefore, by no means out of danger, hut on the contrary, the struggle to make both ends meet in the shipping sense has never been harder. The most encouraging feature of the shipping position, he said, was that shipyards had increased tneir output. The United Nations production this year was estimated t 14,000,000 gross tons, compared with 4,600,000 tons, which was the peaK of launching from BritishAme:iican and Dominion yards m the last wan But against that wereourheavy commitments to Russia and keepi g

up the large army in India for eventual operations "further east"— and such a campaign would not be held up owing to lack of shipping. The shipping would be there when required. , * , There were also heavy demands, Lord Leathers said, on shipping for the Middle East and North African operations and over all the intensification of. U-boat warfare had to be met. "This is "no time for letting up, but if possible cutting down. What we have gained or hope to gain in new tonnage is more than offset by new heavy demands on shipping for the transport of arms and men. Our forces overseas must be the first claim. We shall shrink from no sacrifice to meet that claim." Lord Leathers added that the opening of the Mediterranean would solve many problems and that the Allied Nations had no reserves of shipping but had everything in "full play.