RUMANIA’S OIL

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22920, 17 January 1940, Page 7

RUMANIA’S OIL

Difficulties Of Supply ANTI-NAZI MOVE REPORTED (UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION— COPTBIGHT.) (Received January 16, 11 p.m.)

BERLIN, January 15,

The economist, Herr Heinrich Kroegerbochum, in an article in the "Frankfurter Zeitung" confesses that the Rumanian oilfields now operating will be exhausted in six years. Only 40,000,000 tons are available. British, French and Netherlands companies controlling the bulk of the output have lowered the standard of production and ridiculously increased prices as an anti-German move.

Rumania's favouring of the pound sterling has already negatived the new German-Ru-manian exchange rate. Ger--many has always been Rumania's best customer, but the foreign companies' financial strength has enabled them to snap up newly-discovered wells, and they are doing their utmost to prevent supplies reaching Germany. .

Fires, explosions and accidents have further decreased production.

The Western Powers control the system of pipe-lining oil to the Black Sea for tanker shipment, whereas Germany's facilities for transport on the Danube river arc small, and conveyance by railway tank depends on the available rolling stock.

HUNGARY AND ITALY STATEMENT BY COUNT CSAKY (Received January 16, 11.30 p.m.) BUDAPEST, January 15. The Hungarian Foreign Minister (Count Csaky), in a statement, said: "Italy regards the solution of all of Hungary's problems as necessary for perfect agreement on policy. The world realises that an ItalianHungarian union affords a real guarantee of isolation of the war and realisation of permanent peace."

BOMBER CRASHES IN TAKING OFF CREW JUMP CLEAR BEFORE TERRIFIC EXPLOSION (Received January 16, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 15. A Royal Air Force bomber failed to take off in Scotland and crashed. Its bombs exploded, blew the aeroplane to pieces, and shook houses for six miles round.

The scene of the crash, which followed a collision with an transformer carrying 3000 volts, was a Fifeshire farm. The ceilings of thjee houses collapsed, a number of trees were uprooted, and windows were shattered.

The crew threw themselves out at the command of the pilot while the machine was skating over the field at 80 miles an hour.

The pilot, who was strapped in, was the last to leave. He suffered a slight cut on the forehead. The others were unhurt.

AIR OFFENSIVE ON BRITAIN DEFENCES BELIEVED EFFECTIVE QUALITY OF GERMAN BOMBERS (BH)TISH OTTICIKU 'WTB'BI-'ESS.) (Received January 16, 12.40 p.m.) 1 RUGBY, January 15. That Royal Air Force fighters could bring an enemy air offensive on Britain to a standstill in a comparatively short space of time by losses inflicted on the raiding bombers is the opinion held by authoritative circles in London.

Although a tribute is paid to the efficiency of the self-sealing petrol tanks carried by the Heinkel bombers, which increases the difficulty in shooting them down in their spasmodic appearances over British shores, it is pointed out that neither British aeroplane design nor armament is standing still, and that British fighters will shortly be able to shatter these tanks which at present, though riddled with do not leak sufficiently to prevent the bombers reaching home again. The skill , and courage of nightflying German pilots are fully recognised, and it is appreciated by the men of the Fighter Command that neither British industries nor the civil population will be safe until a full offensive breaks out and the percentage of losses which the enemy will suffer affects the morale of the German pilots. British towns have so far been spared devastation by air raids, against which the precautions of civilian defence were taken, but the preparations made in the first days of the war have not been relaxed. The civilian defence organisation stands ready. A total of 1,250,000 volunteer workers are at their posts and training goes on. Little Yet Known A spokesman at the Air Ministry stated: "The war has not yet started, and for this reason little more is known of the respective merits of the opposing forces than before the outbreak of the war. The results of the preliminary skirmishes in some respects are impressive. Our bombers have sustained losses, but for every one casualty two cr three enemy fighters have been shot down. Not a single fighter has been lost by Britain, and the number of bullet strikes has been surprisingly small. "On the contrary it has been found that the German bombers take a surprising amount •of lead and that it is rather more difficult to bring them down than was expected. "Britain is still confident that she could bring to a standstill a largescale air offensive in a comparatively short time, but not without some casualties in industrial output and the civil population.

"The German machines in some respects are inferior because of the false impression given in the Spanish war, from which it was concluded that a bomber's greatest safeguard was its speed, and as a result of this the original Heinkels, and Dorniers are practically defenceless. Germany is now doing her utmost to overcome the deficiency, . and the German raiders on Britain are flying at great heights. It is understood that bombers attacking from 30,000 feet oh a clear day achieve 50 per cent, accuracy. "The greatest surprise of the war has been the effectiveness of the German aeroplanes' self-sealing tanks and the prospect of raiders being forced down without petrol after the tanks have been punctured is now almost non-existent."

AUSTRALIAN PILOTS KILLED IN CRASH

MELBOURNE, January 16. Two members, of the Royal Australian Air Force were killed yesterday when their aeroplane crashed from 1000 ft and then caught fire near the Air Force station at Laverton. The victims were Pilot Officer James Norman Alexander, aged 20, of Strathfield, New South Wales, and Sergeant W. K. Piatt, aged 27, of Victoria.'- The aeroplane, which was flying in formation, stalled during a turn.