GAINS MADE IN MALAYA

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23514, 17 December 1941, Page 7

GAINS MADE IN MALAYA

STRONG JAPANESE ATTACK

PRESSURE IN KEDAH AREA

(Received December 18, 7 p.m.) LONDON, December 15,

Reports from northern Malaya state that the Japanese land forces have had further success. In the Kedah area the enemy has made a strong attack and has gained considerable ground in spite of neavy losses. Fighting is continuing in the southern sector, where there have been gains and losses on both sides. The situation there is reported to be confused. . J Yesterday is was reported that Allied forces had taken • up positions north of Alor Star. Heavy fighting is in progress in this area. To-day’s communique from Singapore states: “In Kedah the enemy pressed his attacks and gained ground in spite of the heavy losses which he suffered. Severe fighting continues in the south of Kedah in difficult country, and the situation is confused. "There was some activity in the Kelantan area yesterday. “Penang was free from bombing today, but Ipoh (75 miles south-east of Penang) had one short raid. Elsewhere there was no change.” The San Francisco radio to-day picked up a broadcast from Tokyo stating that British forces invaded Thailand from the north, south, and west. A Domei News Agency message from Bangkok reported that the Thai army was energetically counter-attack-ing British forces in the west, south, and north of Thailand.

U.S. LEASE-LEND PROGRAMME

“Aid to Democracies Must Continue ”

MR ROOSEVELT’S STATEMENT

WASHINGTON, December 15. Mr Roosevelt has reported to Congress that lease-lend aid to the Allies totalled 1.202,000.000 dollars to November 30. Actual exports to December 12 amounted only to 595.000. dollars. In March, exports amounted only to 18,000,000 dollars, but lease and lend aid has been speeded up so greatly that supplies valued at 283.000. dollars were made available in November. Congress has voted 13 000,000,000 dollars for lease-lend aid. Mr Roosevelt said: “The weapons of the arsenal of the democracies must be used where they can be employed most effectively. Therefore we must furnish weapons to Britain, Russia, China, and other nations. Leaselend aid must continue because there is too much at stake in this, the greatest of all wars, for us to neglect the people who are or may be attacked by our common enemies. , ~ “Total lease-lend appropriations of 9,186,000,000 dollars have been allocated and 5,243,000,000 dollars have actually been obligated. The task of aiding' those resisting the Axis is gigantic. Only in America are there resources of raw material, productive capacity, and manpower to complete

the job. There must be guns, tanks, and aeroplanes in quantities beyond any production we have yet accomplished or planned. “American shipping services are being strained to the utmost by the everincreasing flow of lease-lend shipments. The effectiveness of the leaselend programme may well depend upon the ability of the shipbuilders to expedite and expand the construction of ships. America is now launching two ships every week, and she will be launching two every day by the middle of 1942.”