U.S. AIR POLICY AFTER WAR

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23881, 25 February 1943, Page 5

U.S. AIR POLICY AFTER WAR

“PERMANENT RIGHTS’* PROPOSED

REFERENCE TO AIRFIELDS BUILT BY N.Z.

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9,30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Feb. 23. “The new lend-lease authorisation should make it clear that the United States expects permanent military rights over certain routes,” said Colonel Melvin Maas to the United State! House £>f Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, during consideration of post-war air policy. Colonel Maas said it was now apparent that the Axis would have completely succeeded if the United State! had not intervened. He added; “If the United States must again bear the burden of maintaining the principles of freedom, we have a right to establish permanent aviation prerogatives.’* Colonel Maas said that New Zealand had built 105 airfields for the United States and charged the entire cost to the United States under reverse lendlease. Nevertheless, after the war those fields would belong to New Zealand.

He declared that military, naval, and air officers disagreed with a holding policy in the Pacific until Hitler was defeated. They had wanted to throw everything against Japan since Pearl Harbour.

N.Z. AS ALLIED BASE

“DANGER TO COUNTRY I REMOVED” ADDRESS BY HON. F. JONE® AT HONOLULU HONOLULU. Feb. 23, Addressing a session of the Hawaiian Territorial Legislature, the New Zealand Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) said that the use of New Zealand as a base for Allied operation! against Japan had removed the danger with which the country had been faced. Mr Jones, who is on his way to Washington, added that America had* not only lived up to the commitment* made before Pearl Harbour, , but wa* adequately supplying the Allied forces.

AUSTRALIAN ARMS PROGRAMME

SURPLUSES IN SOME ITEMS FACTORIES CHANGING TO NEW PRODUCTION (Special Australian Corresp'., N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, Feb. 34. Australia's vast munitions programme has now reached its pieas. The arms shortages of 12 months ago have been transformed into surpluses, and, some factories have been transferred to, new production instead of continuing to build up a surfeit of weapons, some of which may be made obsolete by the rapid advance of the war. This remarkable change in the Australian war supply situation has been emphasised by two recent Ministerial announcements. The first was an assurance by the Minister of the Array (Mr F. M. Forde) that Australia’s increasing arms output would soon permit the diversion to the Volunteer Defence Corps (the equivalent of New Zealand’s Home Guard) of modern weapons. The second was the statement by the Minister of Munitions (Mr N. J. 0. Makin) that in some items the Australian Army'was now being with more equipment than it *'Discussing Australia’s arms situation, the’ ‘‘Sydney Morning Herald” munitions Correspondent (Edward Axford) says to-day that the situation in which surpluses have been established in some items has three major aspects: (1) the virtual attainment of peak production in the war factories; (2) the creation of large reserves of arms and ammunition; (3) the failure of the Japanese so far to involve Australian land forces in resisting a full-scale invasion. Mr Axford cites small arms ammunition as an item of production which is now being reduced because stocks are regarded as far beyond immediate requirements. Nearly 18 months ago Australia’s production of small arms ammunition, then urgently needed, was revealed to be more than 1.000,000* rounds a day.

“Australia’s armament programme was designed on a vast scale to equip not only the Commonwealth’s forces but aiSo those of other Empire countries, like India, Malaya, and New Zealand,” says Mr Axford. “Up to the fall of Singapore, the plan was to supply from Australia ail the forces of the Allied nations east of Suez. But for the collapse of the United Nations in the Far East, we should be exporting arms and ammunition *in large quantities to ha'.f a dozen countries in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Instead, we are retaining this output for ourselves. And in addition to local production we are now beginning to receive certain types of war equipment from Great Britain which we had not been in a position to expect since the fall of France.”

REQUESTS MADE TO GOVERNMENT

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF TRADE UNIONS

(Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY. Feb. 21 The Federal Executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions has decided to ask the Federal Government (I) to take a referendum on its post-war powers, (2) to lower the minimum age for voters from 21 to 18. (the Government has already indicated its intention to give servicemen and servicewomen the vote at 18). (3) to. take over from the States all powers to regulate sport in war time; and (4) to amend the administration proposals in the Government's new taxation plan. The request for Federal control of sport was made on the motion of the South Australian delegates. In South Australia the State Government has banned racing for the duration of the war. A resolution passed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions declared that recreation was essential for all workers in war industries.

Political correspondents report that feeling in favour of a referendum to decide the issue of post-war reconstruction powers is growing steadily in Federal circles in Canberra, Only two states, New South Wales and Queensland, have agreed unconditionally to the transfer to the Commonwealth of the powers approved by the Constitutional Convention last November. The Tasmanian Upper House has voted against the transfer, and the other states have made various reservations.

The Federal Opposition may press for the delay of the Government’s new taxation plan from April to July. The plan is expected to be further debated in Parliament this week.

FIRE IN ORPHANAGE

THIRTY-SEVEN CHILDREN MISSING

(Rec. 1.30 a.m.) DUBLIN. Feb. 24. Thirty-seven out of 100 children are missing after fire at 2 a.m. destroyed a female orphanage attached to the Convent of the Poor Clare nuns at Cavan. The fire spread fiercely in a few minutes. Some of the children _ rushed screaming from the building in their night clothes. Others jumped 40 feet from windows. The childrens agei ranged from four to 18 years.