ENEMY SHIPS BOMBED

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24151, 10 January 1944, Page 5

ENEMY SHIPS BOMBED

New Guinea Base Attacked TANKER LEFT IN FLAMES (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY. Jan. 9. A further toll of Japanese shipping has been taken by Allied aircraft operating in the south-west Pacific area. The main destruction was near Madans in northern New Guinea, where Cataiinas at night sank a 5000-ton enemy tanker and left a 1500-ton ship in flames. , , ... At Kawieng. in New Ireland, which has now been attacked on 17 successiv#

days, other Cataiinas bombed a de« stroyer and a cargo ship. Allied Solomons-based fighters continue their offensive sweeps over Rabaul New Britain. Ten Zeros were shot’ down and four others probably destroyed in the latest combat. Other Corsair fighters destroyed two troopladen barges in Blanche Bay, killing or wounding about 100 Japanese. Two of our aeroplanes were lost.

U.S. ANTI-TRUST

SUIT

DENIAL OF CHARGES

STATEMENT BY LORD M’GOWAN

LONDON, Jan. T, The president of Imperial Chemical Industries (Lord McGowan) has issued another statement concerning the civil suit filed by the United States Department of Justice charging the Du Pont de Nemours Company, the Remington Arms Company, and his company with maintaining’ an international cartel

LORD McGOWAN agreement and violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Lord McGowan said that since making his earlier statement his attention had been drawn to statements made by the United States Assistant Attorney-General (Mr Wendell Berge). , , “While I have not yet the complete report, Mr Berge clearly states that in his view the activities of Imperial Chemical Industries and Du Pont de Nemours frustrated the Allied war effort and involved collaboration with the enemy. I cannot wait to obtain more exact information before denying utterly and totally any suggestion that any action of ours during the war, and indeed before the war, was of any other character than designed to assist both the British and Allied Governments by every means in our power. "We'lent freely our ablest colleagues, staff, and workers, including thousands of key men, to all the Government departments and factories which asked for them. We placed our research patents and processes, our knowledge, technical and commercial, for the purposes of the war unreservedly at the disposal of the Government, and through them, America and Russia. “Our war efforts have been freely recognised and appreciated by the Ministries of all three services’ supply departments and other Ministers and their departments.” added Lord McGowan. “I wish, therefore, on behalf of myself, Lord Melchett, my colleagues, and the 120.000 men and women working in our factories—ls.ooo of our employees are serving in the armed forces —to issue a flat denial of these iniquitous charges and make it clear that we are prepared to meet them fully and in detail at the proper time annd place.”

SCHARXHORST’S SINKING

NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 8. First-hand accounts by New Zealanders in the action against the Scharnhorst are still not available, but it is known that the following were in the battle in addition to those previously mentioned:—Lieutenant H. Boyack, R.N.Z.N.V.R.jn the Jamaica; SubLieutenant D. L. Matheson, Plumber B. H. Barker, and Joiner J. B. Hickey, in. the Duke of York; Ordinary Seamen K. Perrin, E. W. Kindle, H. D, Bell. E. Brayshaw, L. C. Lynham, D. A. Davies, W. R. Hocking. R. W. Jones. D. E. Lamb, and W. Jarvie, in the Sheffield. Lieutenant C. W. J. Crocker, an Englishman who married a former Wellington girl, Miss Willow Horton, and who before the war was cable subeditor of the “Dominion” in Wellington for 18 months, commanded one of the forward turrets of the Norfolk. This County class cruiser was the first to sight the Scharnhorst, first to hit her with 8-inch shells, and the first to be hit by her, but was in for the kill. Lieutenant Crocker had the unusual experience of reporting the launching of the Scharnhorst and helping to sink her. Before the war Lieutenant Crocker was second in charge of the Berlin office of the "Morning Post” when he described the Scharnhorst’s launching. Lieutenant Crocker’s gun crew was at action stations for 10 hours during the action. Although the Norfolk was hit twice by 11-inch shells, one of which caused a few casualties, nobody in Lieutenant Crocker's turret knew their ship had been hit until after the action. . , Lieutenant Crocker, who previously served in the submarine Trident for 18 months, said: “There was a terrific din during the action, but of course we in the turret got no chance of seeing the Scharnhorst go down.”