PURCHASES FROM AMERICA

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26031, 7 February 1950, Page 5

PURCHASES FROM AMERICA

POSSIBLE ECONOMIES BY BRITAIN

MR STRACHEY’S OPINION LONDON, February S. The Minister of Food (Mr John Strachey), speaking in Dundee, said that Britain would have to cut down on buying dollar tobacco, oil, and machinery if she could not pay for all her dollar imports when Marshall aid ended in 1952. “We shall be able to do this, not without inconvenience and difficulty, of course, but without starving and without, in my opinion, unemployment,” Mr Strachey said. “I simply do not believe that we shall fail to earn enough dollars to pay for those one or two essential raw materials which we must nave from the United States and Canada. These are mainly cotton from America and some metals, timber, and wheat from Canada. "It would be a great pity if trade between the United States, Canada, and this country had to be cut down, Canadians and Americans aid not buy enough of our exports it is inevitable that that would happen and, in my opinion, we could carry on quite well on that basis.”

Incident in Venice.—The Venice correspondent of the British United Press says that 50 Communists marched on the United States Consulate in Venice and hoisted a red flag on the balcony of the consulate m protest against the shipment of United States arms to Atlantic Pact nations. The Communists eluded the regular police guard and managed to climb on the balcony and hoist the flag without being noticed. The flag was removed immediately afterwards. —London, February 6.

Five Die in Fire.—Five persons were burnt to death and three were injured in a \ fire that destroyed ® wooden hotel at the small town of Eureka. Montana. A boiler explosion caused the outbreak.—New York, February 5.