WOOL VALUES IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27340, 4 May 1954, Page 11

WOOL VALUES IN AUSTRALIA

pm.) SYDNEY, May 3. •ajKally all descriptions were r if 01 - he Sydney wool sale tot with closing rates at Brisbane sale. Britain and Japan S the chief buyers. J ®c 12.448 bales offered 12.019 ;<yid. the :op crossbred prices ®°’s, 106 d; good 58's‘, 95d; “C.Sfi’s, 85|d; average 44/46’s, 44d.

, U l6 , Fren ch took advantage of the lull during the night to parachute arms and supplies to the weary defenders and to bomb and strafe the v letmmh. The French threw in every available aircraft. Fighters, fighter-bombers, meaium and heavy bombers rained bullets, bombs, and napalm on the rebel lines. Artillery and anti-aircraft gun emplacements received a heavy pounding, while transport planes dropped supplies to the garrison. During yesterday’s battles the Vietminh captured three strongpoints and swept to within 600 yards of the headquarters post of the French commander (General Christian de Castries). It was the rebels’ third major assault on the fortress. The rebels swept down on the fortress's 11.000 weary defenders from the east, north, and west and in spite of extremely heavy losses seized two strongpoints in the east and another in the west The Vietminh also seized two other strongpoints, but General de Castries rallied his men and af£er savage fighting the garrison was still standing firm when the fighting died down. A French High Command spokesman said today that General de Castries objected to pessimistic reports in the press about prospects at Dien Bien

Phu. He complained that reports were “far too gloomy.” French newspapers parachuted to the men fighting off the Vietminh assaults harmed morale because the situation was not as bad as the press painted it. I “It is now 50 days since the rebels’ [first big offensive and the fortress is istill intact,” he said-