AID FOR BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 81, 30 December 1940, Page 6

AID FOR BRITAIN

Growing- Feeling Seen In United States PLANE PRODUCTION New Zealand Visitor’s Impressions “The United States of America’s war effort on the side of England, as seen at first-hand is positively thrilling,” said Mr. Edmund Anscombc, the Wellington architect, who has returned after a four months’ visit to the United States. “You don't have to look for evidences of America’s feeling and sympathies in the war,” said Mr. Aus-

combe. “In the streets of every city 1 visited there were shops hired to receive goods and clothes, mostly for

Britain, labelled, ‘We want to help those who are helping us—perhaps you have something to spare.’ And all over the country there was a ‘Bundles for Britain’ campaign. There was no doubt about it—l could see a change even in the 10 weeks I was there; the gradual warming up of public feeling; the growing realization that England was fighting America’s battle as well as her own. “Let me tell you a little story to illustrate what I mean,” said Mr. Auscombe. ”1 was introduced to a prominent American doctor at Chicago. As soon as he knew I was a Britisher, his face glowed as, much to my surprise, he said: ‘What do you think of our British Navy?’ This from an American! He was most enthusiastic over everything the Navy had done the Altmark incident, the battle of Narvik, the Graf Spec debacle, the shelling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, and the Jervis Bay incident—he knew every detail of each engagement, and all through referrred to ‘Our Navy’ as though the feats had been performed by the American fleet. “It was typical of how American people are thinking. They are at last realizing that if England were to go down, America would have no chance of resisting the forces of Hitler. German Bund. “The papers over there told me that there aro 30,000,000 Germans in the United States, ami the German Bund, or whatever the Nazi organization is, has a complete census of the German population, what position they hold, or trades they follow, and what their social or political influences are worth. Only recently, within the last few weeks, there have been meetings of the German Bund in America, with members present in uniform. “Lindbergh, who a few years ago was a public hero, and whose isolationist broadcasts were enthusiastically received only a few months ago, is now absolutely discredited, and in many quarters is regarded as something more than a Nazi sympathizer. Now 75 per cent, of Americans are saying that they must save England while she is on her feet! “During my stay iu New York I had the pleasure of attending a gathering of the English-Speaking Union iu the great Rockefeller Centre,” said Mr. Auscombe. “The hall was crowded, and even while an entertainment was proceeding the women were sewing and knitting. These goods were then sent on to the depots or shops that were collecting such goods, all of which were labelled, ‘Defend America by aiding the Allies.’ It was during that gathering that a man sang 'There’ll Always be an England,’ a song which set them all alight. Plane Production.

"In Detroit l had the good fortune I'o meet lhe president of one of the great motor-car construction companies,” continued Mr. Auscombe. "Being an architect, 1 was privileged to scan the plans of the colossal works that were to be erected for the manufacture of Rolls-Royce engines for the big war ’planes. It was explained to me Uvat the plans had first of all to be laid down by engineers, who planned the latest form of rotational construction on mass production lines. Having evolved this process, all the architects had to do was to provide the buildings to cover the works. When 1 was there the foundations wore already laid and lhe constructional steel was on the ground. When one envisaged such colossal plans one realized what Roosevelt meant when he said, ‘You cannot pass au Act one week, ami start deliveries the next.’

“1 also visited the great Douglas works at Santa Monica, in California, where they were turning out planes for England at an impressive rate —planes already bearing the insignia of the Royal Air Force. It w;is an amazing sight, forcing one to see that ultimate victory for England is inevitable.”

Mr. Auscombe said that thousands of Americans were enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force. A good story was told of some 35 men from Texas, who drifted north to enlist. At the enrolling office, in Ottawa, where they said they were from Texas, they were told that they could not enlist, Texas being outside Canada. So they went away and studied an atlas, then returned to the office. “Where do you conic from?” “Vancouver,” said every man. “What address?” they were asked. This completely llabbergasted them for the moment, but they were smart, enough to say they belonged to the country and had no fixed address. They were en--1 isted.