HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 109, 1 February 1941, Page 12

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES

Aid To Britain Bill MINOR AMENDMENTS ONLY iß.v Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) WASHINGTON, January 30. The House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee has approved by 17 votes to S the Aid to Britain Bill with minor amendments and has sent it to the House. The debate is expected to commence on February 3. Before the final vote the committee rejected an amendment placing a limit of £500,000,000 on the Bill’s proposals. It was stated that none of the amendments interfere with the basic objectives of the Bill. Congress leaders expect the House of Representatives to approve the measure, after which the Senate will take it up. Mr. Daniel W. Bell, Under-Secre-tary of the Treasury, told the House Ways and Means Committee that Congress would be asked to appropriate at least 3,500,000,000 dollars more than the estimate of a Budget of 17,800,000,000 dollars submitted earlier by President Roosevelt. This is possibly an indication of what the Aid to Britain Bill may immediately involve. Mr. J. W. Gerard, United States Ambassador to Germany from 1913 till the United States entered the last war, told the Senate foreign Relations Committee that he favoured an American declaration of war against Germany. He predicted that the Nazis would seize Mexico if Britain were defeated. He told questioners that a declaration of war might not actually be necessary, provided President Roosevelt was given full power under the Aid to Britain Bill. Majority Report. (Received January 31, 9.50 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January 31. The House Foreign Affairs Committee in its majority report stated: “So far as the human mind can evaluate the situation, the probable effect of the Lend and Lease Bill will be to keep us from war rather than get us into it. Its prompt enactment is of the highest importance to the vital interests of our country —even our civilization.” The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has invited Mr. Wendell Willkie to be the final witness in the Aid to Britain Bill hearings. Mr. Alfred Sloan, chairman of General Motors, urged all-out aid to Britain and approved the vesting of strong emergency powers in the President. “I would go the limit, giving Britain first call on our resources and production,” he said. STRENGTHENING U.S.A.BRITISH TIES Remarks By Roosevelt And Halifax (Received January 31, 7.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON. January 30. The State Department revealed that when the British Ambassador, Lord Halifax, presented his credentials on January 24 to President Roosevelt, the latter said: “Britain and the United States have long been linked by the intimate bonds of blood and friendship. 1 am confident that your presence in the' United States will increasingly strengthen these strong tie.s. Let me assure you that you may always count on my full co-operation and the cooperation of the various agencies of this Government. “I assure you further of our firm tietermination to continue on an everincreasing scale our assistance to Britain and make available the munitions and supplies now flowing from the United States’ rapidly-expanding industrial facilities.” Lord Halifax said he would attempt to follow Lord Lothian’s example, doing all in his power to maintain and strengthen the close relations between Britain and the United States. “I take up this office,” he added, “when the help the people of the United States are giving to Britain assumes ever-in-creasing importance. That assistance is already invaluable and that its continuance will assuredly secure our triumph and cause you no loss we are resolved.” RECORD EARNINGS Bethlehem Steel Company (Received January 31, 9.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 30. Bethlehem Steel Corporation announced record earnings of 48,(177.000 dollars. It was announced that the company spent 30,000,000 dollars for expansion in 1940, increasing its capacity to 11,850,000 tons of ingots annually. The plane is operating at 100 per cent, capacity. A sum of 35.000,000 dollars has been authorized for further expansion. The company holds an unprecedented backlog of 12,000,000 dollars, largely for ship construction. U.S. MEDICAL SUPPLIES FOR GREECE (Received January 31, 8.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January 30. A Greek freighter sailed for Athens with 5750 tons of medical supplies valued at more than 1,000,000 dollars.