CONGRESS DEBATE BEGINS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 112, 5 February 1941, Page 10

CONGRESS DEBATE BEGINS

Aid To Britain Bill FURTHER EVIDENCE GIVEN (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright ) (Received February 4, 7.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 3. The public galleries were packed when the Flouse of Representatives began the debate on the Aid to Britain Bill after approving a proposal for a three-day general debate. The galleries were warned not to applaud or express disapproval. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Sol Bloom, started the debate with an appeal for the passage of the Bill, and was followed by Mr. Hamilton Fish, for the opposition, who described tne measure as a “dictator, war. and bankruptcy Bill.” Mr. Bloom said the Bill did not authorize the President to use America ii warships to convoy shipments of war materials. He said Mr. Roosevelt already had this power under the Constitution. Mr Philip La Follette, a former Governor of -Wisconsin, giving evidence before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opposed the Aid to Britain Bill, the ultimate effect of which, he said, would be to authorize American warships to convoy supplies to Britain. Mr. La Follette said that the Bill vested President Roosevelt with the power of peace or war. He warned that “there is a danger that once we have become involved over our heads, thereby vastly increasing Britain’s bar•mining power, we may have another Hoare-Laval deal and suddenly find ourselves quite alone and at war with rhe world. Bloc Of Opinion. , “We underestimate a large bloc of influential opinion, both in France and in Britain, which feels closer to Germany—and I mean Nazi Germany—than it does to the United States.” Mr. La Follette recalled the Dusseldorf agreement of February, 1939, which, he said, was entered into by British Tories and provided specifically for collaboration against the _ United States. “Remember that British industrialists are merely postponing the operation of that agreement for the duration of an emergency.” “I doubt if the English, who have withstood the worst bombing in history and have been offered only American dollars for their blood and sweat, will worry about America if and when what they think a reasonable peace comes their way,” said Mr. La Follette. He added that Britain would be wise to make peace when she wanted to: since she would not win “without the help of an American expeditionary force and since no American spokesman would oiler such aid.” Senator Wheeler requested the President to reveal the extent of the aid it was proposed to give to Britain and the extent of the American arms production already diverted to Britain. He asserted that he knew that fivesixths of the fighter planes produced in 1940 went to Britain.

The Bill is expected to be passed bv the House by the end of this week. It will then go to the Senate. The chairman of the Rules Committee described the Bill as purely a defensive measure rather than a war Bill. The Senate today passed President Roosevelt’s Bill, which provides for the building of 200 merchant ships. AIRCRAFT EXPORTS U.S. Figures For December (Received February 4, 8.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 3. It is officially stated that the export in December of 221 aeroplanes to Britain and S 7 to Canada was the second highest total since the outbreak of war and represented a 20 per cent, increase as compared with November. The 1940 total of aeronautical exports is 312,000,000 dollars, which is a 105 per cent, increase over 1939, and 357 per cent, over 1938. The value of December’s aeronautical exports was 20,000,000 dollars to Britain, 5.000,000 dollars to Canada, and 2,000,000 dollars to Australia.