ONLY ESSENTIALS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1943, Page 4

ONLY ESSENTIALS

CARGOES FOR EMPIRE

BRITISH SHIPPING POSITION

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

(Special Correspondent.)

(Rec. 9.45 a.m.)

LONDON, Feb. 17.

"In this fourth year ol ihe war we can provide tonnage for the Empire overseas for a bare minimum of essentials." said Lord Leathers. Minister of War Transport, at a conference of Empire Press correspondents. He explained that this was due to the necessity for subordinating all other requirements to those of the Allied armies, but he added: "The Empire has done all it possibly could in relinquishing ships for us in the general war need, and this places the responsibility on us to see that their minimum needs are met." Lord Leathers indicated that the shipping position is not as bad as it was last year. Allied construction, he said, exceeded losses. Britain was no longer using up capital in the form of ships, but was dipping into her stocks of food arid raw materials, for it was obvious that such a campaign as that in North Africa could only be carried out at the expense of the import programme. "But sooner or later," he said, "those arrears in the import programme must he made good and the stocks replenished. We are therefore by no means out of danger. On the contrary, the struggle to make both ends meet in the shipping sense has never been harder." The most encouraging feature of the shipping position, he said, was the increased output of the shipyards. The production of the United Nations this year was estimated at 14,000,000 gross tons, compared with 4,600.000 tons which was the peak of launchings from the British. American, and Dominion yards in the last year. But against that there was the heavy commitments to Russia and for keeping up a large army in India for eventual operations "further east"—and such a campaign would not be held up owing to lack of shipping, which would be there when it was required. There were also heavy demands on shipping for the Middle East and North African operations, and over all intensification of the U-boat warfare had to be met. "This is no time for letting up, but rather, if possible, for cutting down," he said. "What we have gained or hope to gain in new tonnage is more than offset by new, heavy demands on shipping for the transport of arms and men. Our forces overseas must have first claim. We shall shrink from no sacrifice to meet that claim." He added that the opening of the Mediterranean would solve many problems, that the Allies had no reserves of shipping, but that everything was "in full play." >