BATTLE OF ATLANTIC

Evening Star, Issue 23880, 9 May 1941, Page 7

BATTLE OF ATLANTIC

STILL MUCH TO BE DONE HR CHURCHILL CONFIDENT OF OUTCOME (British Official Wireless.' RUGBY. May 7., Turning to the Battle of the Atlantic in his speech in the House of Commons, Mr Churchill said the test of success was the number of tons of imports to Britain in any given quarter of any given year. At present wo were maintaining the great progress which had been made in meeting losses by new building, repairs, and accelerating the turnabout, but there was still much fo be done. “ With the continued How of assistance which has already been promised by the United States wo can probably maintain bur minimum essential traffic during 1941 As for 19-12. we must look for immense construction of merchant ships by the United States. This is already in full swing, and within the last month I received an assurance of the construction of merchant vessels by the United States, which, added to our own programme of building and repair, should sec us through the year. The year 1943, if we have to endure it as a year of war, will present easier problems.” HITLER’S FEAR OF AMERICA. The United States patrol took a considcrable part of the Atlantic Ocean off British hands, but a good deal more help was needed. It was not for a British Minister to forecast, still less to prescribe the policy of the United States, “ When a mighty democracy of 130,000,000 gets on the move one can only await full deployment of this vast psychological gravitation and its translation into the physic al field. Anyone can see Hitler’s fear of the United States in the fact that he had not declared war upon them long ago.” Mr Churchill said he never underrated the gravity of the difficulties and problems facing Britain, and ho felt that she was fighting for her life from day to day, hour to hour. He recalled that it was nearly a year ago that France collapsed, and spoke of Hitler’s expectations then, adding that Hitler little knew that 10 months later he would be “ appealing to the much-tried Gorman people to prepare themselves for war in 1942.” Mr Churchill concluded, amid loud* cheering, 1 by declaring: “ When I look back upon the perils which have been overcome, the great mountainous waves through which the gallant ship is driven, when I remember also all that has gone wrong, I feel sure we have no need to fear the tempest. Let it roar, let it rage, we shall come through.”

EIRE’S BUDGET RECORD EXPENDITURE INCREASE IN TAXATION DUBLIN, May 7. The Minister of Finance, Mr Sean T. O’Kelly, introduced the Budget, which provides for a record expenditure of £40,000,000. It increases the income tax by Is to 7s 6d, with some incomes paying 15s in the pound. The profits tax is 50 per cent., the petrol duty is up 5d to Is 3d a gallon, the tobacco duty is up 5s Cd to 18s lOd a pound, the matches duty is doubled at 7s 4d a gross, and the letter post is up id at 2jd. Racecourse and totalisator betting will be taxed 2J per cent., and telephone charges will be increased 5 per cent. A new duty is imposed on Irish newspapers of l-3d per copy, and the duty on imported newspapers is increased from 2-3 d to Id. NAZf PROPAGANDISTS ARRESTS IN AMERICA NEW TORE. May 8. The immigration authorities, forestalling the possibility of “ fifth column ” activity in the event of a crisis, arrested two German propagandists who are heads of the Trausocean News Service—Manfred Zasp and Guenther Tonn. CONSUMERS' GOODS BIG POST-WAR DEMAND FORECAST (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 7. A forecast of the vast demand tor consumers’ goods after the war was made by the President of the Board f Trade, Captain Oliver Lyttelton, when speaking to-day. Shelves all over the world and even in the United States would be empty, he said, and he thought that a selective export policy and control of imports would bo necessary as part of a system to prevent an unregulated boom. For the first time in history Britain ’would be a debtor country. Captain Lyttelton said ho did not regard the present war as an end to European civilisation. The power of the modern world to recreate wealth must not he under-rated, but proper methods of direction, use. and distribution of wealth must be learned.