U.S.A. AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 December 1940, Page 7

U.S.A. AFFAIRS

AIRCRAFT PRIORITY [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] WASHINGTON, December 2. The Defence Priorities Board, after a consultation with representatives of commercial airlines, issued “temporary preference delivery instructions,” under which manufacturers of aeroplanes will release to the Army and Navy 7,500,000 dollars’ worth of equipment previously ordered for airlines. The airlines will also release to the Army certain new engines recently delivered, enabling the completion of additional war aeroplanes.

NAZI SABOTAGE.

WASHINGTON, December 2. Mr. Martin Dies, chairman of the committee on Un-American Activities, in a radio address, alleged that very valuable experimental aeroplanes in an unnamed factory were recently destroyed by five separate acts of sabotage. He said that the committee had ascertained that a clique of German Nazis were employed in highly strategic positions within the plant. The sabotage included metal bars jamming the flight controls and flight mechanism. Bolts had been removed from the brakes, and the gas gauges had been tampered with. He.'said an inspector had been warned against taking one aeroplane aloft. The advice was ignored and the aeroplane had been destroyed. Mr. Dies appealed for support 4’or the committee’s investigations and appealed for the continuance of the committee for two years.

WOOL CONSUMPTION. v (Recd. December 4, 9.5 a.m.) NEW YORK, December 3. The Journal of Commerce states the weekly raw wool consumption is the highest for four years, and unfilled orders the highest for years. Business in hand is sufficient to maintain the mills’ schedules until April. The October consumption of apparel wool was 7,848,0001bs weekly, compared with a weekly average in January—October, which amounted to 5,504,0001b5.

U.S.A. LEAD IMPORTS. , NEW YORK, December 2. The price of lead is 5.55 cents, after a second reduction during the week. Some traders believe the move is partially intended to remove the price umbrella from posible imports of refined lead from Australia, important tonnages of which, it is persistently reported, but without confirmation, are en route, possibly for use in British orders. '