AID TO BRITAIN BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 January 1941, Page 7

AID TO BRITAIN BILL

I TREASURER’S SUPPORT OFFENSIVE PREPARATIONS 1 [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] I WASHINGTON, January 17.’ In reply to a question, the Secretary of the Treasury (Mr. Henry Morgenthau, junr.) said he favoured the bill. He said that war material being produced now for Britain ' could not arrive in time to affect the Spring fighting, but it could prevent Herr Hitler from getting a decision, and would be invaluable for the great British push at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Senator Allen J. Efiender '(Demo- ; crat) has introduced an amendment to the Aid for Britain Bill to provide that, whatever the bill’s final disposition, no American soldier or sailor could be sent from the United States or its territories or possessions. 1 The Under-Secretary for War, Mr. Patterson, stated that the Army would have 1,418,000 men enlisted and basically equipped by June. He said that a completely-equipped army would be ready to take the ' field by 1942. 1 Fresh grants for United States defence have been approved. The expenditure of 909,000.000 dollars on 400 submarine-chasers, minesweepers and torpedo-boats, and the development of shipbuilding yards, has been authorised by Congress. Yesterday the expenditure of 3,000J100 dollars, for strengthening the antiaircraft defences of the fleet, was approved. Mr. Roosevelt to-day sent a message to Congress, requesting authority to build 200 merchant ships, to meet possible emergencies. MR. WILLKIE’S SUPPORT. NEW YORK, January 17. Mr. Wendell Willkie, in an impromptu radio broadcast, urged all Americans to give Mr. Roosevelt all the powers he needs to carry out his plans for aid to Britain, so that “we Republicans can compete with him again in another free election. “I, who opposed Roosevelt, now ask Americans to give him all the powers he needs in a great crisis,” said Mr. Willkie.

MR, KENNEDY’S OPPOSITION. NEW YORK, January 16. The New York “Daily News,” in a copyright dispatch from Washington, says: “At a dramatic White House conference the former United States Ambassador in London (Mr. Kennedy) told Mr. Roosevelt that he opposed the Aid for Britain Bill. In a Saturday ! night radio broadcast, Mr. Kennedy will make an all-out effort to keep the : United States at peace, and he will also oppose the Bill before the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees.” | The “Daily News” correspondent said that Mr. Kennedy told the President that he still favoured all proper aid to Britain that would not weaken ! the. United States defences. | .The President, said the correspondent,. told Mr. Kennedy that he had [already chosen his successor,' whose name would be sent to the Senate shortly. In the interim Mr. Kennedy 'was no longer restricted by the bonds •of official silence and obedience. EMPIRE’S RESOURCES. ■ • WASHINGTON, January 16. [ The Secretary to the United States ; Treasury (Mr Henry Morgenthau, ; jun.) explained yesterday that the I estimates of British assets in his I statement to Congress did not contain I values for Canadian or other Empire I investments in the United States, which were not available to London. ,He declined to estimate the value of such additional assets.

“The British Empire is a family and has the same problems as a human family. Because some of the members may have some assets, that does not mean necessarily that they belong to the rest of the family,” he said. Asked whether England should not be forced to go to the rest of the Empire for aid before asking America, Mr Morgenthau said: “All I can say is that I favour the Lending Bill.” He added that his figures had included all Empire gold production, except Canada’s, which was kept . for Canada’s needs.