CONVOY AND PATROL

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1941, Page 8

CONVOY AND PATROL

ROOSEVELT’S EXPLANATION

EXTENT OF SINKINGS

[BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.]

WASHINGTON, April 25.

Mr. Roosevelt, questioned at a press conference on reports that 40 per cent of supplies shipped to Britain were being sunk, said he did not believe that anyone possessed accurate data about the matter. He added that 40 per cent, was too high an estimate. Mr. Roosevelt declined to amplify his views on the convoy situation, but he said that for a year and a-half vessels of the neutrality patrol had been operating 1000 miles into the Atlantic from the eastern shore of Maryland. The President said that the patrol would not necessarily be confined to the Atlantic. Asked exactly what was the difference between convoy and patrol, Mr. Roosevelt replied: “In the first instance convoying is escorting merchant ships in a group to prevent an act of aggression against them,” The patrol, he explained, was a reconnaissance of certain areas of ocean to find out whether there was any possible aggressor ship that might be coming into the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Wendell Willkie called upon the Administration to-day to give the American people the full facts, of the reported sinking of war materials on the way to Britain. He urged immediate steps to halt these sinkings. “I believe that the American people can be brought to a realisation of the seriousness of the situation if the full facts are disclosed,” he said.

Mr. Willkie said it was no use speeding up the production of munitions in the United States if they were going to rest on the bottom of the ocean. It was time the Government gave a lead instead of waiting to follow public opinion. Mr. Willkie approved of the speeches by Colonel Knox and Mr. Cordell Hull.

Captain May, national vice-presi-dent of the American Federation of Labour Masters’, Mates’ and Pilots’ Union, said to-day that his organisation of 7000 seamen was willing to man convoys across the Atlantic. “My outfit,” he said, “has voted to back up the national defence programme 100 per cent., and if that means shipping on convoys—O.K., we will take them on.”

SHIPPING LOSSES

WASHINGTON, April 25.

The United States Department of Commerce reports that British, Allied and neutral merchant shipping losses in the first 18 months of the war totalled 5,400,000 gross tons. The figures are based on losses from September, 1939, to March, 1941. German losses in the same period are estimated at 802,000 and Italian at 435,000 making a world total for the war of 6,687,000 tons.

SEIZURE OF SHIPS

WASHINGTON, April 26

Legislation authorising the President of the United States to seize and use foreign ships idle in United States ports has been approved by the Marine Committee of the House of Representatives.

The Inter-American Economic Advistory Committee, representing the 21 American nations, to-day unanimously approved a resolution recognising the right of each nation to requisition immobilised foreign ships in western hemisphere ports. A message from Rio de Janeiro says that the blockade-running German freighter Lech has completed loading and is apparently ready to dash for Europe in an attempt to beat the anticipated American agreement on the acquisition of refugee belligerent ships.

AXIS PROPAGANDA

WASHINGTON, April 26

The United States Federal authorities are investigating reports that pro-Axis elements are trying to induce seamen not to sign on ships sailing between the United States and Latin American 'ports. There is a serious shortage of seamen in some ports. Seamen are being offered more money to stay ashore doing nothing than they would get by working, according to the reports. In other cases they are being offered other employment at better pay.

In some cases, of ships manned by seamen whose home countries have been swallowed up by the Axis, threats of harm to the men or their relatives abroad have been made.

SABOTAGE PLOT

SEATTLE, April 25. The police announced that they had discovered a plot by criminal elements and saboteurs to close down the Boeing bomber plant and the Todd shipyards. The police have ordered the arrest of all suspicious persons on sight for investigation.

OCCUPATION OF GREENLAND.

WASHINGTON, April .25.' Mr. Roosevelt said that the danger of attack on the United States had been increased by recent developments. He said that it was believed that Greenland had been partly occupied by Axis forces, and though he had no definite information, the United States Government had taken steps to counter this move. Commenting on Mr. Roosevelt’s statement, Senator Joshua Lee said: “If the Nazis are in Greenland, we have got to throw them out. Senator R. A. Brewster said: “I guess we are beginning to recognise the facts of life.

COAL STRIKE

WASHINGTON, April 25.

Defence officials disclosed that a continuation of the coal strike will force 19 major arms plants to go on part time operations within 48 hours, and compel the steel industry to cut operations to 85 per cent, next week. Senator Byrd demanded in the United States Senate to-day that Miss Frances Perkins be replaced as Secretary for Labour by “a two-fisted man who will have the intestinal fortitude to say to both Labour and Capital taht strikes in preparedness industries cannot be tolerated.” Senator Byrd added: “Miss Perkins has demonstrated ineptness, weakness, and inability to meet her

responsibility in the settlement of strikes.”

MOTOR WORKS DISPUTE

NEW YORK, April 26.

The New York “Herald-Tribune” reports that the employees at 60 out of 61 General Motors Corporation plants had voted for a strike, whereupon the Secretary for Labour (Miss Frances Perkins) sent the dispute to the National Defence Mediation Board. General Motors employs 160,000 men in its 61 plants, and has 700,000,000 dollars’ worth of defence contracts.

INCENDIARY EXTINGUISHER

NEW YORK, April 26. The development of a new and highly effective extinguisher for incendiary bombs was announced today at a fire defence session of the annual Greater New York Safety Congress. Mr. Durfee, of the Pyrene Manufacturing Company, said the extinguisher was developed in co-op-erative research carried out by the Dow Chemical Company, a manufacturer of magnesium alloys, and the Pyrene Company. “For the first time,” Mr. Durfee said, “we have a material that will promptly and safely extinguish burning magnesium, whether it is in industrial plants or is dropped by air raiders. It is known as ‘Pyrene G-l fire extinguishing powder.’ ”